Five key steps for improving the quality and yield of oyster mushrooms

1. Choosing a good site: Oyster mushrooms can be cultivated both indoors and outdoors. For indoor cultivation, idle rooms can be used; for outdoor cultivation, facilities such as plastic greenhouses and shade sheds can be built; at the same time, plastic greenhouses used for growing vegetables can be appropriately modified by opening ventilation holes for oyster mushroom cultivation.

2. Selecting and mixing materials: The culture material used for producing oyster mushrooms should be fresh, free of mildew, free of insect damage, and free of pesticides or other harmful chemicals, such as corn cobs, bean stalks, rice straw, wheat straw and peanut shells. Before mixing, they should be spread out in the sun for 2-3 days to kill contaminating microorganisms and insect pests in the material.

Common formulas are: (1) 50% corn cobs, 47% bean stalks, 2% wheat bran, 1% lime. (2) 89% sawdust, 10% wheat bran, 1% lime. (3) 99% rice straw, 1% lime. (4) 85% wheat straw, 15% cornmeal. After preparing the culture material, mix the materials thoroughly, add water and stir evenly. Then pile and let it sit for more than 2 hours so the culture material absorbs water thoroughly. If conditions permit, it is best to pile and ferment the culture material, which not only improves its physical and chemical properties but also reduces the harm of contaminating microorganisms, diseases and insect pests. The specific method is: spread a 10 cm thick layer of wheat straw on a concrete floor, pile the material on the wheat straw into a round heap, poke ventilation holes with a wooden stick down to the bottom of the pile, then cover the pile with burlap sacks or plastic film. When the temperature at the center of the pile rises to 55°C-60°C, maintain it for 12-24 hours and turn the pile. After turning, when the temperature rises to 55°C-60°C for a second time, maintain it for 24 hours, then turn the pile once more. When the material changes color and gives off a fragrant aroma, fermentation can be ended. Wait until the material temperature drops to 30°C, then bag it and inoculate.

3. Bagging and inoculation: Choose high-density polyethylene film tubes, 20-22 cm wide, 40-47 cm long, 0.02-0.025 mm thick, filled with 0.7-0.8 kg dry material, and inoculate at both ends of the bag. The method of operation is: first tie one end of the film tube tightly with string, then starting from the other end, first add 1 layer of spawn, then fill with material until close to the tube opening, use a conical wooden stick 2.5 cm in diameter to make 1 ventilation hole from top to bottom, fill the hole with small pieces of spawn, then sprinkle 1 layer of spawn on the surface of the material to seal the top, and finally tie the bag opening tightly with polypropylene string.

4. Stacking for mycelial growth: After the mushroom shed is disinfected, move the inoculated material bags into the mushroom shed for stacking and mycelial growth. The number of layers in the stack should be determined by the temperature. When temperatures are high in summer and autumn, stack 2-4 layers, arranging the bags in a "#" shape in a crossed pattern to facilitate heat dissipation, and leave walking aisles; when temperatures are low in spring and winter, a layer of rice straw or wheat straw should be spread on the mushroom bed, stack 10-12 layers, and cover the top with plastic film or straw curtains for insulation, so as to raise the stack temperature and promote mycelial growth. The key points of mycelial growth management are: (1) Maintain temperature. Regularly insert thermometers between the material bags and pay attention to changes in stack temperature. The ideal temperature for mycelial growth is 25°C-30°C. When it is higher than 30°C, the stack should be broken up in time and ventilation increased to prevent high temperatures from damaging the mycelium. When the temperature is lower than 20°C, measures should be taken to increase and maintain heat. (2) Ventilation and air exchange: ventilate the mushroom shed 2-3 times a day for 30 minutes each time. When temperatures are high, ventilate in the morning and evening; when temperatures are low, ventilate at noon. (3) Keep dry: the relative air humidity in the mushroom shed is best at 60%-70%. (4) Keep light dim: weak light is favorable for mycelial growth. (5) Turn the stacks. After stacking, turn the stack once every 5-7 days, moving the lower bags to the top, the upper bags to the bottom, the inner ones outward and the outer ones inward, so that the temperature received is uniform and mycelial growth is even. (6) Ventilate and supplement oxygen. With the closed two-end-tied method of mycelial growth, in the early stage of mycelial growth the oxygen content inside the bag can meet the needs of mycelial growth. As the amount of mycelial growth increases, the oxygen content inside the bag becomes insufficient, which will affect normal mycelial growth.

When, 10-15 days after inoculation, the mycelium at both ends of the bag has grown 2-3 cm into the material, you can use a large-headed pin to prick 8-10 holes at equal distances around the bag 1-2 cm behind the mycelial growth line, or use a sharpened bamboo chopstick to poke 3-4 holes from the bag opening inward, or slightly loosen the string tied tightly at both ends of the bag, using the natural tension of the film at the bag opening after loosening the string to let fresh air enter the bag, so as to ventilate and supplement oxygen and promote robust mycelial growth.

5. Fruiting management: When the cultivation bags are fully covered with mycelium and moved into the mushroom shed, primordia can form in about 10 days. At this time the room temperature should be controlled at 13°C-18°C, the relative air humidity at 80%-90%, and ventilation should be 3-5 times a day for 25-30 minutes each time. If ventilation is poor, the mushrooms will be small and dense; if ventilation time is too long, temperature and humidity will be affected. Harvest in time when the caps of the oyster mushrooms are basically flat and the color gradually fades. After the first batch of mushrooms is harvested, stop watering for 2-3 days, promptly clean out the dead mushrooms remaining in the shed and the leftover mushroom stems, then spray water into the bags. Control temperature and maintain humidity to promote rapid recovery of the mycelium, produce new mushroom primordia, increase the number of fruiting cycles and extend the harvesting period. After 10-15 days, the second flush can be harvested; generally 3-4 flushes can be harvested.