The Latest Cultivation Techniques and Methods Tutorial for Lion's Mane Mushroom

Artificial cultivation of lion's mane mushroom has reached varying scales in different regions. The prominent problem is that although the yield can meet standards, the proportion of high-grade products is low, which reduces commercial value and affects the economic benefits of producers. To produce high-grade lion's mane mushrooms, attention should be paid to the following aspects. Now let us take a look at the cultivation techniques for lion's mane mushroom!

Cultivation Time Arrangement

Lion's mane mushroom is a fungus type that spawn-runs at medium temperature and fruits at low temperature. The mycelium growth temperature is 10°C-33°C, with the optimum at 25°C-28°C. The fruiting body grows at 12°C-24°C, with the optimum at 16°C-20°C; growth slows above 25°C, and the fruiting body turns red below 12°C. According to its biological characteristics, the best production season following natural temperatures should be inoculation at the Autumn Equinox (late September), fruiting of 1-2 flushes by Minor Snow (late November), and another flush of mushrooms the following spring.

In mountainous areas, early-spring inoculation in January can also be adopted, with heated spawn running and mushroom growth in March-April.

Culture Medium Formulation

Cultivation raw materials should meet the substrate conditions for pollution-free edible fungi, requiring fresh materials that are free from mildew and deterioration and contain no toxic or harmful mycelium substances, with additive content not exceeding 5%. Reasonable formulas:

1. Mixed wood sawdust 4%, cottonseed hull 40%, wheat bran 18%, sucrose 1%, gypsum powder 1%.

2. Cottonseed hull 82%, wheat bran 15%, gypsum powder 2%, phosphate fertilizer 1%.

3. Cottonseed hull 38%, mixed wood sawdust 20%, spent silver ear (tremella) logs 20%, wheat bran 16%, corn flour 3%, phosphate fertilizer 1%, gypsum powder 2%. The formula's water content is about 60%, and pH 6 is suitable before sterilization.

The cultivation bag specifications are 12.3 cm × 52 cm for spring planting and 13.5 cm × 56 cm for autumn planting. Bag filling, sterilization and cooling follow conventional procedures.

Cultivation of High-Quality Mother Cultures

Lion's mane mushroom bags are usually punched with 3-4 inoculation holes. To prevent “disease from entering through the mouth”, the “three requirements” must be strictly followed during inoculation:

1. The bag temperature should drop below 28°C before inoculation.

2. The spawn should be pretreated, that is, scraping off the aged surface mycelium and the already-formed nodular or coral-like fruiting bodies.

3. Choose a sunny evening or early morning for inoculation, and carry out inoculation strictly under aseptic operation. After inoculation, from mycelium germination to culturing into mycelial mass takes about 20-25 days, by which time the bag is fully covered.

In management, the main task is to regulate temperature well. In the first 4 days after inoculation, the indoor greenhouse temperature is best at 26°C-28°C, so that the mycelium can quickly feed on the substrate in the most suitable environment, colonize and spread, gain dominance and reduce contamination by competing fungi. Within 5-15 days, as the mycelium develops, the temperature inside the bag rises, with the bag temperature 2°C higher than room temperature; at this time the room temperature should be adjusted to about 25°C. After 16 days, the mycelium gradually enters a vigorous metabolic period, and it should be controlled at 20°C-23°C as suitable. In spring cultivation, when temperatures are relatively low, heated spawn running can be adopted to promote normal mycelial growth and development. In autumn, pay attention to preventing high temperatures; during the spawn-running period, dry indoor culturing is required, the relative air humidity should be below 70%, and light should be avoided.

Directional Fruiting Induction

Lion's mane mushroom is an aerobic fungus, and the cultivation site requires fresh air; an outdoor mushroom shed is relatively ideal. After about 25 days of indoor spawn-running cultivation, the mycelium becomes physiologically mature and shifts from vegetative growth to reproductive growth. Lion's mane mushroom usually begins to form primordia and differentiate into fruiting bodies before the mycelium has fully covered the bag. Therefore, careful observation is needed, and the bags should be promptly moved to a shaded outdoor shed for arrangement, and the surface layer of the original spawn block should be scratched away to induce directional and uniform fruiting. There are currently 3 common arrangement methods:

1. Build 4-5 tiers of racks for intensive three-dimensional cultivation.

2. Build 1 tier of rack and place 2 bags. One bag is laid flat on the ground with the hole facing up, and one bag is laid flat on the rack with the hole facing down.

3. Simulate open-field shiitake cultivation, leaning the bags at an angle, or build ridges on both sides and lay single bags flat with the holes facing down.

Comparing the above 3 methods, the first has high space utilization and forms a three-dimensional setup, but has poor moisture retention and easily produces bald mushrooms and shrunken mushrooms. The latter two are favorable for the formation of spines on the fruiting body, and the color is whiter. This is because lion's mane mushroom spines have obvious “geotropism” in their growth. However, during the rainy season, if the bed accumulates water and ventilation is poor, rotten mushrooms easily appear. During the fruiting period with bags leaned at an angle, do not easily turn or rearrange the bags, otherwise the spines will not grow along the proper direction and deformed mushrooms will result.