A Detailed Guide to Selecting Straw Mushroom Spawn and Cultivation Methods
There are more and more types of dishes on the dinner table now, and fungal foods are welcomed by many people. Straw mushrooms in particular are much loved, as they are high in vitamins, can promote human metabolism, boost immunity, and also taste excellent. So if you plan to grow straw mushrooms, how should you select spawn? How do you carry out cultivation? The editor will explain it in detail below.
1. How to select straw mushroom spawn?
1. For superior straw mushroom spawn, use spawn made on a straw substrate and overwintered (10-15°C). After overwintering, if advance cultivation proves it to be of high quality and high yield, then use the tissue isolation method to obtain mother spawn (stock spawn), continue expanding the culture, and supply it for production use that year.
2. Straw mushroom mycelium is transparent, silver-gray, and evenly distributed. Spawn with relatively sparse mycelium and reddish-brown chlamydospores is normal. For straw mushroom mother spawn, stock spawn, and cultivation spawn, if there are more chlamydospores, generally the fruiting bodies after fruiting are smaller; conversely, the fruiting bodies are larger.
3. If among the silver-gray straw mushroom mycelium there are mixed white thread-like hyphae, followed by fish-like granules that later turn yellow-brown, it may be contaminated with small sclerotium competitor fungi; if the mycelium in the bottle is too dense and pure white, it may also be contaminated with competitor fungi, and both should be discarded.
4. If the mycelium in the spawn bottle gradually disappears and mite-feeding patches appear, it indicates mite infestation and should be discarded. If the mycelium in the bottle has shrunk and a water-soaked liquid appears with a fishy odor, it cannot be used.
5. The spawn age of straw mushroom cultivation spawn is best around 18 days; those exceeding 30 days are best not selected.
2. How are straw mushrooms cultivated?
1. Suitable cultivation period
Sowing straw mushrooms too early is unfavorable for growth due to low temperature, while sowing too late affects autumn-winter vegetable production. You can clear the garden after winter-spring vegetable production ends, disinfect the greenhouse, fumigate with sulfur, and at the same time treat the soil with dichlorvos or trichlorfon.
2. Substrate treatment
Straw mushroom cultivation substrate must be fresh, dry, and free of mold. Sun-dry it for 2-3 days before use, then thoroughly mix 100 kg of wheat bran with 10 kg of lime, put it into a water tank, cover the top tightly with plastic film, soak thoroughly for 24-36 hours, and then take it out.
3. Cultivation method
(1) Making beds: Straw mushroom cultivation beds run north-south, with a width of 1 m and a length depending on the greenhouse width. The bed depth is 8-10 cm, the spacing between beds is 30-50 cm, and the soil dug from the beds is temporarily placed on the bed ridges.
(2) Laying substrate: Spread the soaked substrate in the bed in a turtle-back shape, or in a wave shape. The ridge of substrate is 15 cm thick, the substrate on both sides is 5-8 cm thick, and the substrate used is 15-20 kg per sq m.
(3) Sowing: Break the prepared spawn into small pieces about 1-2 cm square, use the hole-sowing method with hole spacing of 8-10 cm, evenly sow the spawn into substrate 1 cm deep, sow 10-15 g of spawn per hole, then cover the substrate with the soil from the bed ridges.
(4) Casing soil: Do not use clay or sandy soil for casing, and it must not be too dry or too wet. The casing thickness should be 1 cm thicker than the substrate ridge and 3-5 cm thick in the substrate furrows. Then use sterilized wooden sticks 2 cm in diameter to make ventilation holes, with hole spacing of 10 cm, and the depth should be enough to pierce through the substrate.
4. Cultivation management
(1) Temperature: 1-2 days after sowing, keep the substrate temperature at 35-38°C by uncovering the film to cool it down, and keep the air temperature in the greenhouse at around 35°C.
(2) Humidity: 3-4 days after sowing, when the mycelium has basically filled out, if the air humidity in the greenhouse is insufficient due to ventilation, spray 2% lime water once.
(3) Ventilation: During the mycelial growth period, ventilate for 15-20 minutes at noon every day. During the fruiting body growth period, ventilate 2-3 times a day for 20 minutes each time.
(4) Light: Straw mushrooms can grow normally under lightless conditions. Cover the greenhouse with straw mats, and scattered light is suitable.
(5) Pests: The main pests include mites, mushroom flies, and wireworms, which can be controlled by spraying 80% dichlorvos emulsifiable concentrate at 800-1000 times dilution.
5. Timely harvesting
Straw mushrooms are generally best harvested when the slightly pointed pagoda shape at the top becomes oval, the mushroom body is plump and smooth, feels slightly soft when pinched by hand, the color changes from dark to light, the wrapper membrane has not ruptured, and the cap and stipe have not extended out.
Friends who have eaten straw mushrooms probably know that they taste pretty good. They are not only attractive and delicious, but also fairly high in nutritional value, which is why they are so beloved and why many people grow them. If you want to grow them, you still need to select high-quality spawn. In addition, the editor has also shared some straw mushroom cultivation techniques in detail, hoping to help everyone.
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