Paddy straw mushroom (Volvariella Volvacea) grows well in temperatures between 30-35C (86-95F) with an 80% humidity.
When growing it, you can monitor the temp and humidity to know how it's going or what to do when the temp changes.
Let's see some ideas together:
#1. Effects Of Too Much Sunlight & High Temp
Although mushroom needs sunlight to grow, especially during the stage when their developed pin heads turn from a sphere to an egg shape, it can only accept sunlight for about 15-30 minutes. This is a good span for them. Too much direct sunlight for a long time span could kill all the mushroom. And if temperatures get over 40C (104F), growing mycelium will die.
So when it gets too hot outside with very still winds, you can water the mounds in the shower-like way on both sides of the slopes to cool it down. And let the shrooms enjoy the sunlight for enough amount a day.
#2. Effects Of Little Sunlight & Low Temp
On the contrary, insufficient sunlight, especially during the stage when pin heads are developing, may result in a lack of nutrients (specifically vitamin D and E) in the mushroom. When outdoor temperatures drop low but you still get some light, you can let the mounds under the sun for a longer period of time.
If the in-center-mound temperature goes below 35C (95F), the mycelium may not grow or grow very slow. If pin heads have developed, at that temp point, it also grows slow. And if the pin heads have grown bigger (in the mature stage), at this temp, they may open their caps pre-maturely.
If it gets too cold outside with heavy rain/strong winds and unpredictable hots-n-colds, you can cover the mushroom mounds snugly with a jacket of straw. When necessary, you can use some plastic covers to keep the temperature inside the mounds warm.
If The Mushroom Straw Mounds Lose Humidity...
We can look at a few aspects to the find cause and solutions:
- Is it because the straw (substrate) have not been well soaked with water?
- Have we watered it too little?
- Or when we make the mounds, we didn't compress the straw as tightly and they are running loose?
If it is because of insufficient watering, you can increase the frequency. Instead of once a day, we can now do once more.
If it is because of loose straw mounds, we can add in extra straw to make it tighter. The straw that we add also needs to be soak with water and lime first to add moisture and kill bacteria.
How to Test If The In-Mound Humidity Is Good Enough
You can reach inside the center of the mound, grabbed some straw and pull them out. Squeeze it in your hands, if some water oozes out flowing between your fingers, then it is moist enough. If the water juiced out is just enough to wet the inside of your palm, then the mound may lack moisture and it needs some more water.
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