Growing champignons as a million-dollar business. Technology and equipment for growing mushrooms: oyster mushrooms and champignons. Business plan: growing champignons Business for growing champignon mushrooms

19.10.2018

Champignon production as a business in the Republic of Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan).

Growing champignons is quite popular as a business in the food industry. Many may have heard that such a business is easy to implement and brings in a lot of income. Let's figure out how true such statements are and, in general, whether it is profitable to grow champignons.

Despite the obviousness of such a business idea, the market for mushrooms and champignons in particular in many CIS countries is at the initial stage of development. This especially applies to Russia and Kazakhstan.

The state of the champignon market in Kazakhstan (RK) and Ukraine for 2019 (briefly).

Champignons as a business in the Republic of Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan)

Mushroom production in the Republic of Kazakhstan is traditionally not very developed and the market of the Republic of Kazakhstan is also far from meeting demand and will be far away for many years. For the first time, large quantities of champignons began to be grown in Kazakhstan only in 2017 in the village of Yntymak. Vladimir Babayants decided to introduce this wonderful culture to the Kazakhstan market.

Think about it, in the entire vast country of Kazakhstan in 2017 there was only one mushroom farm that grows champignons on an industrial scale. Small mushroom farms have existed before, but this is the first large one. I couldn't find data on other farms, but I don't think much has changed in 2018. I recommend watching the video about Vladimir Babayants below.

Russia

The Russian market for mushrooms and champignons in particular is currently experiencing a boom. After the cancellation of imports, a huge unsatisfied demand for champignons was formed. By 2018, champignon producers increased their volumes by 66%, however, there is still a significant excess of demand over supply.

According to expert forecasts, champignon production volumes in Russia may increase by more than 3-4 times.

Ukraine.

Mushroom pickers from Ukraine will have the hardest time. Firstly, mushroom production is quite well developed in Ukraine, and therefore there is great competition and prices for champignons are sometimes at the breaking point. Secondly, in the autumn, wild mushrooms, so beloved by many, provide significant competition to champignons, so in the fall farmers sometimes even trade at a loss.

However, the champignon market may become saturated in a few years and anyone who would like to organize this business should hurry, otherwise they will have to face tough competition.

What are the features of the champignon farming business?

Seasonality. Despite the fact that these mushrooms can be grown indoors all year round, by autumn wild mushrooms begin to compete with them, which leads to a decrease in demand and, accordingly, prices.

The need for very fast implementation. Raw mushrooms do not last long. In packages sealed with polyethylene, the shelf life is about 5-7 days. Therefore, it makes sense to look for premises close to the main buyers. Don't expect to be able to grow mushrooms first and then figure out how to sell them.

Rospotrebnadzor will become your best friend, since each batch requires a certificate of conformity, and the premises itself require a radiological examination protocol (though only once).

Reviews from entrepreneurs about the business of growing and selling champignons.

Champignons are more demanding on conditions (humidity, ventilation) than oyster mushrooms, there are more requirements for cultivation, and there are more reasons for lack of harvest. True, the demand for them is greater than for oyster mushrooms, but perhaps that’s just me personally.

This business is very hemorrhoidal, for me the main problem is the preparation of compost - there are no special problems in the future. There is good demand for them and they are very easy to sell.

The most important thing is high-quality mycelium and substrate preparation. But the advantages, compared to a vegetable greenhouse, are that when growing champignons you can get by with minimal lighting. You made a substrate, and then you just water it and maintain moisture. We were able to collect up to 12 kg of mushrooms from one square meter.

Is it possible to grow champignons at home? If you are ready to turn several rooms into barns, then yes. Otherwise, it's just self-indulgence. To grow champignons you need a good air conditioner with climate control and a minimum of sixty days. In addition, cleanliness is very important when seeding compost with mycelium.

I tried to breed it in the basement, nothing worked, all my efforts were in vain.

The mycelium of champignons is very vulnerable to dryness and decreased temperature. You also need to strictly observe the temperature regime of 18-20 degrees. The production of champignons is a rather difficult matter, which requires strict adherence to breeding conditions. But after the first successful harvest it is impossible to stop.

Growing champignons is pleasant because you have to work a lot only a few times a month - during harvesting and sowing compost. The rest of the time, the mycelium grows on its own; all that is required of you is simply to maintain the necessary conditions.

All reviews are taken from forums, YouTube and other open sources.

Is it profitable to grow champignons at home?

It depends on what you want to achieve. If you grow champignons for pleasure, for yourself and your friends, for some side income - why not. It is impossible to start a business by growing champignons at home. Unless, of course, you have a huge house and you are ready to turn an entire floor into a mini-champignon farm.

From one square meter you can get a maximum of 12 kg of mushrooms; after sowing the compost with mycelium, at least a month will pass before fruiting. One kg of mushrooms at a wholesale price in Russia costs 100-150 rubles, in Kazakhstan - about 1000 tenge. I think now you can estimate for yourself that for a normal income you will need a significant premises.

Feedback from an entrepreneur about the business of growing champignons at home

It won’t work at home unless you remodel the whole room and separate it from the rest of the apartment, install an air conditioner there and provide ventilation. Mushrooms breathe - they consume oxygen and release CO2, so very good ventilation is needed. And the temperature must be kept appropriate when growing. To force the fruits, the temperature must be lowered, otherwise they will stretch out and will not be marketable. It will be extremely difficult to organize all this at home.

Forums on growing champignons.

Unfortunately, I was unable to find a specialized forum on champignons, but the Internet is full of topics on growing these wonderful mushrooms in agricultural forums.

Thread on the farming forum https://fermer.ru/forum/gribovodstvo/115482

Section “champignons” on the mushroom forum http://forum.mushroom.su/forums/shampinony.13/

A very interesting thread on the agro-industrial forum https://www.agroxxi.ru/forum/topic/3255-how-to-grow-champignons/

Champignons in comparison with the oyster mushroom business.

Growing oyster mushrooms and champignons is similar in many ways, but champignons are traditionally considered to be very fastidious mushrooms. Where the oyster mushroom survives and bears fruit, the champignons will wither and you will be left without a harvest. Make the temperature too high and the champignons will turn from plump boletus mushrooms into pale, elongated sickness.

Unlike oyster mushrooms, which forgive many mistakes, champignons require strict adherence to growing conditions. Many entrepreneurs who started with these mushrooms experienced failure and then switched to oyster mushrooms.

Champignons are demanding not only of humidity and ventilation, but also of the substrate. They require prepared and fermented compost based on horse manure or specially enriched compost based on chicken manure.

Peculiarities of champignon production.

Growing champignons in the garage or basement.

A novice entrepreneur can set up a mini-farm at minimal cost. Although champignons are whimsical, you can try to grow at least a few batches by organizing a mycelium in your garage or basement. You won’t be able to achieve serious income this way, but it’s quite normal for a start (depending, of course, on the size of the garage and basement).

Theoretically, champignons can be grown in any room, subject to the following conditions.

The room in which mushrooms are grown must:

Maintain a constant air temperature throughout the year.
Maintain high humidity at all times.
Ventilate regularly.
Be disinfected.

All this is impossible without special preparation of the premises. Unfortunately, without air conditioning, good ventilation and heating, it will not be possible to achieve any decent yield (if any).

Lighting.

Champignons can grow both in absolute darkness and in bright artificial light. There is no need to install special lamps, but for ease of operation, you need to conduct electricity into the mycelium.

Ventilation.

Champignons absorb huge amounts of oxygen and, accordingly, produce a lot of carbon dioxide. Accordingly, for normal growth of mushrooms, it is necessary to take care of ventilation. This could be ventilation grilles or just regular ventilation, but the best option is to install an air conditioner.

The air conditioner can be adjusted in a convenient mode depending on weather factors so that it constantly maintains the desired level of oxygen. In addition, the device can perform other functions.

To check whether the champignons have enough oxygen, pay attention to the length of the legs. If the mushrooms have a lack of oxygen, the legs will be too elongated.

Temperature and humidity.

A temperature of about 20 degrees Celsius should be maintained stably in the working room throughout the entire period of growing mushrooms. After fruiting begins, the temperature will need to be lowered to somewhere around 15-18 degrees. Naturally, an air conditioner that works for both cooling and heating will help to achieve this effect.

When choosing an air conditioner, pay attention to whether its power is enough for the mycelium of your size, otherwise you will have to install an additional one. But in order to ensure the safety of mushrooms in particularly frosty times, heating must be carried out.

Air humidity should also be high (about 90%). Some air conditioners are equipped with a function to maintain the desired level of air humidity, but you can provide comfortable conditions for mushrooms simply by regularly spraying the shelves with tap water.

Zoning of space.

If you have a room with a large area, it may be logical to divide it hermetically into two zones - one for fruiting mushrooms, the other for growing. This will ensure virtually uninterrupted supply. The downside is that you will have to install separate air conditioners for each room.

Methods and technologies for growing champignons (bags, containers, etc.)

Growing champignons in containers.

This method is good for everyone, except perhaps the cost of containers. The disease, if it develops, will not go further than one box. To save space, containers are installed on racks. Keep in mind that if you are making your own containers, they will need to have drainage and ventilation holes to control temperature and humidity.

Batch method.

The bags should simply be laid out on the racks without being tied up. This is similar to the method of growing oyster mushrooms, with the difference that the oyster mushrooms in bags are tied and hung. This technology, as well as growing in containers, makes it possible to localize a possible disease in a timely manner. The disadvantage of this method is the significant labor costs when filling with compost and sowing.

Shelves.

Just as in the case of containers, it involves the use of racks, with the difference that the sown compost is poured not into containers, but directly onto the shelves themselves (for this, of course, they must have a side). The advantages of this technology are the convenience of sowing and filling with compost. However, for such convenience you will have to pay with increased risk - if a mycelial disease occurs, it will spread to the entire shelf.

Blocks.

In this case, they do without any containers; champignons are grown directly on specially compressed compost briquettes. This is convenient both at the initial stage of sowing and after the final harvest - such blocks are very easy to throw away and replace with new ones. The downside is that you have to buy these same blocks every time.

In open ground.

The most extreme method (for champignons). A hole or ditch is dug in the ground, into which the sown compost is poured. Then it is all covered with film. The place should be shaded and humid. Naturally, in such conditions you will not collect 12 kg from one m2. At best, 3-4 kg, if you collect anything at all. The only plus is that this is perhaps the simplest method. Not a bad technology for those who just want to try it and for amateurs.

Disadvantages - low yield, high possibility of crop loss due to diseases and temperature disturbances, can only be grown in the warm season.

How to grow champignons? Production stages.

Let's look at the features of growing at each stage of growth.

Preliminary disinfection.

Before planting champignons, the mycelium must be thoroughly disinfected, since mushrooms are very sensitive to viruses and bacteria. Any virus can destroy the entire crop, especially if the mushrooms are planted directly on the rack.
Disinfection includes regular whitewashing of walls and ceilings and preliminary spraying with formalin solution, after which the mycelium must be thoroughly ventilated.
Regular disinfection is carried out using bleach.

Substrate preparation.

The substrate should consist of peat or soil of the required degree of acidity and compost. The ideal acidity level for champignons is 7.2-7.4. To achieve such acidity in ordinary soil, mix it with chalk. Peat is a more expensive soil, so it makes no sense to use it at the initial stage of production.
Compost should ideally consist of horse manure mixed with a small amount of urea, ammonium sulfate, straw, superphosphate, chalk and alabaster. There are also ready-made composts on sale.

By the way, making compost for champignons is a great business idea. The production of champignons is growing day by day and compost producers cannot keep up with mushroom farms. Many champignon farms have to prepare compost themselves - and this is one of the most labor-intensive production aspects. I'm sure many would like to outsource this.

Planting mushroom mycelium (inoculation).

The prepared substrate must be poured onto shelves or into plastic bags in a thick layer (about 25-40 cm), then the mycelium is evenly distributed and covered with a layer of substrate 4-5 cm high. The roots of the champignons are quite long and for their full growth there is no need to spare the substrate. Later, with the right growing technology, about three good waves of product can grow one after another without replacing the soil and planting mycelium.

Forcing fruiting bodies.

To slow down the growth of champignons, it is necessary to reduce the temperature in the mycelium to 17 degrees Celsius (a temperature range of 17-15 degrees is allowed). It would seem, why slow down growth if it seems logical to speed it up? This is done so that the fruits are short, dense and wide; if the temperature is left the same, the champignons will stretch out and lose their presentation and taste.

Who among us doesn’t love potatoes with mushrooms or mushroom soup? What about mushrooms fried on the grill? Maybe, of course, there are some, but there are not many of them. Therefore, mushrooms are in constant demand, which means that growing champignons as a business will be a fairly profitable enterprise. Below we will look at all the nuances of this business and draw up a business plan.

Documentation

To ensure that regulatory authorities do not have questions about your business, you must register your future business correctly and in a timely manner. Registering a mushroom growing business may not be as easy as it seems at first glance.

Firstly, it is necessary to register the form of ownership. For such a business, you can register as an individual entrepreneur (IP) or as a limited liability company (LLC). It’s up to you to decide which form of ownership to choose; first of all, everything will depend on the planned scale of the business.

If you are wondering how to grow champignons at home for sale, you can register as an individual entrepreneur and sell your products on the market or through resellers. If you plan to build a large farm and sell goods through large supermarket chains, then you need an LLC.

Secondly, you need to remember that since you are engaged in the production of plant products, you will need to undergo phytosanitary certification of the premises intended for the production of mushrooms. In addition, for each batch of goods you will need to receive quality certificates, which are issued after the necessary product analyzes have been carried out.

Selecting a room

Before you start choosing a room for harvesting champignons, you need to decide on the volume of your future business. To have something to build on, you need to know that to produce 1 ton per year you need 50 square meters. Accordingly, if you want to have a volume of about 10 tons, you will need a room of about 500 square meters.

There are several options for purchasing premises: buying or renting. If you plan to own a premises, then you can purchase a ready-made premises or build it yourself. What is more profitable, buying a ready-made building or building it yourself, you need to look at the location. This will depend primarily on the cost of land and construction costs.

If you are buying a ready-made building or renting a premises, then you should pay attention to the condition of the premises and how much money you need to invest to bring it to the condition necessary for your business. This is due to the fact that the process of growing mushrooms has strict temperature requirements and failure to comply with these requirements will ruin the entire process.

The most commonly used system is a multi-zone system. With it, the room is divided into 4 zones:

making compost;
compost disinfection;
growing and sowing mycelium;
getting the harvest.

Surely you plan to keep your business going all year round. This means that you will need heating for the winter, cooling for the summer and, of course, water and sewerage all year round. In addition, you cannot do without powerful ventilation, since during the fermentation of compost a large amount of ammonia is released.

In the area where compost is fermented, the temperature must be maintained between 12-16 degrees Celsius. To obtain 1 ton of compost per fermentation cycle, 20 square meters must be allocated for this zone.

To disinfect compost, it is better to select an area that will have a separate entrance. You can equip such a zone yourself. On the Internet you can find how to make a sealed chamber for such an area.

In the area where sowing and germination of mycelium occurs, the temperature should be between 24-26 degrees Celsius. The humidity level must be maintained at least 95%.

Read also: Growing greens for sale as a home business

The harvest area should have a temperature of 14 to 16 degrees Celsius and a humidity of 80-85%. In principle, almost the same as in the mycelium germination zone.

Equipment of beds

In order to properly equip beds for mushrooms, you need to properly prepare the compost. The basis of “correct” compost is horse manure. Why horse? Yes, because it contains the most suitable ratio of potassium and phosphorus compounds for mushrooms. Although horse manure is the best option, it is still often replaced with cow manure due to its greater availability.

At the moment, there are proven and proven technologies for producing a substrate for growing mushrooms, both with the use of manure and without it at all. It is only necessary that the substrate meets the following requirements:

the presence of nitrogen should be in the range of 1.6-1.8%, phosphorus 1 and 1.5% potassium;
The humidity of the compost is around 70-72%, and its temperature is 60-65 degrees Celsius.

During the fermentation process, the substrate is enriched with the components necessary for the formation of mushrooms. It is especially worth paying attention to the nitrogen content in the compost, since it is this that determines the quality of the humus. When preparing compost, special attention is paid to three stages:

moistening and mixing;
fermentation;
temperature support.

Growing technology

If you grow mushrooms only to provide for yourself, then the technology is simple and unpretentious - all operations in the beds are carried out manually. When growing significant volumes, the champignon production technology becomes more complicated. All processes are carried out in wooden boxes or bags, this contributes to more efficient utilization of the volume of the room and contributes to the automation of the control system for growing mushrooms.

Technologies used by large manufacturers include growing champignons on special racks, in bags and containers. Such technologies require significant financial costs.

If you plan to grow crops in relatively small volumes, then it will be easier and cheaper for you to use a container system. With this system, containers are located on movable racks and allow you to increase the productivity of one square meter.

For mushrooms in different phases of ripening, the conditions will be different:

In the first month after planting the mycelium, you need to maintain a humidity of 90% and not water it; the temperature to maintain healthy growth should be between 25-27 degrees Celsius.
After the mycelium has sprouted, a covering layer of soil is laid out and shed until the compost layer is moistened, while the temperature should be within 15-17 degrees Celsius and the ambient humidity 80%.

When your future harvest begins to appear, you need to monitor the concentration of carbon dioxide in the room. At this stage it is necessary to ensure good ventilation. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that the hatching mushrooms are not disturbed by air currents.

There are two types of mycelium for planting - compost and grain. Beginners should pay attention to the first type. This is due to its greater resistance to transportation and storage disruptions.

The history of growing champignons goes back more than four hundred years. The work of breeders during this period led to the emergence of new productive varieties and intensive technologies that made it possible to increase yields several times. However, for a long time, industrial cultivation of mushrooms remained accessible only to large farms that were able to purchase expensive climate control equipment or rent a mine to set up a farm.

Today, growing champignons as a business no longer requires multimillion-dollar investments from the entrepreneur: popular methods allow the use of an ordinary basement or greenhouse as a production site. In addition, on the market you can find offers that significantly simplify or completely eliminate some technological processes: for example, for a moderate fee, suppliers are ready to bring to a beginning farmer not only a substrate and a covering mixture, but also entire compost blocks pre-contaminated with mycelium.

Business Features

For beginners, growing champignons at home seems to be a complex and responsible process: unlike oyster mushrooms, these mushrooms are sensitive to changes in microclimate, carbon dioxide concentration, composition of the nutrient mixture and water temperature during irrigation. Productivity depends on many parameters, most of which can only be determined experimentally, so the entrepreneur will have to show observation, perseverance, and a willingness to experiment and overcome the consequences of his own mistakes.

Of course, the technology for growing champignons has long been known to farmers: evidence of this is provided by numerous enterprises that successfully cultivate mushrooms on both a small and industrial scale. Based on the experience they have accumulated, we can identify some characteristic features of this business, both facilitating and complicating production processes.

The undoubted advantages include the following factors:

Growing champignons at home is not affected by seasonality;
With a production cycle of 8–10 weeks, up to five harvests can be obtained per year;
Harvest dates are determined with an accuracy of two to three days;
Any available room is used as a farm in which the growing conditions necessary for champignons can be provided;
The raw materials for compost are accessible and inexpensive animal waste, ordinary straw, chalk, lime and common mineral fertilizers;
Spent compost can be sold to summer residents as fertilizer;
As a business, growing champignons at home does not require significant investment and the purchase of complex equipment;
The saturation of the Russian market with goods does not exceed 30–35%.

Cultivating mushrooms also comes with known risks: for example, excessive humidity or insufficient ventilation inevitably leads to crop loss. Therefore, it is advisable for beginning farmers to start with a small plantation and expand production as they gain experience. In addition, when implementing a business idea for growing champignons, you must consider the following:

The shelf life of products packaged in polyethylene in the refrigerator does not exceed 6–7 days, after which the fruits dry out and become chapped;
Closer to autumn, the market is filled with competing products - various wild mushrooms;
Taking into account the short shelf life of products, the risk of losing an unsold batch is extremely high, so business requires a well-developed sales system;
With a modest scale of production, there is no need to waste time on the SPD registration procedure: neighbors, acquaintances and other private individuals willingly buy mushrooms, and the remainder of the goods can always be sold on the market as private household products. However, when transitioning to industrial cultivation of champignons, it is necessary to register the enterprise as a peasant farm or individual entrepreneur in the Unified Agricultural Tax system and draw up employment contracts with all employees.

In addition, you will have to pay attention to the preparation of certain permitting documentation:

Instructions for transportation and recommendations for storing mushrooms (ready-made samples can be found on the Internet for free);
Protocol for radiological examination of a mushroom workshop (issued once, at the beginning of the farm’s operation) - from 4,500 rubles;
Phytosanitary certificate (if necessary, only for transporting products across the border) - from 10,000 rubles;
Certificate of conformity (received for each batch) - 3,500 rubles.

Types of champignons

When considering where to start growing champignons, you must first study the main characteristics of these mushrooms and choose a species suitable for cultivation at home. On private farms, double-ringed, field and meadow champignons are sometimes found, but the absolute leader among them is double-ringed, numerous industrial strains of which have been bred in American and European laboratories.

According to the color of the cap, bisporus champignon varieties are divided into three groups called races - white, cream or brown. The demand for white is explained by its high yield and marketable appearance, however, strains of this race are very sensitive to microclimatic conditions and the quality of compost. Therefore, as a business, growing white champignon mushrooms will be successful only in specially equipped workshops. Brown and cream strains are somewhat less productive, but at the same time have increased resistance to changes in temperature and humidity, along with good resistance to infections, so they can be cultivated in open ground and in greenhouses.

Artificial Strains

Strain	Cap diameter, mm	Weight, g	Productivity, kg/m²
White race
Hauser A15 (large)	40–55	35–45	24–26
B-86 (large)	35–45	28–30	15–20
F-1970 (large)	35–45	25–35	15–22
D-13 (large)	40–45	30–35	12–15
D-12 (large)	40–45	25–35	8–12
Somycel 608 (large)	35–45	30–35	18–20
Somycel 512 (medium)	30–40	25–35	20–28
Sylvan 130 (medium)	35–40	25–35	18–21
X-20 (medium)	40–50	25–35	17–25
Brown race
N-273 (large)	40–55	35–50	15–18
GDR-2 (medium)	35–40	15–20	14–18
A-311 (medium)	30–40	25–35	10–14
Cream race
PC-17 (medium)	40–45	25–30	10–12
F-1 (medium)	30–35	20–25	10–15
KD-2 (small)	20–30	15–20	12–16

Growing technologies

Experiments on growing champignons under various conditions have led to the emergence of five main cultivation methods, the differences between which are the required capital investments and the list of equipment used:

In containers

This technology for growing champignons on an industrial scale is widespread in the USA: mushrooms are planted in plastic or wooden boxes equipped with holes to regulate the temperature and humidity of the compost. Containers are installed on racks, which simplifies plantation processing and saves workshop space. The advantage of this method is isolation, which prevents the spread of diseases on the shelves, but the disadvantage is the high cost of the boxes themselves.

In packages

This method is somewhat reminiscent of the technology for cultivating oyster mushrooms with a slight difference: bags of compost for growing champignons are not tied or hung, but placed open on shelves. The batch method is characterized by well-known advantages: firstly, bags with used compost are quickly and easily replaced, and secondly, the infection does not spread beyond the boundaries of the bag. This method has only one drawback - the need to manually fill each bag with compost and seed it with mycelium.

On shelves

The so-called Dutch technology for growing champignons also involves the use of multi-tiered racks, but in this case the compost is poured directly onto shelves equipped with sides. The advantages of this method include the possibility of mechanization and space saving, while the disadvantages include the danger of spreading diseases throughout the entire shelf.

On the blocks

The easiest way to grow champignons, accessible even to a novice farmer, is to cultivate mushrooms on special briquettes, pressed from compost under industrial conditions and pre-contaminated with mycelium. Each block weighing 12–20 kg is hermetically sealed in polyethylene film, which allows them to be stored for 10–14 days and transported with minimal costs. The blocks are conveniently placed on racks, and when fruiting is completed they are easily disposed of.

On the beds

Using this technology, you can grow champignons in the open ground at your dacha. First, you need to find a well-shaded area with moist soil: small trenches are dug here and filled with compost. Then the resulting beds are sown with mycelium and covered with film to protect them from drying out. Unfortunately, in such conditions it is impossible to regulate microclimatic conditions and prevent the spread of infection, so the yield will most likely be low.

Preparing the premises

Considering the sensitivity of mushrooms to microclimate changes mentioned above, it is unlikely that it will be possible to create a mushroom farm in a city apartment or on a balcony. Therefore, at the initial stages of business development, it is more advisable to use other methods - for example, growing champignons in a greenhouse or in the basement of a private house, where it is easiest to maintain temperature and humidity at the proper level. You can also set up a farm in a barn or in any other insulated building: the main criterion for its suitability in this case will be the possibility of installing heating and ventilation devices here.

When organizing the production process, the room for growing champignons should be divided into four isolated zones:

Compost fermentation room;
Chamber for pasteurization of compost;
Mycelium incubation chamber;
Fruiting chamber.

When working with purchased compost, you can dispense with fermentation and pasteurization chambers. In addition, it is better to organize the work of a home farm using single-zone technology, in which temperature and humidity are regulated in each room independently, allowing them to be used sequentially for mycelium germination and fruiting.

The process of preparing the premises includes measures for its complete disinfection and disinfection. To do this you need:

Fumigate the chambers with smoke sulfur bombs and then ventilate;
Treat the walls and ceiling with lime mortar mixed with copper sulfate;
If there are fungus flies, treat the room with chlorophos;
Fill the floor with concrete to prevent increased air humidity and the entry of moles, rats, mice and insects into the room.

The conditions for growing champignon mushrooms involve monitoring and regulating the following microclimatic parameters:

Illumination. Mushrooms do not need artificial or natural light, preferring darkness. Therefore, the number of lamps in the room is determined by the comfort of working with the beds: in most cases, 2–3 W per square meter is enough;
Air exchange. The germination of mycelium and fruiting are accompanied by the release of carbon dioxide, which slows down the development of fungi, and the fermentation of compost is accompanied by the evaporation of ammonia. Therefore, growing champignons in the basement requires supply and exhaust ventilation, which allows not only to regulate the ratio of fresh and recirculated air, but also to heat or cool it if necessary, and also to filter it from insects, dust and spores. The fan power is selected at the rate of 5–6 full chamber volumes per hour;
Temperature. Different temperature regimes are maintained in the incubation and fruiting zones: in general, the heating system should allow for the possibility of changing this parameter within the range of 13–26°C. To reduce heat loss and equalize the temperature throughout the chamber, the room must be sealed and thoroughly insulated. As for humidity, the control range here is between 65–95%.

Equipment

When compiling a list of equipment used for growing champignons, it should be taken into account that production processes are not limited to mycelium incubation and fruiting. Therefore, this list will have to include not only heating and ventilation devices, but also refrigeration chambers for temporary storage of crops, hand tools, and even transport for delivering products and raw materials.

To equip a farm located in a basement with an area of 80 m² and consisting of two chambers of 35 m² each, the following expenses must be included in the business plan for growing champignons:

Equipment list

Name	price, rub.	Quantity, pcs.	Amount, rub.
Climatic equipment
Fan, 700 m³/h	3700	4	14800
Fine filter	1200	2	2400
Humidifier, 35 m²	2500	2	5000
Water heating oven	16000	1	16000
Water heat exchanger radiator	4500	2	9000
Thermohygrometer	900	1	900
Air cooler	22000	2	44000
Ventilation and heating pipelines	–	–	8000
Electrical equipment
Lamp	400	8	3200
Wires and switches	–	–	5000
quartz lamp	3500	1	3500
Fly lamp	1000	2	2000
Irrigation equipment
Irrigation barrels 200 l	350	2	700
Hoses and sprayers	–	–	3000
Water pump	2000	1	2000
Auxiliary equipment
cooling chamber	13000	1	13000
Galvanized rack 2x1x0.8 m	5000	50	250000
Small scales	800	1	800
Garden wheelbarrow	1200	2	2400
Hand tool	–	–	2000
indicator paper	200	1	200
Car with thermal booth	190000	1	190000
Total:			577900

An entrepreneur who wants to prepare a substrate for growing champignons on his own will have to additionally purchase two fans for ventilating the pasteurization and fermentation chambers, a steam generator, and a straw cutter for grinding compost components.

Making compost

Initially, in the simplest methods of growing champignons, pure horse manure was used as compost. Over time, the number of horses decreased significantly, as a result of which farmers had to look for substitutes for this ingredient. Today, cattle manure or chicken manure is often used as such, adding chalk and gypsum to stabilize acidity.

Compost Recipes

Component	Composition 1	Composition 2	Composition 3
Horse manure, kg	2000	–	–
Cattle manure, kg	–	2000	–
Chicken manure, kg	–	–	1280
Wheat straw, kg	50	2000	2000
Urea, kg	5	50	10
Ammonium sulfate, kg	5	–	–
Superphosphate, kg	5	40	–
Chalk, kg	7,5	100	30
Gypsum, kg	30	170	120

In summer, an open area equipped with a canopy is used to prepare compost. In autumn and winter, this operation should be carried out in a fermentation chamber equipped with heating to maintain the temperature at 11–13 ° C and ventilation to remove ammonia vapors.

To ferment compost, well-moistened straw is mixed with manure and a pile 1.7–2 m high is formed. Over the course of a week, the temperature inside it rises and reaches 65–70°C. In order for all layers of compost to be involved in this biochemical process, every 4–5 days you need to re-pack it - mix the outer and inner layers, and then lay out the pile again. After 4-5 interruptions, fermentation ends. Next, the finished substrate needs to be pasteurized.

If appropriate equipment is available, the compost in boxes is placed in a sealed pasteurization chamber, where the air temperature is raised to 60–65°C using a steam generator, steaming the mixture for 3–4 hours. On small farms, the mixture is pasteurized differently: after the last beating, the pile is covered with film and left untouched until the smell of ammonia disappears. In 4–5 days, the compost independently warms up to the same 65°C, as a result of which all pathogenic spores and microorganisms die.

The finished substrate is laid out on shelves, in bags or in boxes, forming an even layer 20–30 cm thick. With a compost density of 500–600 kg/m³, one ton of the mixture is enough to fill 10 m² of shelf space.

Inoculation

Suppliers involved in the cultivation of champignon mycelium must be found in advance. If there are doubts about the quality of the product, it is advisable to carry out several test sowings to ensure the viability of the seed: haste at this stage can lead to damage to the entire batch of substrate and inevitable associated losses.

Inoculation is carried out after the compost has cooled to a temperature of 23–25°C. For a standard bed 20 cm high, the consumption rate of grain mycelium does not exceed 0.5 kg/m². Sowing is most often carried out using the nesting method: lumps of mycelium slightly smaller than a walnut are placed in holes 7–8 cm deep, dug in the compost in a checkerboard pattern with steps of 18–20 cm. Then, to maintain soil moisture at the proper level, the beds are covered with film or damp newspapers .

If all components are selected correctly and the temperature is maintained at 23–25°C, the substrate will be completely overgrown with mycelium in two weeks. At this stage, ventilation is turned on only to cool the air in the incubation chamber or to reduce humidity, since a high concentration of carbon dioxide contributes to the accelerated development of the mycelium.

Growing process

At the stage of mycelium germination through the casing soil, the temperature in the room is maintained at 23–24°C and humidity at 90–93%. After 10–12 days, the filaments of the mycelium appear on the surface: at this moment, to stimulate the formation of primordia, the air is gradually cooled to 13–15°C and ventilation is turned on.

When the primordia reach the size of a pinhead, the humidity is reduced to 90–92%, and when they grow to the size of a pea, it is set at 85–87%. The beds are regularly watered with small portions of warm water at the rate of 0.8–1 liters per square meter per day. For these purposes, a drip irrigation system is best suited to avoid erosion and siltation of the soil, but you can also use a regular watering can.

Harvesting

On average, mushrooms reach maturity in 5–7 days. The climatic conditions in the fruiting chamber are maintained at the same level, providing high-quality ventilation: the concentration of carbon dioxide here should not exceed 500–800 ppm. When there is a lack of fresh air, mushrooms grow on long stalks with small caps, and when there is too much air, the skin of the fruit becomes chapped, forming scales.

The fruiting bodies of champignons are formed in waves: within 2–3 days, the entire surface of the beds is covered with growing young mushrooms, after which the activity of the mycelium decreases. The next wave appears in about a week; their total number can reach six or seven. However, on mushroom farms I use only the first four, since the share of the harvest from subsequent waves does not exceed 5–7%.

Champignon yield

A week	Harvest, kg/m²	Total yield, kg/m²
1	5,0–5,1	5,0–5,2
2	6,1–6,2	11,1–11,3
3	3,4–3,5	14,5–14,9
4	2,4–2,5	16,9–17,4
5	1,4–1,6	18,3–19,0
6	1,0–1,3	19,3–20,3

Champignons are collected exclusively by hand, carefully twisting each mushroom and sprinkling the hole with a covering mixture. After harvesting each wave, the surface of the bed is cleaned of the remains of fruiting bodies and fused lumps of mycelium, and at the end of fruiting, the substrate is disposed of and the chamber is disinfected.

Implementation

As a business, growing champignons at home is profitable only if the products are fully sold with minimal losses. Small quantities of mushrooms can be sold to friends or private buyers at the agricultural market, while selling a harvest of several tons requires significant effort aimed at establishing contacts with wholesale companies, such as:

Retail stores and retail chains. Given the constant shortage of quality products, both small stores and large supermarkets are interested in placing champignons on the shelves. However, an entrepreneur not only has to spend time and resources on organizing logistics, but also incur losses associated with the return of unsold products. In addition, retail chains often set high fees for introducing an item into the assortment;
Catering establishments. Restaurants, cafes and canteens at various institutions purchase mushrooms for cooking. This method is also quite labor-intensive, since you need to deliver the products to customers yourself, and the batch sizes do not exceed several tens of kilograms. Fortunately, when working with food service establishments, you don’t have to worry about returns or fees for adding a new item to the menu;
Wholesale buyers. Many wholesale companies purchase agricultural products for subsequent resale. For an entrepreneur, this method is the most convenient, since such clients are not too demanding in terms of batch volumes and the availability of a full package of permits. The only drawback here is forced discounts: wholesalers are usually not interested in buying champignons at retail prices.

Investments

Video on the topic

Organizing the operation of a mushroom farm involves costs for purchasing equipment, repairing the basement, registering an enterprise and developing an information website for buyers.

Investments

Name	price, rub.	Qty	Amount, rub.
Pouring the floor with concrete	3530	8 m³	28240
Installation of partitions	800	20 m	16000
SPD registration	–	–	2000
Radiological examination protocol	4500	1 PC.	4500
Site development	10000	1 PC.	10000
Equipment	–	–	577900
Installation of equipment	–	–	10000
Total:			648640

Also, in the first cycle of growing champignons, it is necessary to purchase and bring compost, mycelium, firewood or coal for the stove, and chemicals for disinfecting the room. These costs will be repeated in subsequent cycles.

Cycle costs

Name	price, rub.	Qty	Amount, rub.
Compost	8000	16 t	128000
Grain mycelium, strain A15	180	80 kg	14400
Cover soil	1500	6.4 m³	9600
Delivery of compost and soil	–	–	7500
Lime	65	4 kg	260
fuels and lubricants	27	100 l	2700
Firewood for the stove	800	1.5 m³	1200
Sulfur checkers	120	10 pieces.	1200
Communal payments	4	2880 kW	11520
Certificate of conformity	3500	1 PC.	3500
Insurance payments for peasant farms or individual entrepreneurs	2300	2 months	4600
Total:			184480

Revenues and profitability

When calculating the profitability of a business growing champignons from scratch, the minimum yield value for four waves of fruiting will be used - 17 kg/m². Thus, from beds with a total area of 160 m², you can collect 2720 kg of mushrooms, the wholesale price of which will be 120–160 rubles/kg. The total income of the entrepreneur in this case will reach 380,800 rubles.

When calculating the payback period, it is necessary to take into account that the total costs of starting an enterprise will include not only the initial investment, but also the costs of the first cycle of growing champignons. Accordingly, at the start you will have to invest at least 833,120 rubles in a mushroom farm.

Economic indicators

The payback period of the enterprise will not exceed four and a half cycles, which, with an average duration of 2.5 months for each cycle, will be 11.3 months.

Conclusion

The business of growing champignons can hardly be called simple: the yield of a mushroom farm depends on careful adherence to recommendations at each stage. Therefore, a novice entrepreneur should start small - for example, buy several ready-made blocks, try to prepare compost yourself, select the correct climate parameters and ventilation intensity. As you accumulate knowledge, you can move on to larger-scale projects: the presence of practical experience in this case greatly increases the chances of success of the enterprise.
15 voted. Grade: 4,60 out of 5)

Or quickly pays for itself - this is the dream of many people. For those who like to plant and harvest crops on their plots, there is an excellent opportunity to “grow” a profitable enterprise that provides a constant income. This is growing champignons as a business (at home).

Year-round business

Mushrooms are a year-round product in demand. Housewives use them to prepare delicious dishes in their kitchens, and chefs in restaurants of any level. For most people, mushrooms are a tasty and healthy product for which they are willing to pay money. For others, growing champignons as a business is a source of income.

The process of running a mushroom business is not burdensome, and you can start making profits in just two months. The main thing is to decide on the location and volume of the enterprise.

Conditions for running a mushroom business

Like any profitable business, growing champignon mushrooms as a business requires the preparation of certain conditions and calculations.

The choice of location can be determined by the following criteria:

For year-round business, you can equip a greenhouse.
If you have a cellar, barn or basement, you can equip them for a mushroom enterprise.
Seasonal cultivation of champignons - as a business for the spring-summer period: under fruit trees in open ground.

The simplest of them is seasonal cultivation, as it does not require special equipment.

The benefits of mushroom business

The launch of any enterprise must begin with calculations of investment, payback periods and profits. Purchasing mycelium today is not difficult, as is finding a market for mushrooms, so the clear advantages of this business are obvious:

Receiving the first profit in the third month after laying the mycelium.
Possibility of obtaining a permanent year-round income.
A simple activity that is accessible even to a beginner.
Use of any utility rooms.

A business plan for “Growing champignons” should begin with finding and equipping a suitable location.

Greenhouse business

Many gardeners prefer to use their greenhouses for double the benefits. They collect mushrooms in them from September to February, and then begin planting early vegetables. This approach gives maximum profit, since a higher demand for mushrooms is observed in the autumn-winter period, and for early vegetables - in the spring.

Growing champignons as a business, reviews from entrepreneurs confirm this, is best done from autumn to spring, since with the appearance of vegetables, the demand for mushrooms decreases somewhat.

Greenhouse arrangement

For champignons, you can adapt an ordinary film greenhouse or tinker and build it according to Grachev’s principle. Glass coverings are also suitable. The main thing is that in such rooms it will not be difficult to create the required temperature and humidity, the conditions so necessary for mushrooms.

A greenhouse made of film or polycarbonate is the simplest room option to make growing champignons as a business less hassle and brings in more money.

Stages of greenhouse arrangement:

First of all, you should provide the room with heat. This can be heating with gas or electricity. It is also important to ensure good ventilation, since the compost on which the mushrooms grow produces carbon dioxide, and this must be removed regularly. Enterprising farmers have adapted to planting cucumbers, zucchini and pumpkin in mushroom greenhouses. This makes it possible to spend less time maintaining the microclimate, since the plants complement each other and coexist perfectly side by side.
Growing champignons as a business quickly gains profitability through the use of shelves. This Dutch method makes the most of the space, leaving room for the crop to be harvested comfortably and quickly. If you can invest in containers, this will make caring for your mushrooms easier. Containers can be plastic or wooden boxes that are treated with an anti-mold agent.
Soil preparation.

You should invest money in the arrangement of a greenhouse if you organize a year-round business. If you correctly draw up and implement a business plan, growing champignon mushrooms in specialized premises provides a quick return on investment and a constant income.

Champignons in the basement

To keep investments in your business minimal, if you have a basement or cellar, you can use their area. Criteria for suitable premises:

The best option would be a high-quality cemented floor to make it easier to maintain cleanliness and not expose the mycelium to mold infection.
In order for growing champignons as a business (reviews, photos of those who are already making a profit confirm this) to produce high income and a bountiful harvest, it is better to equip the premises with shelving. They save space and allow myceliums with different maturation periods to be planted on each tier, which puts the process on stream.
Mushrooms do not need lighting, so you can equip them with enough light for the convenience of those who care for them and harvest.

Equipping a basement for a mushroom farm

Ventilation must be of high quality, not allowing insects to pass through, for which a fine-mesh mesh is used. At the same time, it is important that there are no drafts, so in addition to hoods, it is appropriate to use fans over the beds or air purification filters.
Growing champignons as a business also requires constant regulation of humidity and air temperature. It is necessary to equip the room with a hygrometer and thermometer. To increase humidity, it is enough to spray the beds and floor, and to lower it, ventilate or turn on the heating.
If the room is large enough, then it can be divided into a mycelium growing zone and a champignon growth department, which will significantly increase the yield, and therefore the profit.
Disinfection of the premises is mandatory before starting work. This can be whitewashing with lime mixed with copper sulfate, spraying with a 4% formaldehyde solution, or fumigation. Mushrooms are sensitive to mold and pathogens, so the crop should be checked, and diseased specimens should be placed in a separate container and destroyed.

Growing champignons as a business (reviews on how to grow them from other gardeners confirm this) is a business in which it is recommended to use any room, even one that is not quite suitable at first glance. The main thing is to protect it from drafts, heat it, ventilate it and protect it from pests and mold. The plants will thank you with a high yield.

Compost preparation

The purchase of mycelium and preparation of the nutrient medium included in the business plan “Growing Champignons” are the most important points in it. The highest yield is obtained if you use it for compost. But if this is not possible, then cow or bird droppings will do.

Ingredients to create the substrate:

horse dung;
straw;
urea;
ammonium sulfate;
superphosphate, chalk or alabaster.

To make good compost, everything should be laid in layers. Straw soaked for 24 hours is laid as the bottom layer, then manure, again swollen straw and manure. There should be 6-8 such layers. When laying, each layer must be watered with warm water.

After 3-4 days, all layers need to be mixed, urea and superphosphate added to them. After another 3-4 days, mix again and add the remaining ingredients, and so on 4-5 times, and only in the last batch is gypsum added to the nutrient medium.

Planting mycelium

After the compost has “ripened”, it is necessary to add champignon “seeds” to it to obtain mycelium. Per 1 m2 of nutrient medium there are 500 g of compost mycelium or 400 g of grain spores.

They are used to sow the substrate by making depressions with a finger at a distance of 20-25 cm, and the seed material is placed in them. If spores are used for sowing, then it is enough to sprinkle them on the nutrient medium.

The air temperature for incubating the mycelium should be +20... +27 degrees. When, after 10-12 days, the mycelium begins to actively grow, it must be sprinkled with a mixture of peat, soil and limestone in proportions 5:4:1 and periodically sprayed, not allowing the nutrient medium to dry out.

Harvesting

A “mushroom” farmer will be able to harvest his first harvest in 35-50 days, given that compost ripening is 20-25 days. Depending on where ripening occurs and how well the environment has been prepared, yields can be either very high or mediocre.

Growing champignons as a business, reviews from experienced mushroom pickers confirm this, is a very profitable business, since the fruiting cycle can be made year-round.

The air temperature before mushrooms ripen should be +22... +26 degrees. If it is hotter, the champignons will climb up very quickly and will have a small cap on a long stem. Such a product will not be sold. At a temperature of +12 degrees the mycelium will stop bearing fruit. Therefore, as soon as the caps appear and the mushroom smell is felt, the temperature should be reduced to +15... +16 degrees.

Mushrooms should be picked carefully so as not to damage their base. To do this, you need to hold the bottom of the leg and the ground with the fingers of one hand, and separate it from the mycelium with the other with a slight turn. It is necessary to remove all fruits, even small ones, because if you cut off only large mushrooms, the rest stop growing and begin to rot.

It should be borne in mind that with the right approach, you can collect from 5 kg of champignons from 1m2 over several cycles. Therefore, when calculating the scale of your business, you should immediately think about how much space to use for it.

Harvest storage

To preserve the harvest from a large plantation, when it is difficult to manage in one day, you need to think about refrigerators in advance. Their capacity is calculated from the number of kilograms of finished product per 1 m2. So, in a 30 m2 room this will be an average of 150 kg per day.

Picking mushrooms is a delicate process, and it cannot be rushed. In addition, the harvested crop should be sorted by quality and size.

Before placing mushrooms in the refrigerator, they should be cooled slightly in a room with an artificially low temperature.

If for some reason the champignon cap is covered with brown or gray spots, and the leg is bent, it means that you urgently need to remove the diseased mushroom from the mycelium along with its nearby “relatives”. The affected area should be sprinkled with table salt. If these measures are not taken, the entire plantation can be infected, and you will have to start the business all over again.

When a disease is detected, it is necessary to find the source and neutralize it. This may be caused by mold, which is easily remedied. It is advisable to burn rotten mushrooms, and then thoroughly disinfect clothes and hands.

Under no circumstances should you use chemicals or poisons against pests. After their use, champignons will become hazardous to health and must be destroyed. It’s better to lose a mycelium or several than to risk someone’s life.

Mushrooms are not too fussy, so it is enough to be careful about the absence of mold and insects to get a thriving and profitable business.

Champignons naturally grow in open forest clearings, meadows and open fields. This is one of the few mushrooms that can be cultivated under artificial conditions.

Basic consumer qualities of champignons

These mushrooms contain a variety of useful elements necessary for the human body, namely hydrocarbons, fats, vitamins, minerals and nitrogenous substances, proteins, and more than 20 types of amino acids. Also, the presence of iron, phosphorus, zinc and potassium compounds has a positive effect on the body’s immunity. The quantitative ratio of phosphorus in this mushroom breed is comparable to seafood.

For diabetics, champignons are one of the products that can be used in dietary nutrition due to the fact that there is practically no sugar in its composition.

The positive effect of this product on the human body is achieved due to the presence of vitamin components, namely riboflavin (B2) and thiamine, which help prevent the development of migraines, and amino acids help relieve fatigue and improve the appearance of human skin.

What is needed to grow champignons as a business?

When drawing up a business plan, you should take into account sanitary standards and rules, and also follow the recommendations of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation for the design of complexes for growing champignons.

Room

To organize a mushroom business, initially decide on the volumes planned for cultivation for subsequent sale. For example, to obtain from 2 to 3 tons of products, a room of about 100 square meters is required.

There are several options:

purchase of land and construction of new premises;
purchase of premises already used for production purposes;
rent of suitable premises.

It is quite difficult to say which option is preferable, since the region in which the decision was made to organize a business in growing champignon mushrooms plays an important role. Since the cost of land and buildings is determined based on the economic indicators of a particular region.

Pay attention to the condition of the structure and the necessary financial investments in it; in some situations, building from scratch is cheaper than carrying out repair work. And renting can be beneficial for those who do not have significant funds at the initial stage.

Mycelium

The next expense item is the purchase of soil with fungal pores (mycelium). Do not look for dubious options, pay attention to companies that have been working in the field of selling this type of soil for many years and have positive reviews from customers who have used their services.

After all the preparatory work has been carried out and the mycelium has been planted, you will see the first fruits of your labors in a month and a half; for the next 2–3 months you need to take care of the mushrooms. Harvesting takes place in several stages (from 3 to 6) over several months. Basically, the most significant yields (about 70%) are collected in 2 and 3 times.

If you approach champignon growing as a business correctly, you can make a profit after the first full harvest.

Basics of technology for growing these mushrooms

When growing mushrooms for personal consumption, you can use inexpensive technology - growing mushrooms in beds. In this method, the entire process of care from planting to harvesting is carried out manually, so it is not suitable for running a business.

The main technological method used for growing large volumes, which simplifies the process of caring for mushrooms, is based on growing champignons in bags or wooden boxes. This technology allows for the most efficient use of room space and allows the room to be equipped with automated control systems over the growing process.

Technologies for producing mushrooms in bags, on racks, and containers are intended for large producers and require significant financial investments, so they are not always suitable for small farms.

For small farm premises, a container system is more suitable, when containers are arranged in 5 rows on moving racks, and the room is divided into several technological zones. Thus, the mushroom harvest increases up to 5 times during the year.

Conditions for growing champignons

At different stages of growth, mushrooms need to create different conditions, namely:

No watering is required for a month after planting the mycelium. It is necessary to constantly maintain humidity around 90%. The temperature should be within 25°C - 27°C. Otherwise, the mycelium will die.

After germination of the mycelium, a layer of cover soil is laid and watered until moist (water should not collect on the surface and seep into the compost layer). This process is maintained throughout the fruiting period. In this case, the temperature should not be lower than 15°C and higher than 17°C. Air humidity is maintained at 80%.

At the fruiting stage, the air in the room must be cleared of carbon dioxide. In this case, the ventilation system is adjusted in such a way that there is no air flow over the beds.

Basic requirements for premises

Failure to follow the technological processes for growing mushrooms leads to loss of harvest. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account all the requirements for the equipment of the premises. Let's consider a multi-zone system, since this is where many people start their mushroom business.

The room should be divided into 4 zones:

compost production;
carrying out pasteurization of compost;
sowing and growing mycelium;
growing a mushroom crop.

If you plan to produce mushrooms throughout the year, then your premises must be equipped with adjustable heating, cooling, water supply and sewerage systems.

In compost fermentation room temperature regime should not fluctuate more than 12-16°C heat. The ventilation system must cope with the purification of the air space from ammonia vapors released during compost fermentation processes. To produce 1 ton of compost you will need a room of 20 m².

Separately from the other zones, or preferably in a room with a separate entrance, a sealed chamber is installed for pasteurizing the compost. Often such a camera is equipped independently, since the purchase of special equipment will cost an amount comparable to investing in a new small business.

In the area for sowing and growing mycelium, the temperature regime is maintained at +24-26°C, air humidity should be at 95-100%. A powerful ventilation system is required.

Compliance with the rules of equipment of the room in the area for growing mushroom fruits does not differ from the room for growing mycelium. The only caveat is the temperature, which must be maintained within +14-16°C, and humidity 80%.

What mycelium to use and where to get it

There are two types of mycelium, grain and compost. Both types give a good mushroom harvest, but the grain one is still better.

Entrepreneurs should start their business of growing champignons by using compost mycelium, since this species is more resistant to storage and transportation violations and is not afraid of rodents, unlike the grain type.

When the technological processes are established and the entrepreneur acquires practical skills in producing champignons, he can move on to using grain mycelium, which produces a more significant harvest.

If you plan to make a profit solely from the sale of the finished product (mushrooms), then creating mycelium (mycelium) is irrelevant. This is a rather complex process that requires specialized equipment and experience. Mycelium can be purchased at farms or breeding centers focused on mycelium production.

Basic requirements for compost

The basis for preparing compost for growing champignons is horse manure. The value of this type of manure lies in its properties, such as:

significant presence of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium compounds in suitable proportions for growing mushrooms.
horse manure is an organic fertilizer containing microelements such as copper, manganese, zinc, boron, nickel, etc.

Due to the obvious shortage of horse manure, it is being replaced with cow manure. This manure has the distinctive ability to warm itself up, thereby creating an environment for the proliferation of favorable microflora.

Currently, the technology for preparing mushroom substrate has been developed both with and without the use of horse (cow) manure. It all depends on the starting components taken and compliance with the following requirements for its composition:

the presence of nutrients must correspond to the following percentages of the dry matter mass: 1.6-1.8% - nitrogen, 1.0% - phosphorus, 1.5% - potassium;
the humidity of the directly composted mass should correspond to 70-72%, the temperature of the prepared compost is maintained within 60-65°C.

During fermentation, the substrate is enriched with components that are necessary for the production of mushrooms. Particular attention must be paid nitrogen content of compost, since this is the basis for undergoing a high-quality process of humus of the substrate.

For the technological preparation of compost, the main thing is to comply with the main three stages:

thoroughly mixing and moistening all components;
fermentation of the substrate in containers;
maintaining thermal conditions.

What documents and certificates will be required?

To legally conduct business, you need to register your activities. In this case, it will be the production of agricultural crops and the sale (wholesale, retail) of food products without providing a permanent place of sale.

It will be necessary to obtain a certificate of inspection of the premises for the state of background radiation carried out by specialists of the phytosanitary service.

After harvesting, in order to sell it, you must contact the phytosanitary service. After analyzing the product for compliance with the standards for allowing the product to be sold for sale, you will be issued a quality certificate.

The quality certificate indicates its validity period. When submitting an application for permission to sell products, indicate the timeframe planned for growing mushrooms before replacing the compost (the quality certificate is considered valid for the sale of mushroom products grown using compost alone).

Sales of champignons

It is possible to sell manufactured products independently on food markets. This option is suitable for a small number of grown champignons and takes quite a lot of time.

Conclude agreements for the supply of products with stores, restaurants, and hand them over for sale. In this case, you need to take care of delivering the mushrooms to their destination.

Estimated estimated profitability of a business growing champignons

Let's look at expenses and income using the example of a mushroom farm producing champignons based on one growing cycle of 2 months.

Expenses

To produce 30 tons of compost, you need to purchase the appropriate components in the amount of 20,000 rubles. Mycelium will cost 10,000 rubles. The expense component for heating and pasteurization is RUB 50,000. Payment of wages is about 60,000 rubles. Total 140,000 rub.

Income

Thirty tons of compost raw materials yields 6 tons of finished products. On average, the cost of 1 kg of champignons is 100 rubles, respectively, for 6 tons you will receive approximately 600 thousand rubles.

Accordingly, the estimated profit will be 600 – 140 = 460.00 thousand rubles.

Don’t forget about the initial expenses for premises, equipment and other related expenses, so when organizing a farm for growing champignons, expect to receive your first “net” profit no earlier than in a year and only if your business operates using the existing resources as correctly as possible.

The above calculation is for an average farm.

If you have the intentions and the appropriate conditions, then you can grow mushrooms in your country house, in a greenhouse or in the basement of your house. Then the costs will be significantly lower and can be increased. However, in this case we can only talk about growing champignons at home, which is far from industrial scale.

Video: growing champignons on an industrial scale and the equipment used:

Discussion (12)

Button mushrooms, the class mushrooms, are a source of many nutrients. They contain a lot of proteins (3 grams per 100 grams of product), which are easily digestible; high percentage of amino acids; They are richer in water-soluble vitamins than vegetables. But on the contrary, there is very little sugar, fat and calories in champignons, and there is no cholesterol at all. So, everyone who watches their weight and leads a healthy lifestyle will be potential buyers for you, agree!

There are several growing systems: on ridges (ridges), on shelves (Dutch system), in bags, in containers, growing in blocks (briquettes), you need to choose the most successful option based on profitability.

I agree with Anatoly. There is no need to rush in this matter. See what comes out, how much work it takes, whether you enjoy it, and only then you can think about going to higher volumes.

In my opinion, you shouldn’t go into wholesale sales right away. It is enough to start with a few boxes of champignons or a small area and only then expand the business if you like it. You need to try to make a substrate yourself and sow the mycelium. Moreover, expensive equipment is not required, hiring workers at first is not necessary. Therefore, first of all, it is worth assessing your strengths, and then reaching for a larger volume.

Right now this business can become profitable. Since prices for imported champignons have skyrocketed. If you also organize the production of frozen champignons, you can significantly increase the sales market.

My parents grow champignons. We started by identifying the sales markets, and from this we calculated the minimum volume of products that needed to be grown.

My friends have been doing this business for a long time. At first, of course, it was a bit difficult for them, especially in terms of the premises and other things. And the mushrooms turned out to be whimsical. sometimes it reached the point of hysteria)). They considered other options for making money, but they still decided to settle on this one. They began to receive normal income only after six months. So this business is not for those who want to make some quick money. As for other matters, of course, it’s up to you to decide for yourself.

The idea of growing mushrooms is interesting, however, I doubt that cultivation alone will be profitable... on the other hand, you can grow not only mushrooms in this way, but also other products. Or even organize a greenhouse for many varieties of mushrooms - a kind of “assortment”. In general, such home-based enterprises in 90% of cases can only be a help for the main business (judging by my friends from the village, who are engaged in similar things, but this does not bring much income, and even often unnecessary expenses arise - transport, fertilizers, etc.) If the harvest is lost, what kind of loss can you be left with).

I agree, the idea is great, but taking into account some points. It has been rightly noted that if you don’t own a plot of land, you need to rent it. A lease agreement with a private owner is a signed document, but in practice land owners can “ask” to leave the premises and site at any time.

Secondly, I am convinced that a good economist and lawyer cannot be a good farmer, and vice versa. It’s difficult to fill out certificates and plant mushrooms alone, and both require certain skills. So this business should be a partnership, or better yet, a family one.

To clearly understand the profit, you need to take into account the costs of building a room for a mycelium, and decide in advance on the sales market. After all, existing points of sale or cafes already have their own business partners.

Great idea for a business. In our family this is not the main income, but an additional one. We do not grow champignons, but oyster mushrooms. In order to grow them, we converted the cellar. These mushrooms grow very compactly, so they do not require much space. To accommodate them, we made shelves on which we placed special scraps of wood. Mushrooms appear on them after 2-3 months. You can do this in another room, the main thing is to observe the temperature and humidity conditions. We sell them more often to acquaintances, since there are already many regular buyers, sometimes we take them to the market and sort out the oyster mushrooms when they are old.

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