A Detailed Guide to Shiitake Mushroom Cultivation Techniques, a Complete Breakdown of Growing Methods

First, make the shiitake cultivation blocks, then place the finished spawn blocks at a temperature of 12-20 degrees to culture them, prompting the blocks to quickly turn brownish-red. Once the color change is complete, all that remains is to manage the fruiting stage well.

Below is the detailed shiitake cultivation method:

1. Making the shiitake cultivation blocks

Choose fresh, mold-free broadleaf tree sawdust and put it into a pot, add water to submerge it, cover with the pot lid, boil for 15 minutes, then scoop it out and strain off the excess water. After it cools, use 2-2.5 kg of sawdust, equivalent to 500-750 g of dry sawdust. Place it on a plastic film previously disinfected with a 0.1% potassium permanganate solution, with a size of 0.1 sq m. At an inoculation rate of 40%-60%, mix in the spawn. When mixing, break up the spawn as much as possible and mix it evenly. To make the spawn mix uniformly, mix in a small amount first, then gradually increase the amount and mix it in. Finally, tie the film tightly around the middle, and thus a spawn block is made.

2. Managing the spawn-running stage

Place the finished spawn blocks at a temperature of 12-20 degrees to culture them. After about 10-15 days the spawn blocks knit together firmly and the blocks are formed. When scattered primordia appear on the surface of the blocks, remove the outer plastic film so that the surface of the blocks contacts dry air and scattered light, prompting the blocks to quickly turn brownish-red.

3. Managing the fruiting stage

After the shiitake blocks change color, move them into a large mushroom house. With a day-night temperature difference, 20 degrees during the day and 10 degrees at night, carry out low-temperature stimulation, while raising the humidity of the mushroom house to 85-90%. After two batches of mushrooms have been produced, because the blocks have lost too much water and become lighter, they can be soaked in cold water at 15-18 degrees for 12 hours; after scooping them out and strengthening management, they will soon produce mushrooms.

After the shiitake mushrooms fruit, they must be harvested promptly, and shiitake mushrooms of different qualities must also be graded. After grading, they can be priced and sold according to the different shiitake mushroom grades.