Detailed explanation of the key points of king oyster mushroom cultivation techniques
The king oyster mushroom is named for its excellent taste and flavor: it smells of almonds and has plump, delicious flesh like a precious jade. The king oyster mushroom is rich in protein, with a content as high as over 40%, and it also contains abundant vitamins, minerals and various amino acids needed by the human body. Compared with other mushrooms, the king oyster mushroom has denser, firmer flesh and is more elastic, so it can be stored for a longer period. Growing king oyster mushrooms offers good economic returns. Below is a brief introduction to the cultivation techniques for king oyster mushrooms.
I. Cultivation season
The most suitable growth temperature for the king oyster mushroom is around 25 degrees, and the mycelium can grow within a temperature range of 6-35 degrees. After the fruiting body forms, the most suitable growth temperature is 15-21 degrees. Once the temperature reaches above 25 degrees and stays above 28 degrees for three days, the fruiting body of the king oyster mushroom will dry up and die.
The suitable cultivation period should be chosen according to the suitable growth temperature for the king oyster mushroom fruiting body. Generally, cultivation can be carried out in autumn when the outdoor temperature drops below 18 degrees. The cultivation bags can be made more than 50 days in advance.
II. Controlling humidity
During the process of cultivating king oyster mushrooms, the relative air humidity of the growing environment must be kept at 85-90%. Once the relative air humidity is higher than 95%, the fruiting body of the king oyster mushroom is prone to becoming soft and rotting due to excessive moisture; once the relative air humidity is lower than 70%, the fruiting body of the king oyster mushroom is prone to drying out and withering due to excessive dryness.
Note that when taking water-spraying measures to increase the relative air humidity, do not spray water directly onto the king oyster mushroom bodies, as this can easily cause the mushroom bodies to turn yellow. Especially in hot weather, it can also cause the king oyster mushroom bodies to become soft and rot.
III. Maintaining ventilation
During the mycelium cultivation stage, the king oyster mushroom needs good ventilation and air exchange conditions. If the carbon dioxide concentration in the air is too high, once it is higher than 0.%, it will cause poor development of the mushroom bodies. Especially in hot and humid weather, it can also cause the king oyster mushroom bodies to become soft and rot.
IV. Controlling light
The king oyster mushroom needs light throughout its growth and development process. The light it needs is scattered light, with 500-1000 lux being best. Too strong light will cause the mushroom bodies to dry up, while too dim light will be unfavorable to the normal development of the king oyster mushroom.
V. Preparing the culture substrate
The king oyster mushroom bodies do not contain chloroplasts and cannot produce the nutrients they need through photosynthesis, so they must rely entirely on organic nutrients to survive. The king oyster mushroom has a relatively strong ability to decompose cellulose and lignin. The cultivation substrate for the king oyster mushroom can provide nutrients for its growth and development, and it contains nitrogen, carbon, auxins and other mineral components.
The raw materials of the cultivation substrate use a mixture of sawdust, cottonseed hulls and corncobs as the base material, to which corn flour, gypsum, rice bran, etc. can be added in appropriate amounts as supplementary materials.