Description

• Colour: Smooth white.
• Size: Medium, depending on the number of fruiting bodies.
• Shape: Domed and thick cap, with a straight cylindrical stalk slightly bulbous at the base.

Growing Characteristics

• It needs good quality compost, selective and very humid, with a well integrated moisture content that should oscillate between 68% and 72%.
• Quick growth in the incubation period (12–14 days), as also in the casing soil invasion.
• It easily yields a crop.
• Its incubation strength and speed makes it possible to germinate and yield good crops with compost of very different qualities.

Recommendations

• The INCUBATION temperature should stay between 24/25ºC, but de differences between the different parts of the rooms, and between the centre and the outside of the packs should be considered. It is a fast growing variety that fulfils its germination in 13-15 days (always depending on the environment conditions, and compost).
• A very moist CASING SOIL should be used to keep a rough, thick and lumpy texture. This way, the mycelium that invades the casing soil will develop thick filaments that will help to transport the nutrients to the fruiting bodies. The quality of this mycelium that invades the casing soil, will determine the number and size of the mushrooms.
• The structure of the casing soil should be maintained to allow transpiration and prevent it from compacting; else diseases could appear at the end of the cycle.
• During mycelial growth on casing soil, the relative humidity should be of 95%, and be lowered between 85 or 88% during the pinheading.
• During the incubation period and mycelial growth in the casing soil, CO2 concentration should be high (10.000-15.000 ppm), ventilating only when it is necessary to keep the temperature in the optimal range.
• During PINHEADING, the room temperature should be lowered until a compost temperature of 18/20ºC is reached, depending on the number of fruiting bodies we want to get. It must be noticed that the lower the temperature, the more fruiting bodies will grow.
• The level of CO2 after that moment should be kept between 1.500 and 2.000 ppm.
• During pinheading induction the carbonic should be slowly lowered to reach 1.000 ppm and should be kept between 1.000 – 1.300 ppm during crop yielding. This can be done in three or four days. The time the temperature lowering lasts will be related to the number of days that harvesting will last, so if the process lasts more days, the number of harvesting days will also grow.
• The CO2 levels after that should remain between 1.000–2.000 ppm. If the CO2 levels are too high, there will be a lengthening of the stalks, and the mushrooms will open prematurely.
• This variety yields a crop very quickly, being able to harvest big crops and for a long time, so it is possible to see the pinheads of the next crop before the first one has finished growing. It is recommended to keep mild and continuous ventilation, always in the conditions specified above, even and specially after the third crop, to prevent a production slow down and also to keep contamination problems away.
• Once the mushrooms are about 1cm big, they can be watered gently if possible, to keep the casing soil moisture conditions. The frequency of watering will depend on different factors as the compost and environment temperature, the ventilation, and the relative air humidity. Each time they are watered, ventilation is recommended to prevent the mushrooms’ surface from staying wet too long (it can be detected by the glistening water causes on the mushrooms, or how they feel when they are touched; if the mushroom isn’t dry yet, when they are touched a part of the cuticle attaches to the fingers).

Destination

This strain is suitable for canned mushrooms. If the number of fruiting bodies is big, a good quality mushroom for canning will be collected. With a small number of fruiting bodies a good quality medium/large sized mushrooms will be collected.

Availability

All year long.