Mushroom Shelves: Are They Worth the Cost?

Posted by ding pan on May 22nd, 2018

Most small mushroom farms use a tiered system of beds to grow mushrooms. These tiers are formed with the proper medium that is used for growing the particular type of mushroom. These tiers have to be well cared for in order to ensure mushroom growth. Depending on how many beds you have on your farm you can polypropylene spawn bags end up needing several employees to tend to these beds on a daily basis. Mushrooms are very sensitive to their environment the more people that tend them, the higher the risk for a lower production.

There has been a shelving system invented that does all this work for you. This type of system is called Dutch because it was developed by the Dutch and most mushrooms produced there use this system.

These shelving systems do everything for the mushroom farmer. The equipment will fill and empty the compost used for growing. There is machinery to apply the casing layer on the shelves and loosens it. The equipment will also keep the mushrooms watered.

This equipment is very expensive. If your production is not high enough then it may night be worth it for your mushroom farm. Buying the equipment is a one time expense and will require fewer employees that may offset the mushroom oyster bag costs somewhat. It is possible to start with a set of shelving systems that only have one of the production options, such as emptying the compost and then invest in the rest of the options later as your crop growth increases.

The obvious advantages of using a mushroom shelf system are the ease of the growing process. With everything being done mechanically you will ensure that it is being done properly and you will lower the chance of someone  mushroom filter bag contaminating your crop. These shelves are developed based on bed cultivation, so the similarities are great. The shelf system is just the mechanical version of bed growing.

The main disadvantage of the shelf system is the spread of diseases and pests. If using a bed system it is easier to contain the disease to one area. A shelf system will allow the disease to spread throughout the shelf and down also because the water streams down from the higher shelves down through the lower ones. This can be devastating to a crop. If you do not have people checking for disease and pest this can quickly become out of control.

When you are a mushroom farmer you will be faced with a lot of choices. Buying a mushroom shelf system may not make sense until your farm is producing well and making profits. The shelving system will make the farm run smoother and can increase production.