A detailed guide to Poria cultivation techniques: master the key points of planting and management

Poria is a common traditional Chinese medicinal material that can be eaten and also used as medicine; poria paste is something we can eat directly. But many friends may not yet know what Poria cultivation techniques are. Now let the editor explain them for you.

1. Site selection and land preparation

For Poria, it is best to choose sloping land at an altitude of 600 m-800 m, and cultivate it on sandy loam soil with good drainage and irrigation, moderate acidity and alkalinity, and a wind-sheltered, sun-facing aspect, while also ensuring the planting site is warm, dry and sunny.

2. Strain cultivation

First peel the surface of the Poria clean, disinfect the surface with 70-75% ethanol, then rinse with sterile water, then blot the water dry with a disinfected cloth or filter paper. In a sterile inoculation box, light an alcohol lamp, cut it open beside the flame with a sterile knife, use the knife to hollow the cut surface into an arc, hollow it twice, and from the second hollowed spot pick a piece the size of a wheat grain and inoculate it onto a pure strain culture medium, place it in a greenhouse, and culture it at 25-30°C until the mycelium grows all over. Select the pure strain that is white, free of contamination by other microorganisms, velvety, dense and sturdy, growing vigorously and evenly, and secreting white milky-droplet mycelium.

3. Inoculation and planting

Before planting, prepare the log sections; pine log sections from before winter, while the pine trees have not yet entered dormancy, are best. You can use the flesh-spawn method of cutting and inoculating at the same time, inoculating onto the cut surface of the log section with wood spawn, or the mycelium spawn method; everyone can choose according to different situations.

4. Field management

7-10 days after Poria inoculation, white Poria mycelium can grow out. At this time, check the fungal condition in each plot so as to fill gaps in time. If 1-2 months after Poria inoculation no mycelium is seen growing on the substrate surface and no Poria smell is detected, replanting is needed. Replanting means digging out all the log sections that have not been colonized by the fungus, drying out the moisture, trimming the wound afresh, and inoculating new spawn. During this period, if termites are found, growers should immediately spray termiticide on the termites' bodies or on their trails to control them.

5. Timely harvesting

Timely harvesting is also very important. Poria generally matures 8-10 months after inoculation. The harvested Poria is best stacked indoors in a wind-sheltered place, covered tightly with rice straw and left for 5-6 days, then spread out to air-dry for 1-2 days.

Poria differs somewhat from the cultivation of other medicinal materials, mainly because it itself is a facultative parasitic fungus, so before planting, materials need to be prepared and mycelium cultivation carried out; only in this way can it grow normally.