Key Cultivation Techniques for Growing Bamboo Fungus (Phallus indusiatus) in the North
At present, the main production areas for bamboo fungus are in the south, because the southern climate is warm and humid and suitable for the growth of bamboo fungus. Can bamboo fungus be cultivated in the cold and dry north? After several years of trials, the author found that as long as management is strengthened, growing bamboo fungus in the north can also achieve relatively good returns. The cultivation methods are as follows:
1. Site preparation: Choose cultivated land that faces the sun, is well ventilated, has fertile soil, and is convenient for irrigation and drainage. Prepare the land and make raised beds, 1 m wide and 30 cm high, with no fixed length; the distance between beds is 50 cm, and the bed surface is covered with more than 10 cm of fertile soil and leveled. Then spray the bed surface with 5% formaldehyde solution and keep it sealed for 12 hours. Before sowing, take the top 5 cm of mature fertile soil from the bed surface and pile it to one side for use as covering soil, then spray the bed with 0.3% dichlorvos solution or lime water. Set up a shade shed around the site, with a light intensity requirement of “four shade and six sun”.
2. Substrate preparation: The formula is 48% corncob, 30% corn stalk, 20% mixed wood chips, 1% gypsum powder, 1% superphosphate; or 68% mixed wood chips, 30% soybean stalk, 1% gypsum powder, 1% sugar. Before use, the corncob should be crushed into 2 cm pieces, and the corn stalk or soybean stalk should be cut into 3 cm long pieces; the mixed wood should be sliced mechanically. First dry the raw materials in the sun, then put them into bags and soak them in clean water for 5 days, or soak them in 0.5% lime water for 2 days, then rinse them clean with clean water, remove them and drain them before use. Use 20 kg of material per sq m, with a water content of about 65%.
3. Cultivation season: It can be cultivated twice a year: spring cultivation is sown in early May and can be harvested in August; autumn cultivation is sown in September and harvested in the summer of the following year.
4. Sowing: Use the layer-sowing method to spread material and sow. First spread a 5 cm thick layer of material on the bed surface, sow by the spot-sowing or broadcast-sowing method, then spread another 10 cm thick layer of substrate on top, press it slightly firm, and then sow another layer of spawn; on top of that spread another 5 cm thick layer of substrate, press it firm, cover with leaf residue, and then cover with soil. Cover the sides of the bed with 5 cm of soil and the bed surface with 2 cm of soil, then cover with plastic film to preserve heat and moisture. Use 8 bottles of spawn per sq m. The spawn blocks should not be too fragmented; broad bean-sized pieces are preferable.
5. Bed management:
① Mycelial growth stage: After sowing, cover well with plastic film, keep the temperature at about 25°C, ventilate once a day for 30 minutes each time; do not spray water within one month.
② Bud initiation stage: After 30 days, when white fluffy mycelium has grown over the bed surface, cover with 1 cm of sterilized mature fertile soil, then scatter a layer of leaves or pine needles. When the mycelium twists together to form primordia, spray water on the bed surface every day, maintain air humidity at 80%, and keep the temperature at 25°C.
③ Fruiting stage: After 40 days, fruiting bodies form one after another. The temperature should be controlled at 28%, and the humidity should be maintained at 90%. Watering should be done before 7 a.m. Generally ventilate once a day; when the temperature is high, ventilate once in the morning and once in the evening, 30 minutes each time.
6. Overwintering management: Bamboo fungus can be harvested for more than two years after one sowing, but in the north, overwintering of bamboo fungus is an important step. The specific method is: around Frost's Descent, before the soil begins to freeze, cover the bed well with weeds, leaves, and so on, with a thickness of about 15 cm being suitable. Before covering with soil, irrigate with freezing water so that the bed and the ditches beside the bed are fully filled with water. When the soil begins to thaw in the following spring, uncover the covering in two stages, with 7 days between each, and then enter normal fruiting management.