Introduction to Artificial Cultivation Methods for Enoki Mushrooms: Pay Attention to Three Points to Grow High-Quality Mushrooms

Artificial mushrooms are edible fungi grown through artificial cultivation. Most of the edible mushrooms we eat in our daily lives are artificial mushrooms, such as shiitake mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, black wood ear mushrooms, lion's mane mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, etc. Here we mainly introduce the cultivation methods for artificial mushrooms (enoki mushrooms).

I. Introduction to Artificial Mushrooms (Enoki Mushrooms)

1. What else is enoki mushroom called?

The enoki mushroom gets its name because its stipe is slender and long, resembling golden needle vegetables. Its scientific name is Flammulina velutipes, and it is also called velvet shank, winter mushroom, and enoki mushroom, among other names. Because of its relatively high zinc content, it has a good effect on enhancing intelligence, so people call it the “intelligence-boosting mushroom.”

2. What does enoki mushroom look like?

The fruiting body of the enoki mushroom consists of three parts: the cap, the gills, and the stipe. The cap is spherical or flattened hemispherical, with a thin gelatinous layer on the surface that is sticky when wet, and its color ranges from yellowish white to yellowish brown; the gills vary in length, are white or ivory in color, and are free from or sinuate-attached to the stipe; the stipe is hollow and cylindrical, and yellowish white in color.

II. Cultivation Methods for Artificial Mushrooms (Enoki Mushrooms)

1. Cultivation techniques

There are four mature cultivation techniques for enoki mushrooms: sterilized substrate cultivation, raw substrate cultivation, regenerated branch cultivation, and bag cultivation. Sterilized substrate cultivation refers to sterilizing the culture substrate under normal pressure or high pressure, then inoculating and culturing under sterile conditions. This technique has a high success rate, produces uniform fruiting, and gives high yields.

2. Cultivation time

The suitable temperature for the growth of enoki mushroom mycelium is 7-30°C, with the optimal temperature being 23°C. The suitable temperature for fruiting body differentiation and development is 3-18°C, with the optimal temperature being 13°C. Therefore,

(1) Southern regions: the best time to cultivate enoki mushrooms is late autumn;

(2) Northern regions: the best time to cultivate enoki mushrooms is mid-autumn;

(3) Jiangnan provinces: the best time to cultivate enoki mushrooms is from October to November;

(4) High-altitude mountainous areas: the best time to cultivate enoki mushrooms is September.

3. Cultivation site

Cultivating enoki mushrooms requires preparing a mushroom house. The main requirements for the mushroom house are heat preservation, ventilation, and cleanliness. A semi-underground mushroom house can be built. It is recommended to dig a 1 m deep square pit outdoors, then pile soil on the ground around it to build a 1 m high wall, and cover the top with plastic film and straw curtains.

4. Cultivation steps

(1) Prepare raw materials: prepare crushed corncobs (which can be replaced by sorghum husks, sawdust, peanut shells, bean stalks, corn stalks, rapeseed stalks, etc.), wheat bran, cornmeal, gypsum powder, soybean meal, superphosphate, and white sugar in a ratio of 75:20:3.5:2:1.5:1:1. Then dissolve the white sugar in water, add the sugar water and other ingredients to water and stir thoroughly. The water content should reach about 65%. After allowing it to sit for 2-4 hours, bag it.

(2) Bagging and inoculation: First, choose plastic bags 15-17 cm wide and 55 cm long for bagging. When bagging, compact the material while filling. After filling, tie both ends with thin rope into slip knots, then sterilize under high pressure or normal pressure. After sterilization, inoculation can be carried out, and the bags should be moved into the mushroom house promptly after inoculation.

(3) Daily management: Under suitable temperature conditions, the mycelium begins to germinate in about 24 hours and can fill the bag in about 40 days. After the bag is full, untie the bag opening and roll it back, stack the bags, and cover them with film. Every morning, uncover the film for ventilation for 30 minutes and maintain humidity at 85%-90%. In about 7-10 days, fruiting can occur successively. After fruiting, ventilation can be appropriately increased. When the stipe grows to 3-5 cm, remove the plastic film and ventilate for 1-2 days. After that, control the temperature at 6-8°C, the relative air humidity at 85%-90%, and the carbon dioxide concentration at 0.11%-0.15%, with weak light. In about 10 days, the enoki mushrooms can grow to maturity and be harvested.

III. What precautions are there for cultivating enoki mushrooms?

1. The temperature for cultivating enoki mushrooms must be suitable, otherwise they will not fruit or will produce deformed mushrooms.

2. The prepared raw materials must be fresh, clean, and free of mold.

3. If the mushroom house needs to be sprinkled with water, do not sprinkle water onto the mushroom bodies.

Summary: The above is an introduction to the cultivation methods for artificial mushrooms (enoki mushrooms). Pay attention to 3 points and you can grow high-quality mushrooms.