How should Hericium erinaceus be cultivated and managed to grow well?
Hericium erinaceus (scientific name: Hericium erinaceus; English names: Lion's Mane Mushroom, Bearded Tooth Mushroom), also called monkey head fungus, gets its name simply because its shape closely resembles a monkey's head. Monkey mushroom, monkey head, monkey fungus - it is a traditional precious Chinese dish, with tender flesh, fragrant aroma and delicious flavor. It is one of the four famous dishes (monkey head mushroom, bear paw, bird's nest, shark fin). It has the reputation of “mountain delicacy monkey head, sea delicacy shark fin”. This fungus of the Hericiaceae family has furry fleshy spines on the surface of its cap, about 1-3 cm long; its fruiting body is round and thick, white when fresh, and from light yellow to light brown after drying, with a narrow base or a slightly short stalk, and an enlarged upper part, 3.5-10 cm in diameter. Seen from afar it resembles a golden monkey's head, hence the name “monkey head mushroom”, and it also looks like a hedgehog, hence it is also called “hedgehog fungus”. Hericium erinaceus is an incomparably delicious mountain delicacy, with tender flesh and a rich, mellow, tasty flavor, known as “the meat among vegetables”.
As an ingredient, Hericium erinaceus makes a delicious dish. At the same time, Hericium erinaceus is also a medicinal material. The medicine made from this medicinal material is called Monkey Mushroom Tablets, recorded on page 207 of Volume 15 of the “Drug Standards of the Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China”: “This product is a tablet made from processed Hericium erinaceus, with the effect of nourishing the stomach and harmonizing the middle, used for the treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers and chronic gastritis.” In addition, many studies in modern medicine and pharmacology summarize the medicinal effects of Hericium erinaceus polysaccharides as improving immunity, anti-tumor, anti-aging, lowering blood lipids and various other physiological functions.
How should Hericium erinaceus be cultivated and managed well?
Hericium erinaceus, also called monkey head fungus, hedgehog fungus, cauliflower fungus or mountain hidden fungus, was originally a precious edible fungus hidden deep in dense forests. Its fruiting body is round and thick, often hanging on tree trunks, covered with needle-like fungal spines, and its shape closely resembles a monkey's head, hence the name. Hericium erinaceus has tender flesh and a fragrant taste, delicious and tasty, and its color, flavor and aroma are all of superior quality.
Hericium erinaceus is rich in nutrients, containing abundant polypeptides and various vitamins. Medicine has confirmed that Hericium erinaceus has medicinal functions such as tissue repair, enhancing cell vitality, anti-cancer, prolonging life and beauty care. Hericium erinaceus has tender, mellow and tasty flesh, and has the fine reputation of “the meat among vegetables”. It can be eaten in many ways, such as vegetarian stir-fry, meat stir-fry, clear stew, braised in soy sauce, steaming and boiling, and is an extremely rare delicacy. Stewing Hericium erinaceus together with white fungus makes a very good health dessert. After steaming and boiling, the juice is thick and sticky, light pink in color, fragrant and smooth. Eaten before going to sleep at night, it can calm the mind and relieve asthma, and enhance cell vitality and the body's resistance.
Cultivation of Hericium erinaceus. As a kind of macrofungus, Hericium erinaceus has always been known as a “mountain delicacy”. It contains 16 kinds of amino acids and various vitamins and minerals, and has a growth cycle generally best suited to production from September to November. It has the advantages of simple cultivation methods, high economic benefits and good market prospects, and is very suitable for cultivation by individual households under simple conditions.
1. Reasonable material selection, scientific formula. The raw materials for cultivating Hericium erinaceus are extremely wide, such as cottonseed hulls, sawdust, corn cobs, bean stalks, wild grass, distiller's grains, etc. Adding an appropriate amount of auxiliary materials such as bran and cornmeal, and mixing them in an appropriate ratio, allows Hericium erinaceus to grow well. If a small amount of minerals such as phosphorus, potassium and magnesium is added to these culture materials, growth will be even better. Each place can choose an economical formula according to its local material advantages: (1) sawdust 78%, rice bran or wheat bran 20%, white sugar and gypsum 1% each. (2) cottonseed hulls 90%, gypsum and white sugar 1% each. (3) corn cob or bean stalk powder 80%, wheat bran 18% and white sugar 1% each.
Choose any one of the above formulas, mix thoroughly, and make the water content reach 60%. The pH value is 4-6. Note: the materials selected must be fresh, without mildew and without insect damage; the materials must be mixed evenly; the loading of materials must be rapid, entering the sterilization stage in the shortest possible time.
2. Choose a suitable cultivation season. According to the biological characteristics of Hericium erinaceus, the suitable temperature for its mycelium growth is about 25°C, and the mycelium cultivation time is 30-40 days. The suitable growth temperature for the fruiting body is 16-20°C. One cultivation can harvest 3 crops and takes about 2 months. Each place can reasonably arrange the production time according to local climatic conditions.
3. Fruiting management. When the mycelium has grown to more than half, fruiting bodies appear one after another, and fruiting management should be carried out promptly at this time. During the fruiting period, focus on creating conditions suitable for the growth and development of the fruiting body, and coordinate the relationships among temperature, humidity, light and air.
1. Opening: when cultivating fruiting bodies, there must be openings for fruiting. For bottle-cultivated Hericium erinaceus, pull out the cotton plug or remove the kraft paper, and simply cut a round hole 2 cm in diameter in the center of the sealing plastic film. For bag-cultivated Hericium erinaceus, remove the cotton plug inside the neck ring or peel off the adhesive tape on the inoculation hole, cover the bag with plastic film, and lift the film once every 2-3 days to promote the formation of mushroom buds. When the mushroom buds are 2-3 cm in diameter, remove the film.
2. Temperature control and humidity adjustment: the temperature of the mushroom house should be kept between 12-20°C, with about 18°C being most suitable, and the relative air humidity controlled at 85-90%. Spray water into the room with a sprayer 3-4 times a day. At high temperatures, necessary cooling measures should be taken, such as covering the top, ventilation and air exchange, and increasing water spraying; at low temperatures, heating and insulation measures should be strengthened.
3. Appropriate ventilation: the growth of the fruiting body of Hericium erinaceus requires fresh air. With good ventilation, the fruiting body is large, firm in texture, white in color, fast-growing and high-yielding, with fungal spines of moderate length and good commercial quality. Otherwise, the yield is low, and even deformed mushrooms may appear. Therefore, attention should be paid to ventilation and air exchange in the mushroom house. Open the vent regularly every day; at high temperatures, ventilate mostly in the morning and evening, about 30 minutes each time; at low temperatures, ventilate at noon, and always keep the air in the mushroom house fresh.
4. Light: although the fruiting body of Hericium erinaceus can form under dark conditions, deformed mushrooms often appear. Moreover, strong light is also unfavorable to the formation of the fruiting body. Generally, a light intensity of 200-300 lux is suitable. Generally, a certain amount of scattered light in the mushroom house is sufficient.
4. Harvesting. Hericium erinaceus should be harvested before the fruiting body is fully mature. The standard is: the fruiting body has basically reached full size, is firm, the spores have not yet been released, and the fungal spines are 1-1.5 cm long, at which point it can be harvested. If harvested too late, the flesh is loose and the bitter taste is strong, which is unfavorable for processing and also affects the formation of the next batch of mushrooms. When harvesting, press down the culture material with one hand, and gently pull off the fruiting body or cut it off with a small knife with the other hand. After harvesting, promptly clean the surface of the material, gently scratch the fungus to let the mycelium recover and strengthen. Under suitable conditions, after 15-20 days the second flush of mushrooms will appear one after another. Generally, 2-3 harvests can be made. From inoculation to the end of harvesting takes about 3 months. After harvesting, freshness preservation must not exceed 12 hours. A small amount can be sold fresh, and a large amount can be sun-dried, or dried at 60°C, then sealed and stored in double-layer plastic bags.