Major Problems Mushroom Growers Face During Harvesting

Mushrooms cultivation is increasing day by day due to the high demand for export potentiality and the domestic market. Those who do not like the taste of market mushrooms or find them expensive prefer growing them at their home. Mushroom cultivation is also preferred by those who love gardening and prefer organically grown fruits and vegetables. Cultivating the mushrooms at home is thus considered the best way to enjoy freshly grown, and healthy mushrooms.

No matter whether the purpose behind growing mushrooms is business or self-consumption, each grower has to face a variety of problems during mushroom harvesting. The challenges that growers face are not just common but are also controllable. The lack of attention and knowledge of mushroom cultivation usually reasons the problems that mushroom growers face during harvesting. Those who use mushroom substrates and follow temperature, lighting, and humidity requirements properly, face fewer issues during harvesting than those who ignore them. Some major problems that mushroom growers face during harvesting are:-

Contamination:-

One of the major problems that mushroom growers face during harvesting is contamination. Mushrooms are grown on both small and large scales and always remain at high risk of contamination. Fungus and bacteria easily thrive in moist and warm environments that they easily get in mushroom fruiting chambers. The use of wrong fruiting chambers or improper lighting and temperature control in the chambers welcomes bacteria, mold, and fungus that affects the growth and quality of the mushrooms.

The problem of contamination not just affects the growth but also prevents the growers from harvesting/growing the mushrooms they desire. However, using the right mushroom fruiting chambers and grow kits helps to maintain temperature requirements that further prevent the risk of contamination.

Less or improper growth:-

Another major problem that mushroom growers face during harvesting is less or improper growth of the mushrooms. Mushrooms do not grow effectively when they do not get the right growing environment. The growing factors such as temperature, humidity, as well as lighting, play a major role in speeding up the growth of the mushrooms as per the requirement. When the growers fail to maintain all or even any of the growing conditions, they do not get the desired results during harvesting.

Improper moisture:-

Another major problem faced by growers during harvesting is improper moisture. Many new mushroom growers even do not have much idea about moisture requirements. Due to this, they fail to keep a proper check on the grows kits or fruiting chamber used by them for growing mushrooms. Things turn out to be bad for them when the level of moisture in the fruiting chamber is either more or less than the requirement.

Those who use mushroom substrates have to pay less attention to the moisture requirements. However, this also depends on the quality of mushroom substrate used by them as well as on the type of mushroom they want to grow. When the level of moisture is high in the chambers, it encourages the growth of contaminants. On the other side, when the level of moisture is less in the chamber, the mycelium dries out and dies. Both cases prevent the growers from growing desired mushrooms.

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