Detailed Explanation of Polyporus umbellatus Planting and Cultivation Methods and Techniques

Polyporus umbellatus is a traditional rare Chinese medicinal material in our country. Modern medical research has proven that Polyporus umbellatus mainly contains ergosterol, crude protein, soluble sugars, polysaccharides, etc. Below is a brief introduction to the cultivation techniques of Polyporus umbellatus for reference.

Cultivation Techniques

Site Selection: Cultivate in original broad-leaved forests, mixed forests or secondary forests, such as under birch, oak, maple, Mongolian oak, willow and other trees; do not plant in coniferous forests. Choose an altitude of 1000-2000 m, with terrain preferably a shady slope or semi-shady semi-sunny slope, a slope of 15-45 degrees, and soil preferably with a humus layer of more than 20 cm, slightly acidic soil with a water content of about 40%. Saline-alkali land and peat land are not suitable for cultivation.

Land Preparation: After selecting the site, dig pits (also called cellars) along the slope, with a length of 70 cm, a width of 60 cm, a pit depth of 18-20 cm, and a pit spacing of 50 cm.

Materials (calculated per square meter): 3 bottles of Polyporus umbellatus spawn, 3 bottles of Armillaria mellea spawn, log sticks for spawn material with a diameter of 5-10 cm and a length of 50 cm, Polyporus umbellatus growth hormone, broad-leaved tree leaves, and a mixture of leaves and humus soil.

Propagation Methods

Spread leaves 2-3 cm thick at the bottom of the pit, break Armillaria mellea into small pieces of 1-2 cm and evenly scatter them on the leaves, then evenly scatter Polyporus umbellatus growth hormone on the leaves, place the spawn material (log sticks) on the leaves covered with Armillaria mellea, with a spacing of about 3-5 cm between the spawn materials, fill the gaps between the spawn materials with the mixture, break Polyporus umbellatus spawn into pieces of about 2 cm, evenly place them on both sides and the ends of the spawn material, then cover with about 3 cm of leaves, cover the leaves with about 10 cm of humus soil, and then cover the top of the pit with leaves again.

Spawn Cultivation: The key to cultivating Polyporus umbellatus lies in the quality of the Polyporus umbellatus spawn. High-quality Polyporus umbellatus spawn has thick and strong hyphae, a reticular mycorrhiza on the surface, and strong hyphal sprouting ability, with a high success rate. When the ground temperature is above 15 degrees C, the hyphae colonize 5 days after spot seeding, extend into the soil in a root-network form after 20-30 days, and begin to form white spherical young sclerotia in the leaves and soil layer after 60 days. When purchasing spawn, one should distinguish quality and prevent counterfeits, so as to avoid being deceived and suffering economic losses.

Polyporus umbellatus can germinate when the average ground temperature at a depth of 10 cm reaches 9.5 degrees C, grows fastest at 18-22 degrees C, grows slowly above 28 degrees C, and stops growing below 9 degrees C or above 30 degrees C.

Harvesting and Processing

When sown with pure Polyporus umbellatus spawn, the maturity period is about 3 years (5-6 years for cultivation by the old method). When Polyporus umbellatus is black in color and hard in texture (called old core), it can be harvested in spring from April to May or in autumn from July to September.

Remove impurities from the harvested Polyporus umbellatus sclerotia, scrub them clean, and dry them in the sun to obtain the commercial medicinal material. Put them into hemp bags or bamboo baskets and store them in a dry and ventilated place for sale. Those with a glossy black outer skin, heavy weight, and firm texture, and a white or yellow cross-section are superior grade products.