Veshenka Expert, led by Larisa Teslenkova, provides expert consultations on oyster mushroom farming, helping farms worldwide improve their yields, substrate preparation, and grow chamber microclimate.
Below are reviews from our clients in Colombia, Rwanda, Israel, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Georgia, and more.
I received this review by email:
Dear Miss Teslenkova
I came to know about the service of Ms. Larisa Teslenkova after watching the videos on her YouTube channel.
The communication with her, was so smooth and as such we immediately started to communicate on technical issues.
The area of consultation of our interest was remodeling or reconstruction of the ventilation and humidification system of our fruiting greenhouse.
Ms. Larisa Teslenkova follows formality and legality in her communication and as such all the agreement we made with her including the necessary transaction followed the same. Throughout our communication we found Ms. Larisa Teslenkova to be capable in understanding every situation we explained to her.
The proposed solutions given on her side accompanied with good communication skill (including the use of designs and diagram) was so much helpful. Moreover, I would also like to indicate the flexibility and the problem-solving ability of Ms Larisa manifested in the process of modification of our climate control system.
As a result of working with Ms. Larisa Teslenkova, we managed to have proper climate system in our greenhouse and as a result high yield of oyster mushroom with all the desired features was obtained.
We would like to explain our satisfaction in the way she contributed in solving the problem we faced in controlling the climatic condition of our greenhouse.
Nuredin MK Siraj
MD
Raya Poltavskaya, QC (Quality control) Manager &Grower:
By mushroom farming standards, our farm isn't considered large, but it’s quite significant for our local market — we operate several grow rooms with a combined capacity of around 10 tons.
Since our climate control systems were somewhat outdated, we needed a technical audit and an educational course on how to better use our growing systems.
A few months ago, we signed a contract with Larisa for two services: a full technical audit and ongoing support for oyster mushroom growing systems.
From our very first online meeting, Larisa proved herself to be a highly skilled specialist and a responsive supervisor, offering full support and welcoming any questions we had.
We went through all aspects of our climate control systems in detail, discussing how to adapt and upgrade them to meet our specific needs. Larisa also helped us organize the purchase of additional equipment, analyze our challenges, and find practical solutions.
In the end, we received a comprehensive, well-structured document with clear recommendations for upgrading and operating our oyster mushroom growing systems — fully adapted to our farm’s requirements. It also included a detailed equipment list designed in a way that allows easy sourcing in any country.
Throughout the entire cultivation cycle, Larisa provided support via phone, messaging apps, and email. We conducted experiments to improve yields and adapted our climate systems to local weather conditions, with Larisa’s effective guidance. We even received valuable advice on negotiating with suppliers.
We’re very happy that even after the contract officially ended, our collaboration with Larisa is continuing. We’re confident that we remain strong partners and can always rely on her advice and support when new challenges arise!
Larisa is a professional chemist, technologist, agronomist and business consultant.
We are sure that contacting such a specialist will be useful, effective and definitely enjoyable!
I would like to add a few words to Raya’s review.
It was a very interesting project for me to work on because the ventilation and climate control systems at their farm were already well-designed and just needed some adjustments.
Raya is a thoughtful and attentive technologist, specializing in exotic mushrooms.
Oyster mushrooms were a new crop for her, but together we quickly managed to restore both the appearance and the yield to a strong, healthy level.
Eduardo: Agradeço muito a consultoria que tive com a Larisa!
Sou brasileiro mas não tive a mínima dificuldade em nossa comunicação com os recursos que temos hoje de tradução de idiomas.
Achei ela bem experiente e tem métodos diretos e eficazes de detectar as falhas no processo de produção de composto e também no cultivo.
Translation into English
I am very grateful for the consultancy I had with Larisa!
I'm Brazilian but I didn't have the slightest difficulty in our communication with the language translation resources we have today.
I found her to be very experienced and to have direct and effective methods of detecting flaws in the compost production process and also in cultivation.
Substrate production by pasteurization
The problem with our substrate is stains.
We transfer the substrate on the platform under the canopy several times. If necessary, we soak it during transfer.
I first found Larisa’s website, then watched her video.
I learned a lot of interesting information.
Then I wrote to Larisa, and she advised me on the ventilation of the grow room.
We did as Larisa recommended - we installed cooling panels in the holes in the wall.
We have a positive result, as the shape of the mushrooms has improved and the yield has increased.
Further i'm working with her to develop oyster mushroom substrate by using paddy straw by pastuerizing them instead of sterilizing the saw dust.
Alina Khodar, company technologist:
We grow king oyster mushrooms.
Larisa mentioned that she’s not a specialist in king oysters, but it was important for me to understand the airflow system in our fruiting rooms and incubator.
For me, as a beginner technologist, it was a good start.
She explained how the air moves, what to pay attention to when working with recirculation and check valves, and provided formulas for calculating the diameter of ventilation pipes.
We also discussed the right humidity levels and the reasons behind bacterial infections in fruiting bodies.
When I didn’t know where to turn for help or where to look for information, Larisa became a great support for me.
I’m very happy we met.
When we first started, our substrate colonized well without contamination. We processed cotton waste with lime. But later contamination appeared, as you can see in the first photo.
I was looking for a solution and found the "Oyster Mushroom Expert" website.
Larisa explained the importance of sanitizing all equipment and the room where we prepared the substrate. I wish I had known this earlier!
The second photo shows our incubation room. It turned out we were cooling the bags incorrectly. As a result, some blocks colonized well inside but had a wet layer near the plastic.
Larisa provided us with a proper cooling procedure to avoid contamination during incubation.
When I started growing oyster mushrooms, I had no idea there were so many nuances.
Larisa, you brought so much clarity into mushroom farming for me. It was a pleasure to learn from you. I wish you strong health and long life. Thank you again for your consultations.
Spartak: Our enterprise has a pasteurization tunnel with a capacity of 30 tons.
We contacted Larisa because of green mold in mushroom blocks. Based on her recommendations, we insulated the tunnel, changed the heating and pasteurization mode, and reduced the amount of urea.
We began to treat the tunnel, clean area and growing chambers with the drugs that Larisa suggested, according to a certain scheme. The substrate began to overgrow well, and there was no mold.
We also developed green mold as a result of improper cooling of the blocks during incubation.
Therefore, we ordered another consultation - on setting the microclimate for incubation and the next stages of cultivation. Every morning for a month we called or corresponded with Larisa and adjusted all the climate parameters. We have large cameras and a computer program that regulates the climate.
Now we have linked together humidity, temperature in the chamber, amount of CO2 and adjustment of fan and exhaust power.
Here is the result in one of the growing rooms. This is the first flush, the Krios strain. We added 2.4% mycelium.
Aleksei Pak, Bishkek: I would like to share my experience of working with Larisa.
Among the huge amount of mushroom-growing information online, I was lucky to come across this helpful resource.
Due to the lack of knowledge and the absence of local specialists in this field, I decided to use Larisa Anatolyevna’s services.
Under her remote and careful guidance, I was able to set up a small 70 m² oyster mushroom growing room. We installed a humidification and ventilation system where the incoming air is heated and measured in the required amount, while the exhaust air is properly removed.
I’m very satisfied with the work done. Of course, I understand that there is still a lot to fine-tune, upgrade, and improve — and I will definitely turn to Larisa for help again.
Our collaboration clearly showed that she is a qualified specialist who truly knows her field. During moments when something didn’t go as planned, I always received timely feedback, for which I am very grateful!
P.S. Working with mushrooms taught me a valuable lesson: it’s much wiser to invest in expert help at the start and get stable, predictable results than to waste time, nerves, and, even worse, lose the desire to continue.
Thank you, and I wish you all the best!
Evgeniy Evdokimov, Director of PP "Kirovogradptitseprom"
Dear colleagues, I would like to share my experience of working with Larisa Teslenkova.
Our company incubates eggs and raises young poultry from March to October. After the season ends, the facility closes, and employees go on unpaid leave.
Unfortunately, only about 30% of those laid off in October return for the new season, and each year we have to train new staff (incubation operators and other specialists) from scratch.
To keep the team together and provide people with year-round employment, in October 2015 we decided to start growing oyster mushrooms and create the brand “Kirovograd Mushroom.”
Everything began with one phone call to Larisa Teslenkova. Her advice and consultations had a huge impact on the right decisions we made and helped lead us to our first success.
It turned out that there are many similarities between egg incubation and mushroom cultivation: maintaining the right climate conditions is the key to success.
Understanding the stages of embryo or fruit development, and timely adjustment of conditions, can lead either to life or death. That’s why the guidance of a technologist or a specialist is absolutely crucial.
I want to sincerely thank Larisa Teslenkova for her patience, understanding, and for sharing her vast experience with us.
She helped us set up the production process correctly and showed us how to maintain climate stability.
During the first flush of our very first harvest in 2015, we even had a cluster weighing 1.407 kg — see the photo on the right.
I wish all mushroom growers great success and good luck in this challenging, yet truly noble work.
Sergey, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine
Sooner or later, every mushroom grower runs into problems. It’s good to have someone who can help solve them.
Larisa has both the theoretical knowledge and the practical experience needed to provide qualified support.
I have reached out to her for consultations multiple times, and many issues were successfully resolved.
In the summer, we managed to boost the third flush yield on strains K-17 and PPN (see photo).
If you look closely, you can see long cuts along the sides of the blocks. We made these cuts following Larisa’s advice, carefully pulling back the plastic to avoid damaging the substrate.
Mushrooms for the third flush grew out from these cuts.
In the fall, we also partially replaced the air ducts with larger diameter ones.
When the mushrooms started developing long stems, Larisa suggested that the airflow speed had likely dropped.
Thanks to identifying the cause, we were able to fix the issue.
Her consultation on using disinfectants and insecticides was also extremely helpful.
Exactly a year ago (in 2018), I founded my company, an important part of which is the production of oyster mushrooms.
Ms. Teslenkova was engaged as a remote consultant.
Over the past year, through audio conferences and constant communication via email and messaging apps, we achieved excellent results at every stage of oyster mushroom production — from block preparation (hydrothermal method) to growing high-quality commercial mushrooms.
Given the extreme conditions of our sharply continental climate, Ms. Teslenkova provided practical advice on how to properly adjust the ventilation system, along with help on many other aspects of mushroom production.
I can wholeheartedly recommend Ms. Teslenkova as a top-level specialist and strongly suggest involving her from the earliest planning stages of your mushroom production project.
This will save you a lot of time and resources.
Respectfully,
Sanzhar Abdikhalyk
LLP Portabella
Almaty, Kazakhstan
Explore our expertise in substrate preparation for oyster mushrooms or designing a mushroom grow room.
Contact Larisa Teslenkova for expert consultation on oyster mushroom farming, from substrate preparation to grow chamber microclimate.
