Growing Procedure

Pleurotus columbinus grows on over-broiled straw pellets and other simple substrates, as well as on logs and stumps. There are no limits to your imagination in the choice of substrate, oyster mushrooms digest various raw materials, for which you may not even have to pay money. You will achieve the best breeding success with a sterile, well enriched substrate based on hardwood. You do not have to plan for long incubation times, the fungus usually fruits immediately after colonization of the substrate is complete. You can also achieve beautiful results in autumn/winter outdoors

Like all species of seitlings, the pigeon blue oyster mushroom likes good air exchange as well as good air movement (fanning) in the growing room.

Maintaining a CO² level below 1000 ppm in the room air and sufficient ventilation will ensure that the fruiting bodies develop without the stalk becoming long and thus tough. As classic side-fruiters, the fruiting bodies naturally develop in clusters without much stem content.

Although not mandatory, this genetic line also benefits from a 24-hour cold shock, which you can do just before opening the culture, called “birthing”.

Rather, avoid exposing the substrate to large areas for fruiting. By doing so, you will only encourage the formation of abortions, which will not develop into real fungi and will only cost the culture unnecessary strength. More yield you definitely do not have a larger surface area. In addition, the culture dries out much faster. You should avoid subsequent watering as much as possible during the first wave of harvest. Unless you want to invite bacteria, yeasts, molds, and insects to mushroom early on….

To initiate subsequent waves, rewetting, preferably by dipping, is necessary at some point. However, it is better not to start this too early.

Rather, open only a few small “fruiting windows”. For an ideally designed pin set, you will get individual small swarm colonies a few days after fruiting, which will grow into large clumps within a few days.

If you use containers where Pleurotus columbinus can only come out of the top (jars, pots), it is better to put them on their side for fruiting so that the mushroom can grow out the side.

If you are using grow bags that you want to cut open on the side, don’t wait too long to “birthing”. If you can already see mushrooms in the bag, it is actually already too late. Rather, squeeze out all air early, immediately after successful colonization. Fold the upper part of the bag together with the filter patch over the culture instead of cutting it off. Fix the whole thing firmly with adhesive tape. Air holes and cavities should not remain, the fungus may unintentionally fructify there.

Then open the bag with a clean hooked knife in a few places where primordial growth is already evident or can be suspected. The immediate move to the fruiting room with very high humidity, plenty of fresh air, cooler temperatures and light then tells the fungus to get going….

Oyster mushrooms grow on decaying wood and trees, spreading their hyphae into the plant to feed on carbohydrate-rich cellulose. Pleurotus ostreatus in particular, prefers the lignin that makes up the secondary cell walls of hard woods from angiosperm trees.

Pleurotus columbinus has been successfully grown from a variety of substrates including sawdust, newspaper shavings, and even rolls of toilet paper.

Growing

Agar Culture Media: MEA, PDA, MYPA
Cropping Cycle: –
Containers for fruiting: Bales of straw, wood logs, indoor mycelium bags for cultivation in a greenhouse, mushroom bed / patch
Biological efficiencies: –
Substrates: Straw, paper, pulp of coffee beans, coffee grounds, hardwoord: poplar, oak, alder, ash, aspen, maple, birch, beech, willow, elm

Growing Characteristics

Pleurotus columbinus stems and the hat skin are very tough

Natural Habitat

Pleurotus columbinus grows in temperate biomes globally, especially in North America, Europe, and Asia. Recently, it’s even been observed in South America.

mostly on dead coniferous wood, autumn, cultivated all year round

Gourmet

Very tasty – Oyster mushrooms are an excellent source of nutrients, and are a low calorie, low cholesterol, and low fat source of protein, dietary fiber, thiamin, vitamin B6, iron, magnesium, zinc, manganese, niacin, copper, potassium, and antioxidants. Its perfect for roasting or grilling thanks to its firm meat.

Smell

mushroom-like or uncomfortably porous

Taste

mild

Flesh

whitish, firm, somewhat tough

Nutritional content per 100g

other names

Pleurotus ostreatus var. columbinus, Blue Oyster, Gray Dove Oyster, Florida Oyster, Tree Oyster, Oyster Shelf, Tree Oyster, Straw Mushroom, Hiratake, Tamogitake, Taubenblauer Seitling, Taubenblauer Austernseitling

Kingdom	Fungi

Division Basidiomycota
Class Agaricomycetes
Order Agaricales
Family Pleurotaceae
Genus Pleurotus
Species Pleurotus columbinus
Ecology Saprotrophic