Description

• Colour: Smooth white.
• Size: Medium or big depending on the number of fruiting bodies.
• Shape: Domed and thick cap, with a straight cylindrical stalk. Thick velum.

Growing Characteristics

• It needs good quality compost, correctly finished, with an optimum moisture content that should oscillate between 68% and 72%. It should be a selective compost, with plenty of Actinomycetes and humic.
• Quick growth in the incubation period (12–14 days), as also in the soil covering invasion, and the fruiting period.
• It easily yields a crop.

Recommendations

• The compost temperature during the INCUBATION should not rise over 30ºC, being the optimal temperature 25/26ºC. Special care should be taken in temperature control so it does not rise in excess if supplements are used.
• The moisture content of the CASING SOIL should be high to keep a rough, thick and lumpy texture. This way, the mycelium that invades the covering will develop thick filaments that will help to transport the nutrients to the fruiting bodies. The quality of this mycelium that invades the covering, will determine the number and size of the mushrooms.
• The casing soil should be as uniform as possible, and should have a great water retention capacity, that will be related to the environment’s humidity and ventilation. The thickness should also be uniform in order to make the fructification timing easier. It should be about 4 cm thick.
• During mycelial growth in casing soil, a high relative humidity and CO2 concentration should be kept, ventilating only to prevent the compost temperature from surpassing 30ºC.
• PINHEADING induction should be done when the mycelium is uniformly and completely extended through the soil.
• If we want to harvest small/medium sized fruit bodies for canning, the room temperature should be lowered to 17ºC in order to reach a compost temperature of 18ºC. Once this compost temperature is reached, we may let the room temperature rise to 18ºC.
• In order to harvest medium/large sized fruit bodies, the room temperature should be lowered less and slower.
• In mushrooms for the fresh market, the temperature drop should be slow, taking from 5 to 6 days.
• The CO2 concentration during pinheading should not descend below 1.500 ppm.
• If the temperature and CO2 drop is too sudden, an overfructification can be caused reducing the size and quality of the mushrooms, due to the ability of this sort of mushroom to yield a crop.
• The level of CO2 after that moment should be kept between 1.500 and 2.000 ppm.
• During the HARVEST TIME, sometimes it will be difficult to keep those CO2 levels. As long as the CO2 level does not exceed 2.200 ppm, there will not be serious damage, but it will cause a lengthening of the stalks. Humidity should stay at 85% and always under 90%.

Destination

Strain suitable for the fresh market, but also for canned mushrooms. If the number of fruiting bodies is big, a good quality mushroom for canning will be collected. On the other side, if there is a low number of fruiting bodies, a medium/large sized mushroom for canning or an excellent mushroom suitable for the fresh market will be collected.

Availability

During all the year.