How to grow shaggy ink cap mushrooms for high yields? Latest cultivation technique tutorial
The shaggy ink cap mushroom, scientific name Coprinus comatus, is named for its chicken-leg-like shape and chicken-shred-like flesh. It is delicious in taste, excellent in texture, and rich in nutrients. Artificial cultivation began in Western countries in the 1970s, and China succeeded in artificial cultivation in the 1980s. Because of its short growth cycle, relatively high biological conversion rate, and ease of cultivation, it is especially suitable for farming in rural China. Now let us take a look at shaggy ink cap mushroom cultivation techniques!
Cultivation season
The shaggy ink cap mushroom is a straw-rotting, manure-growing, soil-growing fungus with extremely strong adaptability. It belongs to the constant-temperature fruiting, medium-temperature type of mushrooms. The suitable temperature for mycelial growth is 23-28°C, and the suitable temperature for fruiting body formation is 15-18°C. It can be cultivated in both spring and autumn. For autumn cultivation, spawn is generally made from June to August, and mushrooms are produced from late September to early December. For spring cultivation, spawn is generally made from November to February of the following year, and the spawn needs appropriate heating for mycelial running, with mushrooms produced from April to June.
Raw material formulas
1. Formula One: corncob 85%, wheat bran 10%, superphosphate 0.5%, gypsum powder 0.5%, urea 0.5%, sucrose 0.5%, lime 3%, material-to-water ratio 1:1.5.
2. Formula Two: cottonseed hull 40%, sawdust 45%, wheat bran 10%, superphosphate 0.5%, gypsum powder 0.5%, urea 0.5%, sucrose 0.5%, lime 3%, material-to-water ratio 1:1.5.
3. Formula Three: corncob 70%, manure 15%, wheat bran 10%, superphosphate 0.5%, gypsum powder 0.5%, urea 0.5%, sucrose 0.5%, lime 3%, material-to-water ratio 1:1.5.
Pile building and fermentation
1. Site: The pile-building site is best on a cement floor close to the mushroom house, sheltered from wind and facing the sun, with a clean water source and good drainage. Before building the pile, thoroughly disinfect the site and tools, then sun-dry the raw materials for 24 hours. When building the pile, first mix the main materials and auxiliary materials evenly, add sufficient water (moisture content of the culture material 65%-70%) and chemicals, and achieve “three uniformities&rdquo, namely uniform mixing of main and auxiliary materials, uniform dryness and wetness, and uniform distribution of chemicals in the material, and reach two indicators, namely moisture content 65-70% and pH value 10.
2. Pile building: When building the pile, pile the material into a heap 1.0-1.5 m wide, 1.0-1.2 m high, and of unlimited length. The sides of the pile should be as steep as possible. In high-temperature seasons the pile should be made smaller, and in low-temperature seasons it can be made larger. After building the pile, insert ventilation holes into the pile with wooden sticks 5 cm in diameter, inserting 1 hole every 33 cm (about 1 chi), with the holes arranged in a “” shape to facilitate ventilation and fermentation. After building the pile, spray a highly effective, low-toxicity fungicide and insecticide on the surface of the material, then cover with plastic film to keep warm and retain moisture, taking care to prop up the plastic film appropriately.
3. Turning the pile: When the temperature 33 cm from the material surface reaches 65-70°C, maintain it for 24 hours, then turn the pile. When turning the pile, the material must be loosened to increase the oxygen content in the material. At the same time, turn the material from the center of the pile outward and the material from the sides into the center, so that the culture material ferments evenly. The entire fermentation process takes 6-8 days. In high-temperature seasons, turn the pile once every 1-2 days; in low-temperature seasons, turn it once every 2-3 days. Under normal circumstances, turning 3 times is sufficient.
Cultivation methods
1. Making beds: For shaggy ink cap mushrooms, make beds according to the direction of the mushroom shed, with 0.5 m working paths between them. In the greenhouse, dig mushroom beds 80-100 cm wide and 15-20 cm deep, of unlimited length. Water thoroughly to saturate the bottom, and spread 150 g of lime powder per square meter of bed surface.
2. Sowing: The layer-spawning method can be used for sowing, generally 3 layers of material and 3 layers of spawn, with a material thickness of 15-20 cm and a spawning rate of 15-20%. First spread a 5 cm thick layer of culture material on the mushroom bed, then scatter a layer of spawn, and in this way spread a total of 3 layers of material and scatter 3 layers of spawn. After sowing, cover with disinfected plastic film and newspaper for mycelial running management.
3. Mycelial running: Insert a thermometer through the plastic film to about 10 cm deep in the material to observe changes in material temperature. Starting from the fourth day after inoculation, lift the covering film once a day for ventilation and air exchange. Note that the material temperature at 10 cm must not exceed 25°C, and is best kept below 25°C. When the material temperature is on the high side, strengthen nighttime ventilation in the shed and ventilation under the film, and you can also uncover the newspaper and spray an appropriate amount of clean water to cool it down. After about 20 days, the shaggy ink cap mycelium can cover the material layer.
Casing soil management
1. Material: Soil from the 20 cm surface cultivation layer has advantages such as relatively high organic matter content, moderate viscosity, good permeability, and good physical properties, so it can be used as casing soil material. The treatment procedure is: after taking the soil, sun-dry and crush it at the same time, sift through a 1 cm mesh sieve, spray a 5% lime water solution, stirring the soil while spraying, spray twice in succession, then build a pile, cover with film, and pile-seal for later use. After 1 week it can be put on the bed as casing soil.
2. Time: After the shaggy ink cap mycelium has fully grown through the spawn bag (bed), casing soil can be applied after a few days of post-ripening. Because the shaggy ink cap mycelium has strong anti-aging ability and can be stored for a relatively long time, the time for removing the bag and applying casing soil can be decided according to cultivation and market demand.
3. Method: When there are many mycelia on the surface of the material and they are growing upright, remove the film, newspaper, and other coverings, increase ventilation in the mushroom shed, and make the mycelia lie down. After about 2 days, evenly apply casing soil to the material surface. Usually first apply a 2 cm thick layer of soil particles 0.5 cm in diameter, and after mycelia appear in the soil layer, apply another 2 cm thick layer of fine soil.
4. Management: After casing, keep the soil moist. The mushroom shed has dim light and fresh air, with an air temperature of 22-26°C and air humidity of about 80%. Under these conditions, the mycelia grow into the soil layer. After about 20 days, when a large amount of mycelia grows horizontally on the surface of the casing soil layer, increase the humidity in the shed to 85-90%, and at the same time increase ventilation, maintaining a mushroom shed temperature of 15-30°C. After about 1 week, a dense layer of young buds appears, and at this point it formally enters the fruiting period management.
Fruiting management
1. Young buds: The young bud stage of the shaggy ink cap mushroom is the stage with the strictest requirements for the growing environment during the fruiting period. The most suitable conditions are a temperature of about 20°C, humidity of about 90%, moderate ventilation, keeping the air fresh, and light of 100-300 lux.
2. Young mushrooms: The young mushroom stage of the shaggy ink cap mushroom can have somewhat relaxed conditions compared with the young bud stage. Maintain a temperature of 15-20°C, humidity of 85%-95%, light below 300 lux, and ventilation can be appropriately strengthened, but strong winds must not blow into the shed.
3. Mature mushrooms: As the fruiting body continuously develops and grows, its requirements for growing conditions gradually become less strict. At this time keep the shed temperature at about 15°C, air humidity at 85-95%, and light at 100-300 lux. Too strong light easily causes the fruiting body to produce and curl its scales too early, and also deepens the color of the mushroom body. As the mushroom body develops, ventilation should be strengthened, but likewise strong winds must not blow into the shed.
4. Harvesting: When the mushroom body is firm, the cap has a few scales and tightly wraps the stipe, and the annulus has just begun to loosen, harvest at about seven-tenths maturity. If harvesting is not timely, the fruiting body will autolyze and turn black. Do not spray water within 4 hours before harvesting, to avoid discoloration where the mushroom body is pinched by hand. When harvesting, hold the lower part of the stipe and gently twist and pull it up.
5. Processing: After harvesting, place fresh mushrooms head-first into plastic or wooden containers, clean off soil and debris from the mushroom bases to obtain the primary product, then grade and sort according to the market destination for fresh sale or processing, etc. After harvesting mushrooms, clean up debris on the material surface, level the holes left by harvesting, spray 2% lime water, then cover with film, and after 5-7 days of mycelial recovery, carry out fruiting management again according to conventional methods. Generally 3-4 flushes of mushrooms can be harvested.