Mushrooms are versatile and the good news is that they can grow in any part of the country. The main conditions mushrooms require to grow are; a reliable water supply, shelter and stable temperatures ranging from 15 to 30 degrees.
Steps
You don’t require land to grow mushrooms. If you have land, it’s a plus since you can make a mud house and use it to grow the mushrooms. However, you can still do this in your house or apartment as long as you have a dark room that is well ventilated. Install wooden shelves in the room to increase the vertical space. If the mushrooms are only for home consumption, you can grow them in a cardboard.
The more the accessible vertical space you have, the more the yield. Note that mushrooms thrive where there is good circulation of air. While making the shelter and shelves, let your carpenter make those that will last longer. Save on costs by utilizing locally available materials.
The next step is finding the substrate. One would ask what is substrate? Basically, this is the compost on which mushrooms grow. There are several substrates available. There is forest soil, bean straw, rice straw, millet straw and wheat straw. The main requirement here is that the substrate should have a great supply of nitrogen that is a requisite for mushroom growth. Before making use of the substrate, ensure you sterilize it from bacteria. In large scale, it is done by steaming but in small scale, this can be achieved by boiling water in a drum and then immersing the plastic bags with the substrate in them for approximately one hour to get rid of the germs.
Some farmers mix several substrates together to increase the nitrogen content. Many farmers in Kenya source wheat grain, cotton seed, gypsum, mill cake and wheat straw. In place of wheat, other farmers use millet or sorghum depending on what’s available. They then mix it with chicken waste to make compost.
Preparing the compost
This should take up to 2 weeks and should be conducted in open air. Once it’s ready, it should be transferred into the bags and the taken into the shelter. The shelter should have a net to ward off insects and pests while allowing fresh air to enter. Some of the common pests that affect mushrooms include green moulds, pink moulds, grey moulds and mites.
Apart from providing lots of nitrogen, the chicken waste also assists in decomposition of the substrate. You will also need mushroom spawn. This is any substance that is inoculated with mycelium, the vegetative growth of a fungus. It is used to transfer the mycelium into the substrate. Wheat, sorghum or millet act as the food for the mycelia and further help the mushroom spawns to colonize (spread) the entire compost.
Varieties Available
Button mushrooms are the most popular in Kenya because people like consuming them. Oyster mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms are the other mushroom varieties that are available locally. Oyster farming is not popular in Kenya since it is more labor intensive and produces less yield as compared to button spawns.
Nylon Bags
Seedlings are planted in small nylon bags and transplanted into big ones for growth. The small bags are similar to those used in local shops to package sugar. They cost 100 KSHs for 200 pieces. The bigger bags cost 15 KSHs per piece and in a 1/8 acre farm, you require around 1,000 of them.
Mushroom farming is a delicate enterprise that requires extremely good hygiene. One misstep in hygiene and you are at the risk of losing all your mushrooms. You will therefore require equipment like hand gloves, methylated spirit, drinking straws, cotton wool and a knapsack sprayer.
Spawning
Once you are ready with the shelter and equipment, you need to buy the spawns. These are the mushroom seedlings. Some of the sources are research and seed propagating institutions like JKUAT or KARLO. One kilogram of button spawns goes for 1,000 KSHs. For a 1/8 acre farm, 5 kilograms are enough to get you started.
First sterilize the hand gloves with methylated spirit. Once you do this, pack the mixture of substrate and spawn in the small plastic bags. 1 kg of spawn mixed with substrate can result to 25 small plastic bags. Once you do this, tie a knot at the top of the plastic bag and wrap sterilized small pipes with holes around the knot. This will be used for watering. The pipes are connected to a bigger pipe that is connected to the water outlet. To protect the mushrooms, apply methylated spirit on the opening of the pipes.
Incubation
Once your plastic bags are ready, transfer them to a dark corner of your structure and let them stay there for 21 days. After 21 days are over, you will notice that the plastic bags are covered with mycelium – a whitish substance. Transfer the plastic bags from the dark to places that have more light so that the mushrooms can form. After 4 to 5 days, you will notice white heads beginning to form outside the plastic bag and from there, the mushrooms will begin to grow. Once the white heads begin to appear poke holes in the plastic bag to allow easy germination to take place and the mushrooms to pop out. This is the point where you use the knapsack sprayer to spray clean water to the mushrooms. Ensure that the jet water is in a misty form so that it doesn’t affect the mushrooms.
Expenses and Revenue
In a 1/8 acre farm, expenses for constructing the farmhouse, purchasing the equipment and painting accrue to 230,000 KSHs. If you don’t have to build an entire mud house and you can use an available free room, the costs are cheaper. It will cost you only 15,000 to set up the shelves and a good ventilation system. However, once you have constructed the farm house, in the subsequent seasons you will only spend 150,000 KSHs for purchasing the spawns, water supply and labour.
It only takes 2 months for button mushrooms to mature. 1/8 acre farm can support 1000 bags and this can produce up to 2 tons. A farmer can sell one kilogram at 600 KSHs to consumers and this translates to 1.2 million KSHs in revenue. In Kenya, mushrooms can be purchased in the major supermarkets outlets at a prices between e.g. 400 to 600 KSHs a kilo. The price from individual sellers is better at 500 KSHs a kilo.
Mushroom farming is profitable since you can also sell the compost after you are done using it. A 50 kg bag can be sold for 2000 KSHs.
The highest demand for mushrooms in Kenya is in Nairobi. They are majorly grown in towns like Eldoret, Kisii and Kericho and are transported to Nairobi for sale.
Tips for successful mushroom farming: First try planting the mushroom crop in a small farm and see how it goes before moving to a big farm. This way, you have a better chance of learning from your mistakes. Seek advice from other mushroom farmers in the area and observe how they do it. Find a market in advance to avoid disappointments, because once harvested, mushrooms have a low shelf life. Remember to maintain very high standards of cleanliness in your farm. This is the key to success for mushroom farming.
Easy peasy guys😄
