The optimal composition, humidity and moisture capacity of the cover soil are important indicators for the weight of mushrooms and product quality

If there is little water in the cover soil, the mycelium develops in thin hyphae in abundance in various directions. The movement of water and nutrition using such mycelium is difficult and leads to excessive generation of primordia and insufficient development of fruiting bodies. Mushrooms grow tightly packed together and are of poor quality. If there is a lot of water and it is in a free state between the lumps of cover soil, the mycelium will have nowhere to develop. There will be a decrease in yield. For the normal development of thick strands in the peat there must be enough free space and a lot of water.

Regularly check the condition of the border of compost and cover soil. There should be no smearing of the cover on the compost and no sticking due to excessive soil moisture. This depends on the quality of the material and on the correctly chosen strategy for performing technological operations and the type of raw material. You can always order the supply of cover soil structure, which is preferable for your method of application, from specialized enterprises producing peat substrate, such as Ekorost LLC .

During the first wave, as a rule, there are no problems with a lack of water in the cover soil. Most often, a lack of moisture is observed during the second emergence of mushrooms. Mushrooms weigh less for the same quantity, and yields decrease. The surface becomes clogged with mycelium and additional dehydration of the cover occurs. The only way to solve this problem – Maintain water balance throughout the collection. It is necessary to monitor the presence of black spots in the cover that are not overgrown with mycelium, which can absorb moisture during watering. And of course, the moisture capacity of the cover soil should be not lower than 600-800%.

In lowland peat the pore clearance is so small that they are filled with bound water and held by sorption forces.

High peat contains pronounced fibers of plant residues with large pores. They are able to quickly fill with water, but at the same time it does not linger in them, because... hydraulic pressure is stronger than surface tension forces. By combining two types of peat, you can create a cover soil for mushrooms that has the ability to quickly absorb irrigation water and retain it for a long time in a lumpy microstructure.

When making cover soil accumulations of particles acquire a lumpy structure. Such lumps are penetrated by many capillaries. Water seeps into them and takes the form of a network. The optimal composition of the cover soil should have approximately 15-20% high-moor peat, 70-75% low-lying peat and up to 10% defective soil. The acidity of the product is 7.4-7.6 ph. The optimal composition of the cover soil will make it possible to obtain maximum results in terms of the quality and quantity of mushrooms.