Latest Prices of Poria Seeds and a Detailed Guide to Cultivation Methods
Poria is also known as Yunling, Songling, Fuling, and so on. It is a fungus that parasitizes the roots of pine trees, shaped like a sweet potato, with a dark brown outer skin and a white or pinkish interior. Its original organism is the dried sclerotium of the fungus Poria cocos in the family Polyporaceae, mostly parasitic on the roots of masson pine or Japanese red pine. It is produced in Yunnan, Anhui, Hubei, Henan, Sichuan, and other places. Now let us take a look together at the price of Poria seeds and the cultivation methods!
How much do Poria seeds cost?
The price of Poria seeds is about 10 to 15 yuan per pack, but prices vary greatly depending on seed quality, specifications, place of origin, and purchase quantity. Poria is a facultative parasite, often growing wild in the rhizosphere of tree species such as masson pine, Huangshan pine, Japanese red pine, Yunnan pine, and black pine on dry, sunny mountain slopes at an altitude of 600 to 1000 m. Spores germinate at 22 to 28°C, mycelium grows at 18 to 35°C and grows rapidly at 25 to 30°C, and fruiting bodies differentiate and grow at 18 to 26°C and can produce spores. In production, it can be cultivated with log wood, tree stumps, and pine needles, but at present log wood cultivation is still the main method.
Site selection and material preparation for Poria
1. Cultivation site: The Poria cultivation site should be chosen on mountain slopes at an altitude of 600 to 900 m, with a slope of 15 to 30 degrees, sheltered from the wind and facing the sun, with slightly sandy, neutral to slightly acidic soil, and good drainage. Clear away grass roots, tree roots, stones, and other debris, then dig pits along the slope. The pits should be 60 to 80 cm deep, and their length and width depend on the number and length of the wood segments. Generally the length is 90 cm, the spacing between pits is 20 to 30 cm, and drainage ditches should be opened around them.
2. Material preparation for cultivation: Prepare materials in the autumn and winter of the previous year by felling masson pine. After felling, remove the branches and, according to the size of the pine wood, make 3 to 10 vertical cuts at intervals through the bark, with a cut width of 3 cm and penetrating 0.5 cm into the xylem, so that the pine wood dries easily and exudes pine resin. Prop the cut pine wood up on site so that it dries thoroughly. When the cut ends of the pine wood stop exuding resin and give a crisp sound when tapped, saw it into wood segments 65 to 80 cm long and place them in a ventilated, light-transmitting place for later use. Around June, arrange the wood segments into the pits, with three segments per pit, mixing thick and thin and placing them in layers, ready for inoculation.
Inoculation methods for Poria
1. Mycelium inoculation: On a sunny day, sharpen the upper ends of the medium and fine wood segments in the pit, then insert the cultivation spawn bottle or bag upside down onto the pointed end, and cover with 3 cm of soil after inoculation. Alternatively, concentrate the cultivation spawn at the saw cut on the upper end of the wood segments, cover with a layer of wood chips and leaves, and then cover with soil.
2. Flesh inoculation: According to the thickness of the wood segments, place them in layers with two on top and three below or one on top and two below. When inoculating, use a clean knife to cut open the winter spawn, press the Poria flesh side tightly against the wood segment with the Poria skin facing outward, cutting and inoculating as you go. The inoculation amount is determined by regional and climatic conditions and other factors.
3. Wood inoculation: Dig out the wood segments selected as spawn, saw them into 2 sections, and when inoculating simply join the wood spawn and the wood segment end to end. The inoculation season varies by region. In areas with high temperatures, carry it out in early April; in areas with low temperatures, inoculation can be done from early May to June.
Field management of Poria
1. Inspect pits and fill gaps: 7 to 10 days after Poria inoculation, white Poria mycelium will grow, and the fungal condition in each pit should be checked so that gaps can be filled in time.
2. Control termites: If termites are found 7 to 10 days after Poria inoculation, termite-killing medicine should immediately be sprayed on the termites or along their trails for control.
3. Earth up and drain water: After Poria forms sclerotia (sclerotium formation), if Poria is found exposed above the ground, soil should be added in time, and drainage should be noted during the rainy season.
4. Harvest in good time: When the outside of Poria turns yellowish brown, it can be dug up for harvest. If it is yellow-white, it indicates that it is not yet mature, and if it turns black, it indicates that it is overripe.