Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

VB, do you see AP helping at all with this, like to provide plant matter to compost , nutrients, or do you think they will remain un-linked. I.e. is mushroom farming unconquerable to AP?

I think that there is potential for AP to supply a nitrogen source - maybe through some of the solids that could be collected via a swirl filter (for instance), but I think that other than that it may be problematic. With mushrooms it is necessary for the media to be moist, but not saturated, hence the problems with trying to grow them in some sort of bed that is supplied water automatically from the AP system. It's worth a play though.

Make Magazine, Edition 7 had an article on setting up a home Mycology lab and propagating mushrooms.

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2006/1 ... mushr.html

and David Blume conducts a thought experiment incorporating mushroom culture, aquaculture and alcohol production in a permaculture context in his book "Alcohol Can Be A Gas"

gg

Shroons..

I think this is a case of when your tool is a hammer everything looks like a nail.<p>
mushrooms like lots of damp organic matter, not running water. the best way to link the 2 would be to compost all your plant matter from your AP.
I've grow mushrooms from kits before, and the quality of the fruit blows store bought mushies out of the water. those $9 kits from B will produce 4kgs over about 12 weeks, well worth it imho.

ther eis a huge thread on this already.................somewhere..............everythings covered already.

besides shrooms actively digest organic matter, i'm not sure a source of nitrate is gonna help them. what we think of as mushrooms are for all intents the fungus's flowers. all the actions going on in the orgainc media underneath that is being invaded and digested

They require a nitrogen source. If it is not available in the medium being used, then it needs to be supplied. For example of pelletised paper kitty litter is used as the medium.

Or possibly a better example is mushrooms that like to grow in shit rather than on wood.

yes, but they have an active digestive process dont they? it would be like feeding us carbon.

But i'll deffer to you i'f i'm wrong, you have more exp.

All I know is that you definitely add a nitrogen source when growing many types of mushrooms. Your basic button mushroom is normally grown in a mixture of composted horse shit and straw.

They use riverbed clay/silt in the mix over here but yep horse manure and straw are the main ingredients. It`s usually steam sterilised after the normal composting process. Mushrooms don`t seem to compete too well for nutrients.

we agree VB, just saying its gotta be a previously live form of nitrogen

you dont see funky fungus growing in AP water unless its on a dead fish

Not so sure about that Steve. A properly balanced chemical fertiliser is often used. Even urine can be used :-) - never did get caught pissing into a bag of mycelium

hmmmmmmmmmm

Hi Steve I searched the forum before posting and there were 33 matches, none mentioning using AP for growing mushrooms. Maybe you're thinking of a different forum?