A detailed guide to Agaricus blazei cultivation techniques, teaching you how to grow it with ease
How do you grow Agaricus blazei? Here is the method. You can refer to the following cultivation methods for growing Agaricus blazei: (1) Cultivation materials. The most suitable cultivation material for Agaricus blazei is sugarcane bagasse. Rice straw, wheat straw, cottonseed hulls, corn stalks, thatch, sawdust and the like can also be used as raw materials for cultivation. In one or a mixture of several of the above raw...
How do you grow Agaricus blazei? Here is the method
You can refer to the following cultivation methods for growing Agaricus blazei:
(1) Cultivation materials. The most suitable cultivation material for Agaricus blazei is sugarcane bagasse. Rice straw, wheat straw, cottonseed hulls, corn stalks, thatch, sawdust and the like can also be used as raw materials for cultivation. To one or a mixture of several of the above raw materials, appropriately add some cow manure (horse manure), poultry manure and a small amount of chemical fertilizer. Following the Agaricus bisporus cultivation process, the material is piled, fermented and turned to make a compost suitable for the growth of Agaricus blazei.
(2) Cultivation season. According to the biological characteristics of Agaricus blazei, the cultivation season is generally arranged for late spring and early summer and for autumn. Spring cultivation is around Qingming (March to May), and autumn cultivation is after Liqiu (September to November). In low-altitude areas, sowing can be extended to April to May, with mushrooms harvested in June to July. In short, the key is to ensure that 40 to 50 days after sowing, when mushrooms begin to appear, the temperature can reach 20-28°C. Climate conditions vary from place to place, so the sowing period should be flexibly adjusted.
(3) Cultivation process. Agaricus blazei spawn is also divided into three grades: mother culture, stock culture and cultivation spawn, and it can be produced by the method used for Agaricus bisporus spawn. Mother culture uses PDA medium; stock culture and cultivation spawn generally use wheat grain medium.
1. Building the pile. Soak rice straw and other stalk materials or cottonseed hulls thoroughly in water. After pre-wetting, mix them fully with rice bran, sawdust, livestock and poultry manure and other raw and auxiliary materials and build a pile. The pile is 80-90 cm wide at the top.
2. Turning the pile. The pre-piling time is about 7 days. When the material temperature rises to about 70-75°C, the first turning should be carried out. During turning, add ammonium sulfate or urea to the compost; with the help of microorganisms, it becomes a nitrogen source usable by Agaricus blazei through fermentation. During the pre-piling period, the middle layer of the pile ferments better and has a higher temperature, but the compost around the sides does not ferment fully. When turning, mix thoroughly, moving the middle-layer compost to the outer edge and piling the outer compost into the center of the pile.
After 5 days, carry out the second turning, then turn at intervals of 4 days, 4 days and 3 days (5 turnings in total, with a fermentation time of 23-25 days). To make fermentation uniform inside and outside the pile, when turning, move the middle compost to the outside and pile the outer compost in the middle. After fermentation, the compost turns brown, and the fibers break easily when pulled by hand, indicating that fermentation is complete. After pile fermentation, the moisture content of the compost is about 60-75%. If the pH value is too high or too low, it can be adjusted with superphosphate or slaked lime. To make uniform, fully mature, high-quality compost, turning is a very important step and must not be done carelessly.
3. Filling and bedding. Agaricus blazei can be grown both indoors and outdoors. For indoor cultivation, shelf beds with 4-6 tiers can be set up, or a spacious mushroom house and shelf beds can be used, and the fully mature compost is spread evenly on the mushroom bed, neither loose nor tight, with a thickness of 20 cm being suitable. After the compost is put on the bed, carry out "secondary fermentation", that is, close the entrances and ventilation openings of the mushroom house, raise the temperature of the mushroom house to 55-60°C, and maintain it for about 2 days; when the material temperature drops to 25°C, then sow. Outdoor cultivation is carried out under a shade shed, with a bed width of 1.3 m and any length. The shade shed is 2-2.3 m high, and the top and surroundings are shaded with straw curtains and shade nets (requiring four parts sun and four parts shade). The bed is shaped like a turtle back, slightly higher in the middle than around it, and drainage ditches should be opened well. If grown on mountain land, flood-control ditches should also be opened. Spray the bed surface with chemical pesticides to kill pests. Then spread the fully mature compost onto the bed, generally 20-25 cm thick (calculated on a dry material basis, about 16-20 kg of compost per sq m).
4. Sowing and management: Gently break up the wheat grain spawn, evenly scatter 2/3 on the surface of the compost, use a fork to shake it appropriately so the spawn falls into the material, scatter 1/3 on the bed surface, and finally cover with about 1 cm of compost to cover the spawn. The sowing rate is 1-2 bottles per sq m.
After sowing in outdoor cultivation, cover the bed with plastic film to keep it warm and moist. Generally, within 5 days after sowing, there is no need to uncover the film or spray water; on the 6th day, uncover the film for ventilation. The relative air humidity should be 85-90%, and if the material surface is dry, spray water to keep it moist. Under normal conditions, ventilate once every 2 days.
For indoor cultivation, also pay attention to changes in the temperature and humidity in the mushroom house. Keep it warm and moist, let more fresh air into the mushroom house, and do not let it feel stuffy inside the mushroom house each day.
5. Casing soil. The casing time is after the Agaricus blazei mycelium has survived in the compost. Generally about 20 days after sowing, when the mycelium has grown to 2/3 of the entire compost, begin casing. The quality of the soil particles covering the compost and the casing method have a very great impact on the yield of Agaricus blazei. Therefore, casing is a very important task in cultivation. The soil particles used for casing should not be too hard; those without fertilizer, fresh, with good water retention and aeration, and larger particles are best. In China, field subsoil is generally used, with a moisture content of 70-75%.
Casing can be done by flat spreading or by the "gear" method. That is, first cover the material surface with a layer of soil particles about 1 cm thick, then at intervals of 10-15 cm make a soil ridge 10 cm wide and 5 cm high, about 3-4 cm thick. For outdoor cultivation, insert bamboo or wooden strips on both sides of the bed into an arched shape, then cover with plastic film so that it grows in a microclimate. The temperature inside the covered film should preferably not exceed 30°C; if too high, uncover the film to cool it, and the relative humidity should not be lower than 85%.
6. Mushroom emergence management. Whether management during the mushroom emergence period is appropriate can cause a large increase or decrease in yield. Therefore, careful management is required. Agaricus blazei mycelium begins to produce mushrooms only after it has spread through the compost. Generally about 40 days after sowing, the mycelium is thick and strong, with a small amount climbing onto the upper layer. At this time, water should be sprayed on the bed surface, the relative humidity inside the covered film should be 90-95%, and after keeping the film covered for 2 days, white rice-grain-like mushroom buds will appear on the soil surface, then grow to the size of soybeans. After 3 days, when the mushroom buds reach 2-3 cm in diameter, stop spraying water to avoid deforming the mushrooms (buds); this is the key to water management. During mushroom emergence, a large amount of oxygen is consumed and carbon dioxide is released, so during this period very close attention must be paid to ventilation and air exchange, uncovering the film 1-2 times a day for ventilation for no less than 30 minutes each time. After ventilation, continue covering with the film to retain moisture and promote normal growth of the mushroom buds. In rainy weather, the edges of the film can be lifted for ventilation and air exchange to prevent the mushroom buds from rotting.
The best temperature during the mushroom emergence period is 20-25°C. If sowing is done in early spring, when the temperature during mushroom emergence is low, the film can be kept tightly covered to retain warmth and moisture, and the ventilation time and frequency can be shortened. When the temperature in early summer exceeds 28°C, thicker shading material can be added to the shade shed, and the film can be opened all day for ventilation and air permeability to create a cooler climate. For indoor cultivation, also pay attention to shading doors and windows, and ventilate in the morning and evening. The mushroom emergence cycle is generally about 10 days. After mushroom emergence ends, the shape of the bed can be modified, and then water can be sprayed to replenish the moisture of the bed to prepare for the next mushroom emergence. Mushroom emergence can last 3-4 months, and mushrooms can be harvested batch by batch (generally 4-5 batches). Water for spraying should preferably be well water or spring water.
7. Harvesting and processing. The suitable harvest time for Agaricus blazei is the bud stage just before the cap leaves the stipe, that is, when the cap is still closed and has not yet opened, the surface is light brown, with fibrous scales, and the inner membrane of the gills has not yet ruptured. If the membrane ruptures, the spores on the gills gradually mature, and after drying the gills turn black, reducing commercial value.
The fresh mushrooms after harvest can be processed by preservation or salting. If dried, it should be done according to customer requirements: some are dried whole in a dryer; some are cut in half from cap to stipe and then dried as finished product. The dried product has a fragrant smell and white gills; it is packaged in transparent plastic bags, and the outer packaging uses cardboard boxes or is done according to customer requirements.
Pest and disease control: Agaricus blazei has the ability to resist competitor fungi and is almost not attacked by harmful fungi. However, very close attention must be paid to ventilation and air exchange, and the mushroom house and bed surface must not be kept too wet. Harmful fungi are often found before and after casing; when harmful fungi appear, it is best to burn them off with a blowtorch. The pests of Agaricus blazei include mushroom flies, mushroom moths, nematodes and so on. If secondary fermentation is very complete, pest outbreaks can almost all be prevented. If pests occur, they can be burned off with a blowtorch or, when Agaricus blazei is not emerging or has stopped emerging, driven out by fumigation with aluminum phosphide.
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