My Mushroom Growing Kit has too much Whiteness, what do i do?
What to do if the mycelium on your Chestnut or White kit has over colonized
- CheckEnsure kit is not located in an enclosed space or within direct sunlight. Avoid nearby heat sources, cupboards, wardrobes and within cabinets.
Why has my mycelium over colonized?
If your mycelium has over colonized this could be for a few reasons, the most common being the lid has been left on for longer than required. Or the lid has been placed to low and close to the topsoil. (The side flaps should be raised up and the lid rested over them)
It could also be a sign of the temperature being to warm so this should also be evaluated (Always keep your kit under 21'c).
Another factor could be limited air exchange, if placed in a closed space such as a cupboard / wardrobe or other enclosed space this can also increase the mycelium growth from the desired level, so the kit should be moved from this location.
Examples of kits with too much whiteness.
Avoid Enclosed Environments as it will overgrow the mycelium.
The growing kits need access to fresh air.
How to remove excess mycelium buildup?
- CheckTopsoil should be deep black in colour, 90% of it should be black with veins of mycelium, it should never been the dominant feature.
What should I do if the mycelium has over colonized?
If the mycelium is overgrown, like the pictures within this section. it is a important to reduce some of this.
How to Fix.
To fix this you should take a fork and lightly scratch over the white portions of the topsoil, being sure to only go 1-2mm Deep. You are only lightly scratching away the white mycelium, avoiding the black portions of topsoil which is healthy and should be left.
This will knock back the whiteness to the correct level, so the topsoil should more resemble black in color than white and the photo on the FAQ card.
If the mycelium is only slightly more advanced than desired, you may be able to knock this back with little and often, but powerful sprays of water close and directly onto the built up white mycelium.
In some cases this will be all that's required, however if this does not work, you should scratch it away as above.
After scratching over
- CheckAfter this tweak you may have to wait a few weeks for the kit to recover and attempt to grow the next crop.
Growing Tips
The mushrooms require clean topsoil to be able to fruit efficiently, if the mycelium blankets over the topsoil, it will stop the mushrooms from growing and lock out the moisture from the kit essentially starving it of water. This should be addressed as soon as possible.
You may find following this the topsoil underneat his hard ,fibrous and dry. So it is important once you scratch the topsoil that you bring the hydration level back up, so the topsoil resembles a deep black in colour at all times.
Below is a healthy kit for reference of how you want the topsoil to look.
HEALTHY KIT
