How to Grow Reishi Mushroom? Latest Reishi Mushroom Cultivation Techniques and Methods Tutorial

Reishi mushroom, also known as Chi Zhi, Hong Zhi, or Lingzhi Cao, is a precious medicinal fungus. The field rapid-growth and high-yield cultivation technique for reishi mushroom features mushroom logs that do not detach, fixed-point mushroom emergence, directional water supply, high biological efficiency, and good product quality. Each mu of land can plant 8000-10000 logs, with considerable economic benefits.

Log Preparation and Mycelium Growth

1. Culture medium formula

① Hardwood sawdust 78%, wheat bran (or rice bran) 20%, sugar 1%, gypsum 1%.

② Cottonseed hulls (or sweet potato vine residue) 78%, wheat bran 15-20%, gypsum 1-2%, sugar 1%, urea 0.4%, superphosphate 0.6%.

The moisture content of the above culture medium should be kept at 60%, with a pH value of 5.5-6.

2. Bagging and sterilization. Use low-pressure polyethylene plastic bags, size 60 cm × 15 cm, thickness 4-5 si, each bag holds 1 kg of dry material; be sure to pack the bags firmly. For small-scale cultivation, you can fill by hand while pressing the material with a wooden stick; for large-scale cultivation, a bagging machine can be used. After bagging, tie the bag opening tightly and heat-seal it. Bag on the same day, sterilize on the same day. For sterilization, raise the temperature to 100°C and hold for 10-12 hours.

3. Inoculation and mycelium growth. After the bag temperature drops to 30°C, inoculate under aseptic conditions in an inoculation box or inoculation room. Inoculation method: use a sterilized hole punch to make 5 holes on the bag surface, arranged at equal distances in a straight line, with a hole diameter of 1.2-1.5 cm; then use tweezers to pick up a small piece of spawn and quickly insert it into the hole, and stick a 12 sq cm piece of adhesive tape over the hole opening. Each bottle of spawn can inoculate 80-100 holes. Immediately place the inoculated logs into the cultivation room for culturing (the cultivation room should first be disinfected with formaldehyde, with the temperature controlled at 22-25°C). After 5 days of culturing, arrange the logs in a “well” shape or triangular arrangement, with 8-12 layers per row and 3-4 bags per layer, and rotate them once every 5-6 days.

When the inoculated mycelium grows to more than 2 cm in diameter, lift one corner of the adhesive tape to increase oxygen. Lift only 1-2 holes per log each time. After 45-60 days of culturing, white or yellow raised lumpy nodules appear on the surface of the mycelium medium, indicating that physiological maturity has been reached and the logs can be moved to the field for mushroom production.

Site selection: Reishi mushroom cultivation can be done indoors or outdoors; generally, substitute-material cultivation is done indoors, and short-log cultivation is done outdoors. Since the optimum temperature for reishi mushroom cultivation is 25°C-28°C, the site should be chosen to have sufficient light in spring and autumn and to be cool in summer. A semi-basement is more suitable for the temperature and humidity requirements of reishi mushroom. Outdoors, it is best under tree shade, or an artificial shade shed can be built.

Field Management

Within 3-5 days after burying the bags, there is no need to disturb the plastic film; when the surface soil temperature exceeds 28°C, uncover the film for ventilation. After 5 days, gradually increase ventilation, lifting the film 2-3 times per day for 20-30 minutes each time, then gradually increase. If the casing soil turns white, water can be sprayed in conjunction with uncovering the film for ventilation; the best watering amount is when the casing soil moisture content is 25%, that is, when the soil particles have no white core. After small mushroom buds form, water can be sprayed 1-2 times daily inside the shed to maintain relative air humidity of 85-95%. After the cap differentiates, take care when spraying water to avoid getting it on the caps as much as possible. When the fruiting body cap stops growing, it has reached the maturity standard; harvest the first batch for processing.

Harvesting and Processing

Reishi mushroom is highly fibrous and its base is also very tightly structured with the culture medium; unlike other fungi, it is not easy to pull off, and if you are not careful it can break at the junction of the cap and stipe, lowering the grade. The best method is to use needle-nose pliers to grip the base of the reishi mushroom and pull it off, remove impurities with scissors, and dry it in the sun immediately. If there is cloudy or rainy weather, dry it promptly by baking. Reishi mushroom is mainly used for medicinal purposes, and processing mainly consists of drying. Once thoroughly dried, immediately put it into non-toxic plastic bags for storage to prevent moisture regain and deterioration.

After harvesting the first batch of mushrooms, increase ventilation to promote recovery of mycelium growth, and spray heavily to promote the formation of mushroom buds. Afterward, manage as before; a total of 3 batches of reishi mushrooms can be harvested throughout the whole process.