What are the latest growing conditions for the tea tree mushroom?

The growth and development of the tea tree mushroom are very closely related to environmental conditions such as nutrients, moisture, temperature, pH, air and light. The quality of these environmental conditions determines the success or failure of tea tree mushroom cultivation. Let us now take a look at what the growing conditions of the tea tree mushroom are!

Nutrients

The tea tree mushroom is a wood-rotting fungus with a relatively weak ability to decompose lignin and cellulose. Wild tea tree mushrooms grow only on Camellia oleifera trees. After artificial domestication, broadleaf trees such as tung tree, maple, willow, oak and white poplar can be used as cultivation materials, but mixed sawdust with a looser texture and less tannin content is more suitable for the growth of the tea tree mushroom. Wheat bran, rice bran and oil cake fertilizer can be fully utilized as nitrogen sources.

In addition to mixed sawdust, the tea tree mushroom can also use bagasse, rice straw, cottonseed hulls and mushroom grass as carbon sources. Among carbon sources, mono- and disaccharides are the best, while the ability to utilize starch and cellulose is relatively weak. If the cultivation formula contains only glucose, the mycelium grows relatively loosely, but when a small amount of sucrose is added as well, the mycelium grows densely and vigorously. This shows that mineral elements are relevant during mycelial growth.

Temperature

The tea tree mushroom is a mesophilic edible fungus. On PDA medium at 26°C, spores germinate after 24 hours, and fine mycelium becomes visible to the naked eye after 48 hours. The optimum temperature for mycelial growth is 23-28°C; growth stops above 34°C, and it can be preserved for 3 months at minus 4°C. The temperature range for primordium differentiation of the fruiting body is 12-26°C, with the optimum temperature being 18-24°C; either lower or higher temperatures will delay primordium differentiation. At lower temperatures, the fruiting body grows slowly, but the tissue is firm, the mushroom shape is larger and the quality is good. At higher temperatures, the caps open easily and long-stemmed mushrooms with thin caps form.

Moisture

The moisture content of the culture medium for tea tree mushroom cultivation should be kept at 60%-65%, that is, grab a handful of the medium and squeeze hard; it is best if the spaces between the fingers are moist, with a little water but not dripping, and when the fingers are released the medium forms a clump that breaks apart after falling to the ground. However, different types of sawdust and different degrees of coarseness vary slightly, so this should be controlled flexibly. During mycelial growth, the relative air humidity is required to be below 70%. During the fruiting body formation and development stage it is 85%-95%, and it is appropriately lowered during the growth period to extend the product's freshness retention period.

Air

The tea tree mushroom is an aerobic macrofungus and is very sensitive to carbon dioxide. Poor ventilation and excessively high carbon dioxide concentration can easily cause slow mycelial growth, thick and long fruiting body stipes, small caps, early cap opening and deformed mushrooms.

Light

The tea tree mushroom is a light-requiring fungus, and its fruiting body has phototropic growth characteristics. Suitable diffused light is a necessary condition for completing its normal life cycle. During mycelial culture, it still grows under dark conditions, but does not form fruiting bodies. The fruiting body is not easy to differentiate without light, and the suitable light intensity is 50-300 lux.

pH

Tea tree mushroom mycelium prefers a weakly acidic environment, with the optimum pH being 5.5-6.5. Below pH 4 or above pH 6.5, the mycelium grows sparsely and slowly.