Tutorial on high-efficiency cultivation techniques for bamboo fungus, with a detailed explanation of the latest planting methods

Known as the “flower of fungi” and the “king of Beijing fruits,” the bamboo fungus was used as tribute in ancient times, exclusively for the imperial palace meals, and is now a “mountain delicacy” dish at state banquets and other high-end banquets in our country. Bamboo fungus is rich in protein, amino acids (all 8 essential amino acids for the human body), vitamins and polysaccharides. It is delicious and has a special preservative effect. In medicine, it has weight-loss, health-care and tonic functions, and can prevent and treat cancer. Therefore, bamboo fungus is a precious health food used both as food and medicine, and a traditional high-value foreign-exchange commodity of our country.

Preparation of cultivation raw materials

1. Types of cultivation materials

The main raw materials used for cultivating bamboo fungus include decayed dried bamboo, waste bamboo blocks, bamboo leaves in a decayed or semi-decayed state under bamboo groves, and vegetable garden soil; sawdust, bagasse, wheat bran; where conditions permit, agricultural and sideline straws such as corn stalks, wheat straw and vegetable stalks can also be mixed with bamboo materials. Quercus trees and green trees can be used for log cultivation.

2. Treatment of cultivation materials

Before cultivation, spread the raw materials in the sun for 3-4 days, split them into bamboo blocks 11-22 cm long (for outdoor forest cultivation, bamboo blocks of less than 1 m can also be cut) and 1-2 cm wide. Then soak them in 1-3% lime water for 5-6 days, remove and rinse with clean water, and dry slightly for later use. After the bamboo leaves and soil are turned and sun-dried for 3-4 days, disinfect them with a mixed solution of 1-1.5% formalin and 0.3-0.5% dichlorvos. For each cubic meter of bamboo leaves or soil, use 27-30 liters of the mixed disinfectant, spraying while stirring. Mix the medicine and material thoroughly and evenly, cover with plastic film; after 4-5 days for soil and 1-3 days for bamboo leaves, uncover the film, spread out, and let the medicine volatilize for 1-2 days before use. The covering soil for forest cultivation does not need to be disinfected.

Disinfection treatment of mushroom houses and cultivation containers

The mushroom house can be an ordinary mushroom house used for mushroom cultivation. The bed frames can be iron frames, plastic frames or bamboo-wood bed frames. Plastic boxes, wooden boxes and flower pots can also be used for box cultivation and pot cultivation. Before cultivation, clean the mushroom house thoroughly, and spray the interior with 0.5% trichlorfon solution plus 0.1% carbendazim or 0.5% bleaching powder solution. Wipe the bed frames with 5% lime water or 5% bleaching powder. Then fumigate with formalin with windows and doors closed for one day and night, then open the mushroom house and it can be used after one week. After the cultivation boxes and pots are washed clean with clean water, wipe their inner and outer surfaces with 0.5% potassium permanganate solution and set aside.

Cultivation techniques for bamboo fungus

1. Block-pressing cultivation

This is a method in which well-cultivated bamboo fungus spawn is dug out from bottles or bags, pressed into spawn blocks, and covered with soil for cultivation. Its characteristics are early and concentrated fruiting, so the cultivation period is also shorter, but the amount of spawn used is relatively large.

(1) Digging out from bottles and pressing into blocks. In the Chengdu area, the time for digging out from bottles and pressing into blocks can be April-May in the first half of the year. Dig the just fully grown bamboo fungus spawn out of the bottles (bags), and use a wooden frame (specifications 40×40×12 cm, the same as the wooden frame used for shiitake block pressing. Wipe it clean with 5% lime water or 5‰ potassium permanganate solution before use.) to make cultivation blocks slightly thinner around the edges than in the middle, using about 12 bottles of spawn per block. Be careful not to press too tightly, so as to avoid excessive damage to the mycelium.

(2) Mycelium healing. After the blocks are pressed and formed, remove the wooden frame, first cover with 1 sheet of disinfected dry newspaper, place the spawn blocks on disinfected plastic film, and wrap them well, with 4-5 cm between spawn blocks, place them on the bed frame, and culture them with moisture retention for about 15-20 days, so that the mycelium heals again.

(3) Soil covering. After the mycelium heals, cover the spawn blocks with 1-2 cm of bamboo leaves, continue culturing for 5-10 days, and when the mycelium covers more than 80% of the leaf layer, cover timely with soil 2-4 cm thick.

(4) Management. Mainly by regulating the water content of the substrate and covering soil layer, the temperature in the mushroom house, air humidity, ventilation and light conditions, etc., to meet the optimal conditions required for the growth and development of bamboo fungus, so as to achieve high and stable yields. Generally, after soil covering, under conditions of 80% relative air humidity, air temperature 16-20°C, and light 3-105 Lux, after about 1-2 months (as early as about 24 days), primordia begin to appear.

① Water management. The soil water content of the covering soil layer is controlled at 20-30%. If the soil water content is too high, the mycelium will grow excessively and climb in large amounts on the soil surface, and will differentiate in the soil layer to form primordia, resulting in few mushroom buds and failure to achieve high yield. The relative air humidity in the mushroom house is maintained at about 80%. During the mushroom bud growth stage, the relative air humidity is increased to 85-90%; otherwise, if the air humidity is too low, the water in the soil layer is easily lost; if the humidity is too high, it easily causes the reproduction of contaminating bacteria, especially slime molds. When watering, the nozzle should be pointed upward to avoid injuring the buds.

② Temperature control. When high temperatures occur, lower the temperature by opening doors and windows, so as to avoid harming the mushroom buds with heat; when temperatures are low, close doors and windows tightly, and if conditions permit, install heating devices to raise the temperature of the mushroom house to prevent the mushroom buds from freezing to death.

③ Ventilation and air exchange. Open doors and windows 2-3 times a day, ventilating and exchanging air for 10-20 minutes each time, so that fresh air enters the mushroom house to meet the needs of bamboo fungus growth and development.

④ Prevention and control of contaminating bacteria and insect-rodent damage. This work should focus on prevention. If slime molds (Stemonitis herbatica) and coprinoid contaminating fungi are found on the mushroom bed, remove them promptly, and spread a layer of dry lime powder around where they occur to control their spread. If mushroom flies, mites, mole crickets and nematodes are found causing damage, spray dichlorvos solution to eliminate them, but be careful not to harm the mushroom buds. The mushroom house should be fitted with screen windows and screen doors to prevent mice from entering the mushroom house and harming the bamboo fungus.

2. Direct bed cultivation

This refers to the cultivation method in which treated bamboo materials, etc., are spread directly on the mushroom bed for sowing and soil covering. It has the characteristics of a large fruiting area and can make full use of the mushroom racks for large-area cultivation; the mushroom house utilization rate is more effective than pot cultivation, but the cycle is somewhat longer than block-pressing cultivation.

(1) Loading materials and sowing. First spread a large sheet of disinfected plastic film on the bed frame, and make several small holes in the bottom of the film to facilitate the outflow of excess water. Then load materials and sow on it, filling one layer of material and sowing one layer of spawn, for a total of three layers of spawn. Try to make the spawn blocks sandwiched between bamboo blocks, with spawn and material closely attached, and cover the topmost layer with a thin layer of bamboo leaves. Per square meter, use 20 kg of material calculated on a dry-weight basis, and 3-4 bottles of spawn. After sowing is completed, water, then cover with plastic film and culture with moisture retention.

(2) Covering. After the spawn blocks revive and grow, and the mycelium basically covers the material surface, cover timely with soil, with a covering soil layer thickness of 2-4 cm.

(3) Management. The management method is the same as that of block-pressing cultivation.

3. Direct box (pot) cultivation

A method of cultivation using containers such as plastic turnover boxes, wooden boxes and flower pots, with direct loading of materials and sowing. For box cultivation, first spread plastic film at the bottom of the box, leaving small water drainage holes, then spread 2-3 cm thick small pebbles on the bottom layer, spread 2 cm thick vegetable garden soil on the pebbles, spread spawn on the soil layer; the material loading and sowing method is the same as direct bed cultivation. If the box specifications are 15×31×14 cubic cm, 4 kg of material calculated on a dry-weight basis can be spread, using 2 bottles of spawn per box. For pot cultivation, plastic film may not be needed. Measures such as water control and temperature regulation in cultivation management are the same as those for block-pressing cultivation.