Effective urban mushroom growing model

The model of growing oyster mushrooms in urban areas has initially brought about results.

(VLO) Growing oyster mushrooms is considered a suitable model for urban agricultural production. Some people have implemented it and initially achieved quite good economic efficiency.

In 2023, in order to create a positive change in the orientation of urban agricultural extension development, changing people's habits from small-scale production towards commodity production with high sustainability, Vinh Long City Agricultural Extension Station has built and developed a model to implement the "Urban Agricultural Extension Program 2023".

In particular, the safe mushroom production model has achieved initial results. Participating in the model, farmers are supported with 50% of mushroom spawn bags (750 bags of oyster mushrooms); 50% of the cost of scaffolding, support tools, and irrigation systems.

At the same time, growers are also given specific instructions by agricultural extension officers from building a growing house, when to bring mushroom spawn into the farm, to care techniques...

Some urban farmers participating in the model said that oyster mushrooms are easy to care for and can be harvested many times, and the investment cost is not high. This is also a production direction that brings quite high economic efficiency.

Specifically, after bringing the mushroom spawn home to incubate for about 2 months, open the cotton and cover it for about 10 days, then open the lid, then water to create moisture for the mushrooms to grow easily.

Water used to water mushrooms must be clean, free of alum, free of toxic substances, and watered with a spray bottle or fine nozzle.

Water more or less depending on the humidity of the mushroom house, on average 2 times/day. When you see the fibers around the cork, remove the cork, after about 6 days the mushrooms will start to grow, depending on the size of the mushrooms, you can harvest.

After harvesting the mushrooms, clean the mushroom spawn plug, cover the spawn, continue to water and monitor the mushroom spawn for about 15 days before starting to harvest the next batch.

According to Mr. Nguyen Hoang Dan - an official of Vinh Long City Agricultural Extension Station, an officer who guides farmers in growing oyster mushrooms, said: It does not take up much space, you can take advantage of a warehouse or a small area to grow oyster mushrooms.

Around the mushroom growing house, you can cover it with fishing net or nylon to keep humidity, limit insects, and help mushrooms grow well. The house for growing oyster mushrooms must be clean, high, airy, well-drained, and able to retain humidity.

The mushroom bags can be arranged on shelves, each row is 30-50cm apart, each string is 20-25cm apart, each stack has 4-5 bags of mushroom bags, each block has aisles for easy care and harvesting of mushrooms. Mushrooms should be harvested early in the morning to ensure the mushrooms are fresh and can be sold to traders at a high price.

Growing 1,500 oyster mushroom spawns, Ms. Le Thi Hong Van (Hamlet 2, Ward 3, Vinh Long City) said: “I took advantage of the 20 square meters of vacant land in my house to build a mushroom house. Compared to other crops, oyster mushrooms are easy to grow, convenient to care for and do not take up much space.

I also keep a diary while growing to process according to the instructed techniques. With a selling price of 50,000-55,000 VND/kg, the first batch I harvested 25kg of mushrooms, which was also quite a profit."

Similarly, Ms. Luu Thi Kim Loan (Hamlet 6, Ward 5, Vinh Long City) also shared: “I also use the warehouse to grow mushrooms in my spare time. Growing mushrooms does not require much care and is valuable.

The mushroom harvest time lasts from 3-4 months with 8-10 harvests, bringing quite good economic efficiency.

According to Mr. Nguyen Hoang Dan, to grow mushrooms effectively, the selection of spawn is very important, must have a clear origin, ensure that it is not infected with diseases and has the ability to grow and develop well.

Before planting mushroom spawn, the growing house must be cleaned with lime powder to limit diseases in the mushrooms during the care process.

During the first week, it is necessary to check the embryo bags. If any bag is found to be moldy, it must be removed from the grow house and destroyed to prevent the disease from spreading to other embryo bags.

It is important to ensure that the spawn bag is not exposed to direct wind, keep the air inside the grow house well ventilated, and the light inside the grow house must be even.

Mr. Nguyen Van Luc - Head of Vinh Long City Agricultural Extension Station, said: The area of agricultural land is increasingly shrinking.

Therefore, to help farmers convert traditional agricultural models to urban agricultural models, recently, Vinh Long City has focused on developing new economic models to help solve labor problems and increase income for farmers.

Accordingly, there are many effective development models such as growing ornamental flowers and plants, cutting orchids, producing safe, organic vegetables, growing oyster mushrooms, etc.

Of which, the oyster mushroom growing model has been implemented at 7 locations in Ward 3, Ward 5, Ward 8, Tan Hoi Ward, Truong An Ward. This is considered a suitable model for development and replication in urban areas.

“Urban agricultural models not only contribute to changing farmers' production awareness but also contribute to increasing value, ensuring product quality, facilitating traceability in the direction of safe organic products, having a sense of responsibility for product quality, expanding consumption markets, linking stable output chains, and ensuring production development.

In addition, step by step build many concentrated commodity production areas, ensuring quality, quantity, and competitive prices to supply products to markets inside and outside the province" - Mr. Nguyen Van Luc added.

Article and photos: NGUYEN KHANG

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