My oyster mushroom bags ran white but fruiting is poor and some caps are small and dry. What growing conditions am I getting wrong?
2 Answers
Oyster mushroom is forgiving, but a few conditions decide success. Most common oyster species fruit well in a broad range of about 20 to 30 degrees C, with some cool loving and some warm loving types, so first make sure you are using a species suited to your season. During spawn run keep bags in the dark, warm and humid. For fruiting, after the bag is fully white, open or cut the bags, raise humidity to roughly 80 to 90 percent with regular misting, give some light and plenty of fresh air. Small dry caps and poor fruiting usually mean the air is too dry or there is not enough fresh air exchange, so carbon dioxide builds up and you get long stalks and tiny caps. Mist more often, ventilate well, and avoid a direct dry draught on the bags. Match the species to your local temperature with help from your KVK or DMR Solan.
When my caps were drying I hung wet gunny bags and misted three times a day. Humidity was my whole problem. Caps became thick and proper after that.