Detailed Explanation of the Technical Method for Cultivating Lingzhi (Reishi) on Mulberry Branches

The artificial cultivation process for mulberry branch lingzhi is: mulberry branch collection - cutting into sections - crushing - ingredient mixing - bagging - sterilization - inoculation - cultivation management - harvesting lingzhi - sun drying - packaging.

1. After pruning and crushing the mulberry branches, pack them in food-fungus-specific plastic bags with a specification of 18 cm×20 cm, and inoculate after high-pressure steam sterilization. Take a small piece of the purchased lingzhi cultivation spawn and inoculate it into the spawn bag, place it in a clean room for dark culture, with the early-stage room temperature at 24-26°C, the later-stage room temperature at 22-24°C, and the indoor relative air humidity at 60%-70%, maintaining air circulation. After culturing for about 40 days, once the mycelium has fully grown, move it outdoors and bury it in soil. 2. Selection of cultivation site, shed construction, and bed making: choose sandy loam soil with good drainage, ventilation, and light transmission to build the site. Set up a “”-shaped shade shed, cover it with plastic sheeting, and add a shade net, with a ratio of three parts sunlight to seven parts shade being preferable, and the light brightness required to be uniform. The beds run east-west, with a bed width of 1.3 m, a length of 1.3 m, and a height of 30 cm, with walkways left between the beds. Carry out soil disinfection within the beds. 3. Burying the spawn bags in soil: when a small number of primordia appear on the spawn bags and the air temperature rises above 15°C, tear open the plastic bag on the surface of the spawn sticks, arrange them upright on the already prepared beds with the inoculation surface facing up, with a spacing of 4-6 cm between the spawn sticks, keeping the tops of the spawn bags level, fill the gaps between the spawn sticks with fine soil, and cover the upper ends with about 2 cm of soil. Lingzhi emergence management 1. Regulating light: lingzhi fruiting bodies have relatively high light requirements and strong phototropism. Light that is too strong or too weak will cause the caps to fuse or become deformed; too strong will also cause the young tender fruiting bodies to wither, while too weak will cause the stipes to become leggy. Uneven light, or two-directional light irradiation in the morning and afternoon, will cause the fruiting bodies to tilt. Therefore, the light brightness in the shed should be adjusted to a range of 400-600 lux candlelight and the light source should be fixed. 2. Regulating temperature: lingzhi is a medium-to-high temperature type fungus, with a growth temperature of 12.36°C, and an optimum temperature of 25-30°C. Below 20°C, close the shed door tightly and cover with plastic film to keep warm; above 30°C, open the shed door, uncover the surrounding plastic film, strengthen ventilation to cool down, and spray water on the shed roof to cool down. 3. Regulating humidity: lingzhi prefers a moist environment. The water content of the artificially prepared culture medium is preferably 60%-65%; the fruiting bodies can differentiate and emerge between 18-32°C, but differentiate fastest and develop best at around 25°C. The optimum relative air humidity for growth is 80%-90%, and the soil humidity is about 50%. If the humidity is on the high side, use ventilation to reduce humidity and stop watering within the beds; if the humidity is on the low side, spray into the air to increase the relative air humidity in the shed. 4. Improving ventilation conditions: lingzhi is an aerobic fungus, and the fruiting bodies are extremely sensitive to carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide concentration in the air should be controlled below 0.03%; if on the high side, it will cause deformity. During the growth and development period of the fruiting bodies, open the shed door regularly, uncover the surrounding plastic film, improve ventilation conditions, and reduce the carbon dioxide concentration content. 5. In the cultivation of mulberry branch lingzhi, in order to reduce production costs, the mulberry branches can be used for two purposes: one part as the culture material for lingzhi, and the other part as fuel for sterilization.