The Latest Cultivation and Management Techniques and Methods Tutorial for Black Wood Ear Mushroom
Log Cultivation
1. Tree selection: There are many tree species suitable for the growth and development of black wood ear mushroom. But you must adapt to local conditions, choosing tree species that are abundant in local resources and easy for wood ear mushroom to grow on. Apart from tree species containing pine resin, essential oils, alcohols, ethers, etc., and economic forest trees, all other tree species can be used to cultivate wood ear mushroom. Currently the commonly used tree species include cork oak (Quercus variabilis), sawtooth oak (Quercus acutissima), Quercus dentata, Betula davurica, Castanopsis carlesii, Chinese wingnut (Pterocarya stenoptera), sweetgum (Liquidambar formosana), elm (Ulmus pumila), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), willow (Salix), Catalpa bungei, plane tree (Platanus), Chinese pistache (Pistacia chinensis), etc. But cork oak and sawtooth oak are the best.
2. Tree felling: The historical custom is to fell trees during the “coldest days” (the 9th cold period). Generally speaking, felling can be done from when the leaves turn yellow and wither until before new leaves sprout, because this period is precisely the tree’s “dormant” period, when the nutrients in the trunk are in a state of accumulation rather than flow, with less water and the most abundant and concentrated nutrients. This is called felling “sap-collected trees.” At the same time, trees felled during this period have bark and xylem tightly bound together, so the bark does not easily come off after felling, which benefits the growth and development of black wood ear mushroom.
As for the age of trees to fell: 7 to 8 years for those growing on sunny slopes, 8 to 10 years for those growing on shady slopes or in poorer soil. The best trunk thickness is around 10 cm, and the length is 1 m. One rack holds 50 logs.
The felling method requires leaving a low stump, 10 to 15 cm above the ground; chop from both sides of the trunk, leaving the stump shaped like a “crow-beak mouth.” This benefits the regeneration of old stumps, as it will neither accumulate water and rot the sprouts, nor cause multiple sprouts to compete and affect stump regeneration. When felling, it is advocated to cut out the stump rather than sweep it flat, as this both helps protect young trees and benefits soil and water conservation.
3. Branch removal: After the tree is felled, do not remove the branches immediately. Keeping the branches and leaves can accelerate the evaporation of water from the tree, prompting the trunk to dry quickly and causing its cell tissues to die, while also helping the nutrients in the treetop concentrate in the trunk. Wait ten days to half a month before removing the branches. When removing, use a sharp chopping knife to shave flat from bottom to top, close against the trunk, cutting into “copper-coin scars” or “ox-eye” shapes. Do not cut too deep and damage the cortex. It is best to smear the scars with limewater to prevent invasion by contaminating bacteria and water accumulation, and it also facilitates stacking and arranging in the yard.
4. Trunk cutting: To facilitate stacking the logs, arranging them in the yard, setting up racks, management, and harvesting, and also so that when the logs are laid down they can absorb moisture by touching the ground, overly long trunks should be cut into short logs of 3 chi in length. When cutting, use a handsaw or chainsaw to cut them into even ends, and smear with limewater to prevent infection by contaminating bacteria.
5. Rack drying: Rack drying means selecting a place with high, dry terrain, good ventilation, and sunny exposure, and stacking the cut logs into piles about 1 m high in a “well” shape or “fish-back” shape, letting them quickly lose water and die. During rack drying, turn them inside and out, top and bottom, about once every 10 days to promote even drying of the logs. The rack drying time should be flexibly controlled according to tree species, log thickness, and climatic conditions. Generally, rack drying for 1 month to 1.5 months, so that the logs lose 3 to 4 tenths of their moisture compared with before rack drying, and then inoculation can proceed.
6. Selection of the wood ear yard: The place where the wood ear racks are arranged is called the wood ear yard. The quality of the wood ear yard environment is directly related to the growth and development of black wood ear mushroom and its final yield. Generally speaking, it is best to choose a wind-sheltered mountain hollow facing north and south, where there is long daily sunlight and a small day-night temperature difference; morning and evening often have cloud and mist cover, with high humidity and air circulation, most suitable for the growth and development of black wood ear mushroom. When selecting the site, it should also be near a water source to facilitate artificial watering, and the slope should preferably be 15 to 30 degrees. Absolutely avoid places with rock cover, chalk soil, or iron-alumina soil. After the site is selected, it should first be cleared: thin out overly dense trees in the area, and cut away shrubs, thorny vines, and easily rotting weeds, leaving only a few tall broadleaf trees with small crowns or not-too-dense branches and leaves, to provide appropriate shade for the wood ear racks in summer. Before planting, apply insecticide to the ground and disinfect once with bleaching powder and quicklime; in winter it is best to burn the site with firewood and grass. Do not remove the sheep's beard grass, turf, moss, etc. growing on the site, to prevent soil erosion and maintain the moisture of the wood ear yard.
7. Inoculation: Inoculation means introducing the artificially cultured mycelium spawn onto the rack-dried logs, so that it develops and colonizes within the logs and grows fruiting bodies. This is the most critical step in artificial cultivation of black wood ear mushroom, and is a major technical innovation in production, with quick results and high yield. When inoculating, first disinfect the wood ear yard and logs (using disinfectant or fire will do; disinfect the tools used with alcohol or boiling water; workers can wash with soapy water). Choose a shady place to do it, do not let direct sunlight hit the spawn, and absolutely avoid doing it on rainy days. The inoculation time is generally from February to early May, and in autumn it can be done from White Dew to Cold Dew. When inoculating, depending on the different spawn types, choose different tools. For branch spawn and triangular wood spawn, use a hacking axe to cut openings, insert the sawdust together with the branch or triangular wood into the cut openings, and tap gently with the back of the axe to tighten, on the principle of not falling out. For sawdust spawn and granular spawn, use a 10 mm hand drill, hole punch, or hollow awl to make holes, insert the spawn into the holes, cover with bark, and tap gently to tighten. The density of inoculation points is generally 2 cun row spacing and 2.5 to 3 cun plant spacing, arranged in a “pin” shape or staggered in a plum-blossom shape. The two ends of the log should have greater density, so that the mycelium quickly occupies the position and avoids invasion by contaminating bacteria. The depth of inoculation points should penetrate the bark and enter the xylem by 3 to 4 fen.
8. Stacking for colonization: Stacking is to maintain suitable temperature and humidity, so that the mycelium quickly germinates, colonizes, grows, and develops within the logs. This is an important step in whether inoculation succeeds. The method is: first choose a stacking site, clear the weeds, sprinkle a little insecticide or bleaching powder, rake it into the soil, then lay the inoculated logs flat and push them up, stacking them into a “well” shape or “fish-back” shape. The stack height is 3 chi, then cover tightly with plastic film, press the surroundings down with soil, and scatter a ring of insecticide to prevent ants from climbing the stack and eating the mycelium. The temperature inside the stack should be maintained between 22°C and 32°C, and the humidity at 60% to 70%. If the temperature is too high, lift the surrounding film to ventilate once and bring the temperature down. About every 10 days, turn the stack once, that is, turn everything top and bottom, inside and out, so that the temperature and humidity of the logs in the stack remain uniform. The first turning does not require watering; after that, water once with each turning, and if it can receive rainwater, even better. After about 1 month, colonization is complete.
9. Spreading the stack and arranging in the yard: After the logs have been stacked and colonized, the mycelium has already grown through the logs, so the stack can be spread and arranged in the yard. The purpose of arranging in the yard is to let the logs touch the ground and absorb moisture, receive the sunlight, rain, dew, and fresh air of nature, change their living environment, let them quickly adapt to nature, prompt the mycelium to further rapidly spread within the logs, and shift from the growth stage to the development stage. The method of arranging in the yard is to lay the logs flat on the ground, with the whole body touching the ground and not raised in the air, with a spacing of 2 fingers between each. The site should preferably have some slope, to avoid rainwater accumulating on the site and flooding the logs. About every 10 days, turn the logs once, that is, turn the side originally touching the ground up to face the sky, and turn the side originally facing the sky down to touch the ground, so that the logs absorb moisture evenly and avoid infection by moisture-loving contaminating bacteria. After about 1 month, wood ear buds grow in large clusters, and then the racks can be set up.
10. Rack setting and management: When the wood ear buds have covered the logs, it shows that the growth and development of the mycelium has entered the fruiting stage. At this time it precisely needs the external conditions of “alternating dry and wet.” After rack setting, its needs can be met, and those contaminating bacteria and pests that do not adapt to such conditions can be reduced. The method of rack setting is to use a long pole as a crossbeam, support both ends with forked tree branches, then lean the logs diagonally against the crossbeam, forming a “person” shape, with a spacing of 2 cun between each log. Each rack is calculated at 50 logs for yield. The management work after rack setting is very important. As the saying goes, “three parts planting, seven parts management,” and “whether there is a harvest depends on planting, how much is harvested depends on management.” This shows the importance of management work. Management work mainly includes removing long grass, contaminating bacteria, and pests, and regulating temperature, humidity, air, and light. At noon in summer, try to avoid strong direct light on the wood ear racks; in winter, the logs that have begun to flower should be laid down, letting them touch the ground to absorb moisture and keep warm, prompting early sprouting and early fruiting the following year.
11. Harvesting and drying: After the wood ear mushrooms grow up, they should be harvested frequently and sorted carefully to ensure a bumper harvest. For spring wood ear and autumn wood ear, pick the large ones and leave the small ones, letting the small ones grow before picking. For summer wood ear, pick large and small together, because summer temperatures are high, there are many pests, and bacteria multiply quickly, which would cause mature wood ear mushrooms to be eaten by insects or rot. The best time to pick is after rain when the sky clears and the wood ear mushrooms curl at the edges, or in the morning while the dew has not dried and the wood ear mushrooms are soft with moisture. When brought back, they should be spread thinly on a drying mat and dried in one go under the hot sun. Do not turn them too much while drying, to avoid causing fist-shaped curled wood ear. If there is continuous overcast rain, first adopt the method of rush-harvesting and rush-picking, spreading the harvested wet wood ear mushrooms flat on dry thatch or dry wood ear mushrooms, letting the dry thatch or dry wood ear mushrooms absorb part of the moisture, and after the sky clears, move them out to dry together. If you cannot rush-harvest them all, you can cover the wood ear racks with plastic film, so that the already-grown wood ear mushrooms do not continue to be rained on and absorb water, causing log loss from runoff.
Substitute Material Cultivation
The continuous innovation of black wood ear mushroom cultivation techniques has greatly increased per-unit and total yields, but it still cannot satisfy the needs of foreign trade export and the people’s growing demand. With the promotion and development of artificial cultivation techniques, experimental research on the new technique of substitute material cultivation of wood ear mushroom was further advanced. At present, it is mainly based on plastic bag cultivation. The method is as follows:
1. Production process: about 40 days of planting spawn (plastic bag) after inoculation, then about 2 months → planting bag (plastic bag) opening holes → 7 to 10 days for wood ear buds to form → 15 to 20 days to mature and harvest → 10 days for the second batch of wood ear buds to form → 15 to 20 days to mature and harvest → 10 days for the third batch of wood ear buds to form → 15 to 20 days to harvest.
2. Selection of excellent spawn
The spawn for cultivating black wood ear mushroom is domesticated and selected from the spawn used for log cultivation of black wood ear mushroom. Therefore, not all spawn suitable for log cultivation can be used as spawn for substitute material cultivation. The spawn age of 30 to 45 days is suitable for planting spawn; such planting spawn has strong vitality, can reduce contamination by contaminating bacteria during the culturing process, and can also enhance resistance to mold during planting. Generally, choose those with fast-growing, thick, sturdy mycelium that colonizes quickly after inoculation; with a short production cycle, high yield, large caps, thick flesh, and deep color as the spawn.
3. Cultivation season: In Shaanxi and several nearby provinces, using natural temperature, it can be cultivated twice a year. In spring, start making stock spawn in early January, make planting spawn in early February, make planting bags in mid-March, and produce wood ear mushrooms in April, May, and June. In autumn, make planting bags in mid-August, and produce wood ear mushrooms in September, October, and November.
Cultivation Methods
1. Formulas
Many by-products of agricultural and forestry products can be used to cultivate black wood ear mushroom. Several culture medium formulas are introduced below:
① Sawdust culture medium formula: sawdust (broadleaf tree) 78%, wheat bran (or rice bran) 20%, gypsum powder 1%, white sugar 1%, water about 65%.
② Cottonseed hull culture medium formula: cottonseed hull 90%, wheat bran (or rice bran) 8%, gypsum powder 1%, white sugar 1%, water about 65%.
③ Corncob culture medium formula: corncob (crushed into granules the size of soybean) 70% to 80%, sawdust (broadleaf tree) 10% to 20%, wheat bran (or rice bran) 8%, gypsum powder 1%, white sugar 1%, water about 65%.
④ Rice straw culture medium formula: rice straw (fresh rice straw crushed or cut into small sections) 75%, wheat bran (or rice bran) 15%, sawdust (broadleaf tree) 8%, gypsum powder 1%, white sugar 1%, water about 65%.
If conditions permit, adding 2 percent soybean powder to the above culture media is even better.
2. Seasoning and bagging: Weigh the above culture materials in proportion, mix well, dissolve the sugar in water and pour it into the culture material, add water and turn and mix, so that the water content of the culture material reaches about 65%. Or add water until, when you hold the culture material in your hand, water streaks seep out but do not drip. Then pile the material up and let it sit for 30 to 60 minutes, so that the material fully absorbs the sugar water, and bag it immediately. There are three bagging methods, each with advantages and disadvantages; you can choose according to circumstances.
The first method: choose plastic bags about 5 micrometers thick, with bag size about 17 cm X 33 cm, with a square bottom. If you buy flat-bottomed bags (the same as food bags), before bagging, first tuck the two bottom corners of the bag inward until the two corners meet. In this way, after filling with culture material, it stands steady and can be placed directly on the cultivation rack. When bagging, put the already-mixed material into the bag, and while filling, vibrate forcefully on a smooth surface, so that the culture material is dense and the tightness is consistent from top to bottom. At this time the height of the culture material is about 3/5 of the bag height. Use a dry gauze to wipe off the residual culture material on the upper part of the bag, add a plastic neck ring (inner diameter 34 cm, height 3 cm), turn the plastic bag opening downward, tie it tightly with a rubber band, shaped like a glass bottle mouth, and plug in a cotton plug.
The second method: choose a tubular polypropylene plastic bag with a diameter of 13 cm, cut it to a length of 35 cm, tie one end tightly with cotton thread, then use candle flame or alcohol lamp flame to melt the film, sealing the bag opening. From the open end, put the culture material into the bag, and while filling, vibrate on the material pile, or press firmly with your fingers, until filled to 5 cm from the bag opening, then twist the remaining plastic bag together, tie tightly with cotton thread, and under candle flame or alcohol lamp flame, melt the film to seal. On a smooth tabletop, press the bag flat with your hand. Then use a 2 cm diameter hole punch to punch holes on one side of the bag every 10 cm, each 2 cm in diameter and 1.5 cm deep. Use scissors to cut the prepared medicinal adhesive tape into 3 to 4 cm square pieces; stick them over the holes. To make it convenient to operate during inoculation, roll one corner of the adhesive tape into a double layer.
The third method: choose a tubular polypropylene plastic bag with a diameter of 13 cm, tie one end with string, put the culture material into the bag from the other end, press the material firmly with your hand, until the material is filled to 5 cm from the bag opening, then gather up the remaining plastic bag, tie it with string, and later inoculate from both ends.
It should be noted: no matter which bagging method is used, it must be done so that the material is mixed, bagged, and sterilized on the same day.