How to cultivate lion's mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) for high yields? Detailed explanation of the key technical points
How to cultivate lion's mane mushroom for high yields? Here is the method. To achieve high yields when cultivating lion's mane mushroom, start with the following points: Select good-quality spawn: First, the mother spawn used for production should have excellent traits, shown by fast growth, uniform and neat, and covering the slant within two weeks at suitable temperature. When stored in a refrigerator, it often forms primordia, and microscopic examination shows a small number of chlamydospores; if there are too many spores, the yield tends to be low. If the mycelium turns yellow, is thin and weak, or sparse, it indicates spawn degeneration. Uneven or irregular growth, or antagonistic phenomena, indicates the spawn is impure, and none of these can be used.
How to cultivate lion's mane mushroom for high yields? Here is the methodTo achieve high yields when cultivating lion's mane mushroom, start with the following points:
Select good-quality spawn:First, the mother spawn used for production should have excellent traits, shown by fast growth, uniform and neat, and covering the slant within two weeks at suitable temperature. When stored in a refrigerator, it often forms primordia, and microscopic examination shows a small number of chlamydospores; if there are too many spores, the yield tends to be low. If the mycelium turns yellow, is thin and weak, or sparse, it indicates spawn degeneration. Uneven or irregular growth, or antagonistic phenomena, indicates the spawn is impure, and none of these can be used.
All stock spawn should be dense and white, uniform from top to bottom, with no interruptions in the mycelium, and vigorous mycelium on the surface. If the substrate shrinks and dries, separates from the bag wall, and the color darkens, it indicates the spawn has aged. If stripes or spots of various colors appear around the wall, it indicates the spawn is contaminated and cannot be used. Second, the spawn age must be appropriate. Generally, mother spawn and stock spawn stored in a refrigerator should not exceed 3 months, and at room temperature (20°C) should not exceed 20 days. If the spawn age is too long, its vitality declines, resulting not only in slow growth and low yield, but also poor stress resistance, making it highly prone to contamination. In addition, choose excellent varieties suitable for local production.
Cultivate at the right time:The optimum temperature for lion's mane mycelium is around 24°C, and the suitable temperature for fruiting bodies is 18-20°C. This fungus is very sensitive to environmental conditions, especially during the fruiting body stage. When the temperature is above 25°C or below 12°C, normal fruiting bodies cannot form, showing no spines, yellowing, clustering, deformity, or reddening, and growth stops. In northern cultivation, inoculation in February or September is best, with fruiting in March-April or October-November; in southern spring and autumn cultivation, this can be 20-30 days earlier or later respectively. Practice has shown that northern spring cultivation should not fruit later than mid-March, to avoid yield reduction and quality decline caused by temperatures above 25°C during the fruiting period. For autumn cultivation, if the temperature is low (below 30°C), inoculation can be done as early as possible so that fruiting ends before the temperature drops below 12°C.
Raw material formulation:Raw material formulation is the foundation for stable and high yields. The culture material for stock spawn and cultivation spawn can use locally available materials. Common formula: cottonseed hulls 87%, wheat bran 10%, sucrose 1%, gypsum 1%, sawdust 1%. Research shows that within a certain range, increasing the amount of wheat bran added to the medium increases yield, but there is a limit. For cottonseed hull cultivation, the amount of wheat bran should not exceed 15%, otherwise it not only increases cost, but also makes the fruiting bodies loose and branched, shaped like cauliflower or coral, reducing quality. To improve yield and quality, add as much water as possible within the allowed range when mixing; a material-to-water ratio of 1:1.5-1.6 is better, so the first flush mushrooms are large and heavy, white and good-tasting, with good commercial quality.
Small bag cultivation:Practice has shown that cultivating lion's mane mushroom in small bags (14 cm × 30 cm) with collar rings and inoculation at both ends results in early fruiting and high yield. Generally, the first flush is 2-5 days earlier, and the cap diameter reaches 8-9 cm. When filling bags, make the outside tight and the inside loose to prevent water loss from the substrate affecting normal fruiting. In addition, fill the material fully, leaving little space, to avoid overly long stipes that consume more nutrients.
Thorough sterilization:Thorough sterilization is the key to ensuring the finished bag rate. For high-pressure sterilization of small bags, maintain 14.7×104 Pa for 1.5-1.8 hours, and for large bags maintain it for 1.8-2.4 hours; for atmospheric sterilization, maintain 100°C for 4 hours, then keep warm for another 4 hours; if the temperature is insufficient, the sterilization time must be extended. High-pressure sterilization must also prevent the spawn bags from swelling with gas and bursting, so do not tie the bag opening too tightly when filling; during sterilization, use the method of opening the valve to heat, raising the temperature with a gentle fire, slowly releasing steam, and naturally reducing pressure to control swelling. To prevent holes in the bag surface, after sterilization soak the material bags while hot in thick lime water with a pH of 13, which can significantly increase the finished bag rate.
Ventilation and moisture retention during the fruiting period:The focus of lion's mane mushroom cultivation management is the fruiting period, and the key to fruiting period management is temperature control, ventilation, and moisture retention. In small bag cultivation, primordia begin to form after 19-24 days; at this time they should be moved into the mushroom house, opened in time for ventilation, to prevent the primordia from shrinking and delaying fruiting. For log cultivation, use a small knife to make a 1-2 cm cross cut at the place where the mycelium has knotted, to increase oxygen and promote fruiting body differentiation. After opening, increase humidity, spray with atomized water, and bring the relative air humidity to 80%-90%.
After fruiting begins, never spray water on the young buds; otherwise water seeping into the bag will cause the young mushrooms to shrink and then deteriorate and rot. Spray little but often, and as the fruiting bodies grow faster, increase the amount of water. If the temperature is high and ventilation is poor, spray less or not at all; if ventilation is good and the temperature is suitable, spray more and often. The fruiting body is extremely sensitive to carbon dioxide. When the carbon dioxide concentration in the air exceeds 0.1%, it stimulates continuous differentiation of the stipe, forming cauliflower-shaped or coral-shaped fruiting bodies and reducing palatability. Therefore, ventilation must be strengthened, 2-3 times a day, 30 minutes each time. Windows can also be kept open to ensure fresh air, but do not blow directly on the fruiting bodies, to prevent discoloration and shrinking.
Harvest in time and replenish water:Lion's mane mushroom generally takes about 10 days from bud emergence to maturity. Due to different uses, harvest standards vary. For fresh eating, canning, or salting, it is best to harvest when the spines are 0.3-0.5 cm long; at this time the mushroom body is solid and heavy, with strong palatability. If the spines are longer than 1 cm, it begins to release spores, which inevitably reduces nutrition, while the mushroom body softens and the taste declines. When harvesting, cut it off with a small knife, leaving a 1-2 cm stipe. To increase yield, after harvesting the first flush, stop watering for 3 days and ventilate for 1 day, so the cut mushroom base surface shrinks; then use a bamboo chopstick to make 2 holes 8-10 cm deep in the bag end, and depending on bag size, replenish 50-100 ml of water in each. After 24 hours, drain off excess water, and culture at suitable temperature for 7-10 days to produce the second flush.
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