How to Grow Maitake Mushroom? A Summary of 6 Key Points of High-Yield Cultivation Techniques

Maitake mushroom, commonly known as “dancing mushroom”, is an edible and medicinal fungus that often grows wild around chestnut trees in summer and autumn. So how do you grow maitake mushroom? What are the growth environment requirements of maitake mushroom? Below, I will introduce the 6 key points of high-yield cultivation techniques for maitake mushroom.

1. What are the growth environment requirements of maitake mushroom?

1. Nutrition. When cultivated artificially, maitake mushroom has requirements for nutrition (carbon sources, nitrogen sources, mineral elements and vitamins) that are not much different from those of wood-rotting fungi such as shiitake and nameko.

2. Temperature. The mycelial growth temperature of maitake mushroom is 5℃-35℃, with the optimum temperature being 25℃-30℃. The primordium formation temperature is 15℃-25℃, with 20℃ being optimal. The optimum temperature for fruiting body development is 18℃.

3. Water and humidity. On sawdust substrate, the optimum moisture content is 50%-55%, and during the mycelial growth stage the moisture content is 60%-65%. Humidity management is basically the same as for other edible fungi.

4. Light. Maitake mushroom should receive light from the early stage of mycelial cultivation; during the fruiting body formation stage only 50 lux of light intensity is needed, and during the fruiting body growth stage 200 lux-250 lux of light intensity is needed. If the light is too weak, deformed mushrooms are easily formed.

5. Air. Maitake mushroom has a higher oxygen demand than other edible fungi. If ventilation is poor, the fruiting bodies will develop poorly.

6. pH. Maitake mycelium can grow at a pH of 3.4-7.5, with the optimum pH being about 6.5.

2. The 6 key points of high-yield cultivation techniques for maitake mushroom

1. Cultivation time

Maitake mushroom is a medium-temperature fungus. According to the optimum temperatures for its mycelial growth, primordium formation and fruiting body growth, in northern regions bags are generally made, inoculated and cultured from January to March, and fruiting management is carried out from April to June. For autumn cultivation, bag making is generally scheduled for September, and fruiting occurs in November.

2. Material selection and formulation

Maitake mushroom is a wood-rotting saprophyte, and generally broadleaf tree sawdust such as beech and oak is used as the substrate. The particle size is 0.5 mm-2 mm. If the particles are too fine (below 0.5 mm), deformed fruiting bodies are likely to appear; if the particles are too coarse (above 2 mm), yield is likely to decrease. Adding some coniferous sawdust in an appropriate amount (below 30%) gives better results. Short tree branches also give very good cultivation results after sterilization. In southern regions, sugarcane bagasse, rice straw and other materials can also be used as the main substrate. Nutritional additives mainly include wheat bran and corn flour, with corn flour being better; using 30% wheat bran + 70% corn flour also gives very good results. The amount of nutritional additives generally accounts for 20%-30% of the total dry material weight; excessive addition of nutrients easily leads to deformed mushrooms.

Substrate formulas: ① 73% broadleaf sawdust, 10% wheat bran, 15% corn flour, 0.8% sugar, 1.1% gypsum, 0.1% superphosphate, 64% moisture content, pH 6.5. ② 38% broadleaf sawdust, 30% cottonseed hulls, 7% wheat bran, 15% corn flour, 1% sugar, 1% gypsum, 64% moisture content, pH 6.5. ③ 30% broadleaf sawdust, 30% cottonseed hulls, 7% wheat bran, 13% corn flour, 1% sugar, 1% gypsum, 18% fine soil, 64% moisture content, pH 6.5.

3. Mixing, bagging, sterilization and inoculation

① Mixing: Weigh out sufficient raw materials according to the formula. Mix the dry materials evenly first. Dissolve the sugar in water, then blend it into the materials and mix well. The moisture content is right when 1-2 drops of water seep out between the fingers when the material is squeezed in the hand. Test the pH with an indicator; if too acidic, add lime, and if too alkaline, add superphosphate to adjust the pH to 6.5.

② Bagging: Use 17 cm × 33 cm × 0.004 cm or 15 cm × 30 cm × 0.004 cm polypropylene bags for filling. When filling, the material should be firm at the top and loose at the bottom, firm outside and loose inside; the entire bag must not be too tight. Seal the bag opening with a flared ring or sponge plug, or seal it with a stapler.

③ Sterilization: Sterilize immediately after bagging. During sterilization, raise the temperature to 100℃ as quickly as possible. For atmospheric pressure sterilization, keep at 100℃ for 8 hours-10 hours; for high-pressure sterilization, keep at 121℃ for 1.5 hours-2 hours. After sterilization is completed, wait until the temperature drops below 40℃ before opening the sterilization chamber, then move out the bags and place them in a clean room to cool.

④ Inoculation: When the material temperature inside the bag drops to 25℃, inoculation can be carried out under sterile conditions. For bags with rings, punch a hole in the middle and place the spawn in the hole. For bags without rings, crush the spawn and place it on the surface of the substrate, preferably covering the substrate surface completely with spawn; 15 g-20 g of spawn is required.

4. Management during the mycelial growth stage

① Temperature: early stage (from inoculation until mycelium has grown through 1/4) 25℃-28℃; middle stage (from 1/4 growth until fully colonized) 23℃-25℃; late stage (after full colonization) 22℃.

② Humidity: early stage 60%, middle stage 65%, late stage 70%.

③ Ventilation: no air exchange is needed in the early stage, but air exchange is needed in the late stage; pay attention to controlling the carbon dioxide concentration.

④ Light intensity: dark cultivation is preferable in the early and middle stages. If light is constantly applied during this period, the bag surface will turn light brown, primordium formation will be delayed, or primordia may even fail to form. The light intensity in the early stage is 10 lux-50 lux, and in the late stage 50 lux-100 lux.

After inoculation, move the bags to the culture room for dark cultivation at a room temperature of 28℃. When arranging them, leave 3 cm-4 cm between bags to ensure good ventilation and facilitate heat dissipation. About 15 days after inoculation, mycelial growth accelerates, respiration increases, and the material temperature rises by 2℃-3℃; the culture room temperature should then be lowered by 3℃ so that the room temperature is 25℃. After the mycelium has basically fully colonized, lower the room temperature to about 22℃ to avoid excessive mycelial growth and insufficient vigor later. Keep humidity at 60% in the early stage for a high rate of finished bags and less contamination, and at 70% in the late stage, which is favorable for primordium formation. In the late culture stage, give a certain amount of light (about 50 lux); then mycelial strands will form on the surface of the substrate, rising like a steamed bun, and the raised parts will produce wrinkles that gradually change from grayish white to dark brown, with water droplets condensing. At this point, the bags should be moved into the fruiting room. If moved into the fruiting room too early, bacterial contamination and rot of the primordium surface will occur; if the water droplets in the wrinkled parts have disappeared before moving into the fruiting room, it is too late and will adversely affect mushroom quality. To promote uniform primordium formation, carry out temperature fluctuation treatment in the late culture stage, that is, lower the temperature by 2℃-3℃. If the mycelium on the substrate surface forms a membrane-like layer instead of rising like a steamed bun, the cause may be excessive light in the early culture stage or the substrate becoming hard during sterilization.

5. Management during the fruiting stage

After moving into the fruiting room for 2 days-3 days, primordia form on the bag surface, and fruiting management should begin promptly. First cut off part of the bag opening and make several cuts around it (the bottom can be cut into a cross shape), then arrange them in pre-dug trenches in the shed. If the bag is completely opened, the primordia on the surface layer may differentiate into multiple fruiting bodies, resulting in small fruiting bodies and reduced quality. Cover the bags with 1 cm-1.5 cm of granular wet soil. The soil used for casing should contain little organic matter, preferably loam, with a moisture content of 20%-22%, and it must be granular; otherwise poor air permeability will affect primordium differentiation and growth. Before use, the casing soil should be sterilized and disinfected with formaldehyde and dichlorvos. Ventilate 3 times a day, but avoid strong wind blowing directly onto the mushrooms. Avoid high temperature and high humidity; the temperature should preferably be about 20℃, and air humidity should be controlled at about 85%. Light intensity should be controlled at 200 lux-300 lux. Spray water frequently, finely and evenly to prevent the casing soil and mushroom surface from drying out. After the mushroom slices have fully differentiated, light intensity can be increased to 300 lux-500 lux to make the cap surface turn gray-black and improve commercial quality. During the primordium differentiation and fruiting body growth stages, the four environmental factors of temperature, humidity, light and air must be strictly controlled; otherwise deformed mushrooms easily appear and yield is reduced.

6. Harvesting

Harvest when the slices have fully differentiated into irregular semicircular shapes, growing upward and outward in a semi-overlapping manner resembling a flower, and the edges of the slices no longer have a grayish-white growth ring and are slightly curled inward. Because maitake mushroom is generally made into dried products, stop spraying water before harvesting, and immediately after harvesting cut off the root soil with a small knife and remove other debris from the mushroom bodies.