Efficient Oyster Mushroom Cultivation Techniques: A Detailed Guide to Foolproof Growing Methods

The oyster mushroom is a highly nutritious fungal food ingredient with a delicious flavor, and it can supplement large amounts of vitamins and minerals, making it deeply loved and sought after by everyone. As the oyster mushroom market faces demand exceeding supply, the number of people growing oyster mushrooms is gradually increasing, so how should oyster mushrooms be grown for the best results?

Efficient Oyster Mushroom Cultivation Techniques

1 Commonly used cultivation formulas

Formula 1: cottonseed hulls 94%, urea 0.3%-0.5%, superphosphate 1%, plant ash 1%-2%, lime 2%-3%. Formula 2: cottonseed hulls 45%, corncobs 43%, cake meal 5%, superphosphate 1%, plant ash 1%-2%, urea 0.3%-0.5%, lime 2%-3%. Formula 3: cottonseed hulls 45%, wheat straw 43%, cake meal 5%, superphosphate 1%, plant ash 1%-2%, urea 0.3%-0.5%, lime 2%-3%.

2 Ingredient preparation

Each of the above formulas can be mixed with water at a material-to-water ratio of 1.0:(1.3-1.5), adjusted to a moisture content of about 60% and a pH value of 7.5-8.0. Choose a sunny, high-lying, dry location, add lime water with a pH value of 9-10 to the culture material and mix, bringing the moisture content to 65%-70%. After mixing evenly, pile the material at 50 kg/sq m, building a pile about 1.5 m wide and 1.2-1.5 m high, with unlimited length. For good aeration, place 2 bamboo poles at the bottom when spreading the material, and when punching holes on both sides above, cross them with the bottom bamboo poles; after the pile is built, withdraw the bamboo poles, then cover with plastic film to keep warm and retain moisture for fermentation. Once fermentation is complete, bagging and inoculation can proceed.

3 Bagging and inoculation

Select plastic bags of (22-25) cm×(45-50) cm, and adopt a layer-spawning method of 4 layers of spawn and 3 layers of culture material, with the spawn amount generally around 15%. The amount of spawn at both ends of the bag opening should be larger, which is beneficial for mycelial growth.

4 Spawn-running management

After disinfecting the mushroom shed, transport the inoculated material bags into the shed, stack them on the bed for spawn running, or stack them on shelves. In early spring and late autumn, when temperatures are low, 2 rows running north-south can be placed side by side as 1 row, with walkways left between each row, and 10-12 layers can be stacked; in other seasons, arrange them in single rows. When temperatures are high, 2-4 layers of material bags can also be stacked in a “well” shape, arranged crosswise, to facilitate heat dissipation and leave walkways. When covering with film to keep warm, uncover the film regularly for ventilation to prevent oxygen deficiency from inhibiting mycelial growth [2].

5 Fruiting management

At a temperature of around 25 degrees C, relative air humidity of around 60%, and under dark light and good ventilation conditions, generally medium- and high-temperature type oyster mushrooms take about 25 d, and low-temperature types 30-35 d, for the mycelium to fully colonize the bag. When primordia of fruiting bodies appear on some bags, it indicates that the mushroom body has matured, and at this point they can be transferred to fruiting management in a timely manner. Disinfect the mushroom shed, fill with water to soak and let dry, then stack the bags neatly on the bed according to the maturity of the mycelium, early or late, with a stack height of 7-8 layers. Then untie the ties at both ends of the bags; when small mushroom buds appear on the material surface, cut off the film at both ends of the bag to expose the material surface, to promote rapid growth of the mushroom buds.

Foolproof Oyster Mushroom Growing Technique

The so-called foolproof method is, after inoculation, to punch three ventilation holes in a triangular arrangement, which will also be the future fruiting holes. This still needs to be combined with actual conditions.

Pest control

Common pests in oyster mushroom cultivation include nematodes, mites, ants, snails, fruit flies, mushroom gnats, and so on. For chemical control, a 2.5% deltamethrin emulsion at 2,500 times dilution can be sprayed; use lights and sugar-vinegar liquid to trap and kill flies; roast bones until fragrant to attract and kill mites and ants; use salt to kill snails, and so on.

Environmental requirements of oyster mushrooms

1. Nutrition. Oyster mushrooms can use many nutrients; ligneous plant residues and cellulosic plant residues can both be utilized. In artificial cultivation, waste cotton, cottonseed hulls, corncobs, cotton stalks, and soybean stalks give relatively higher yields in that order, and other agricultural and forestry wastes can also be used, such as sawdust, rice straw, wheat straw, corncobs, and so on.

2. Temperature. The mycelial growth temperature range and suitable temperature differ somewhat among different species; most species and varieties can grow at 5-35 degrees C, and 20-30 degrees C is the common suitable temperature range for their growth. The optimum growth temperature for low-temperature and medium-low-temperature varieties is 24-26 degrees C, the optimum growth temperature for medium-high-temperature and wide-temperature varieties is around 28 degrees C, and the optimum growth temperature for the phoenix mushroom is 25-27 degrees C.

3. Humidity. The most suitable substrate moisture content for mycelial growth is 60%-65%. When the substrate moisture content is insufficient, spawn running is slow, and after spawn running is complete, fruiting is delayed. In raw material cultivation, when the substrate moisture content is too high, air permeability is poor, mycelial growth is slow, and at the same time anaerobic bacteria or molds are prone to breeding. During the fruiting period, 70%-75% is most suitable; when the atmospheric relative humidity is 85%-95%, the fruiting bodies grow rapidly and robustly; below 80%, the caps are prone to dry edges or cracking; and exceeding 95% for a relatively long time tends to cause rotten mushrooms. In raw material cultivation, the method of keeping spawn running on the dry side and supplementing water during the fruiting period is often adopted, to ensure that the spawn-running period is not infected by molds and to ensure sufficient water during the fruiting period for fruiting.

Through the above content, I believe everyone has gained a certain understanding of oyster mushroom growing methods. Overall, oyster mushrooms have high yields, and their annual sales are also very high; moreover, oyster mushrooms have low costs but very considerable profits, making them a good path for growing and starting a business!