Feedback: Four crucial mushroom growing steps, from planting to harvesting

A Vihiga mushroom farmer displays some of his harvested mushroom produce. Mushroom production is possible throughout the year, making use of agricultural wastes like wheat straws and idle structures. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mushroom growing requires little initial capital, production is possible throughout the year.
  • Potential markets for mushrooms include schools, hotels, supermarkets and groceries.
  • A further knowledge in general agriculture will provide you with broad basics in agricultural development, help you build on understanding the milk value chain (production-collection-processing-marketing) and animal production.
  • Breeding pigs with artificial insemination is easy and cost-effective.

I WANT TO GROW MUSHROOMS

I’d like to grow mushrooms but the problem is that I don’t know a thing about it.

Would you kindly advice on what I need to know about them, including where to get quality seeds, how much capital is needed and the market.

Also, kindly connect me to a farmer in Nairobi for practical lessons.

Gakenia Kuria, Ngong

Mushroom growing requires little initial capital, production is possible throughout the year, makes use of agricultural wastes like wheat straws and makes use of idle structures.

Stage 1:
All you need is a house in which you will carry out production as it’s not done outdoors. You will also need compost which provides the mushrooms with a base to grow on and nutrients.

Compost can be made from wheat/rice bran 20kg, CAN 3kg, urea 3kg and 20kg gypsum. Compost piles are 1.5 by 1.5m.

The ingredients are mixed, sprayed with water and turned. Turning is done by hand on the fourth and eighth day, and on the 12th day, add 10kg gypsum, on 16th day add 10kg of gypsum and the final turning is done on the 20th day.

Compost is ready when the straws become easy to bend, have a high water holding capacity, the colour changes and becomes darker, and have a strong smell of ammonia.

The compost is then packed into clear bags to enable the farmer to see the changes going on and also to identify diseases and infections easily.

The bags should then be taken to the mushroom house.

Stage 2:
Spawning, which is the actual process of planting the mushrooms is done here. The spawn is spread on the surface of the compost by making a small hole using a finger and planting.

The room temperature should be maintained at around 250C. A humidifier should be used to make the room humid or water can be manually sprayed on the walls and floor of the room.

Stage 3:
Involves casing. Once the spawn has attached to the wheat straws and looks like a white substance, soil is added to the surface of the compost.

A layer of soil is needed, preferably forest soil. The soil has to be treated to get rid of any insects. Formalin solution can be used to sterilise the soil before casing is done.

Stage 4 :

Involves growth and harvesting. The mushrooms can be harvested several times. It takes approximately 15 weeks from composting to end of harvesting.

Potential markets for mushrooms include schools, hotels, supermarkets and groceries. Quality spawns can be obtained from Egerton University, Biological Sciences Department and other commercial mushroom growing farms.

Carol Mutua,

Department of Crops, Horticulture and Soils,

Egerton University.

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I WANT TO KEEP COWS

I am studying Diploma in Dairy Production and Processing and I would like to major in dairy animals and agriculture in general.

Please advise.

Maina

The demand for agri-products is increasing rapidly, so are the technical skills required at all levels in the agricultural sector.

Gladys Shollei, feeds her dairy cows in their Uasin Gishu farm. As the demand for agri-products increases rapidly, vital technical skills are required at all levels in dairy cattle keeping within the agricultural sector. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

With knowledge in dairy processing, you already have the plus of milk handling and value addition.

A further knowledge in general agriculture will provide you with broad basics in agricultural development, help you build on understanding the milk value chain (production-collection-processing-marketing) and animal production.

Having a combination of all these will equip you with cutting-edge skills to fit in any future settings, including offering trainings, extension and/or farm management activities and make you contribute relevantly towards the development of the agriculture sector.

Felix Akatch Opinya,
Department of Animal Science,
Egerton University.

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TRAINING ON PIG INSEMINATION

I am an inseminator for cattle but would wish to do the same to pigs as there’s demand for pig insemination. Where can I get training on pig insemination and what is the cost?

Paul Agan,
Private Animal Health Technician

Breeding pigs with artificial insemination is easy and cost-effective. Just as in cattle, it is high time a significant portion of farmers adopted this technology for genetic improvement of breeds.

Important to note is that the most critical aspect to successful AI in pigs is detecting when the sow is in standing estrus.

Briefly, AI in pigs entails boar selection and evaluation; collection of semen, evaluation, processing and storage; estrus detection; insemination procedure; and breeding performance evaluation.

This service is available at Egerton University. You can reach the value chains programmes through [email protected]

To have a feel of what Egerton University does in AI in pigs, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiFi7ykwnEo

Felix Akatch Opinya,

Department of Animal Science,

Egerton University.

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GINGER GROWING
I am a farmer in Nakuru and I am looking for ginger seeds because I have market. Please help.

Wambui

Ginger is propagated from rhizomes that can be obtained from fresh produce market. It does well in fertile, well-drained loam soil, thus, will do well in the area.

Ginger. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

Temperature is critical in any crop production, and so it is with ginger. The crop is sensitive to extreme temperatures, with extreme lows and frost conditions inducing bud dormancy and thus poor growth.

Due to the long growth period (7–9 months), the crop is likely to suffer some moisture stress and irrigation will be inevitable.

Sylvans Ochola,

Department of Crops, Horticulture and Soils,

Egerton University.

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STRONG SHADE NET

We are small-scale farmers in Mombasa County and we wish to put up a greenhouse to grow tomatoes in an area covering 14 by 22 meters.

We note that the standard tunnel greenhouse will not be suitable due to hot climate in the area. A shade net is the best alternative, however, the area is infested with monkeys that can shred the standard shade net.

Please connect us to shade nets manufacturers.

Lawi Duda

Kindly contact Amiran Kenya:  +254719 095000 or Shade Net Ltd (Thika): +2546731051 or Illuminum greenhouses: +254732613501, +254732613531, Vegpro Kenya: +254 (0) 20 822 753

Sylvans Ochola,

Department of Crops, Horticulture and Soils,

Egerton University.

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ABOUT GREENHOUSE
Please kindly enlighten me about greenhouse business? Any information would be good for me.

Nelson

Greenhouse farming is a system where plants, mostly high-value horticultural and ornamental crops, are grown in controlled conditions.

A farmer checks on vegetables growing inside a greenhouse. The choice of the crop to be cultivated in a greenhouse depends on the farmer, but is also influenced by the region where the greenhouse is installed. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

The special type of the polythene used in the construction of the greenhouse helps in protecting the crops from pests and harsh weather conditions.

The choice of the crop to be cultivated in the greenhouse solely depends on the farmer, but is also influenced by the region where the greenhouse is to be installed.

The returns from greenhouse business are relatively high compared to open field farming, although breaking even is not instant.

The cost of installation depends on the size of the structure and the quality of the material used, but also varies from one company to another.

Sylvans Ochola,
Department of Crops, Horticulture and Soils,

Egerton University.