What are the common problems in king oyster mushroom cultivation?
How do you manage king oyster mushroom well during the fruiting period? What should you pay attention to? The fruiting temperature of king oyster mushrooms varies with the characteristics of the strain; generally, fruiting is scheduled when the indoor temperature is stable at around 10°C, with the optimal temperature at 7°C-15°C. 1. Primordia induction. After completing the post-ripening treatment, adopt a temperature difference stimulus, especially when fruiting in early winter,...
The common problems in cultivating king oyster mushrooms are:
I. Contaminated bags. The direct cause of most contaminated bags is incomplete sterilization. Under suitable moisture and temperature conditions, the unwanted microbes in the bags that were not killed begin to multiply, at first scattered in tiny specks on the bags, then spreading into patches. The causes of incomplete sterilization are: 1. During mixing, the substrate did not fully absorb water, leaving raw cores inside the material, especially with harder substrates such as sawdust and corncob. 2. During sterilization, the cold air was not fully vented, so part of the sterilization pot was always occupied by cold air, resulting in no good heat circulation. 3. Insufficient sterilization time, or a pause in heating during sterilization, or too many bags placed too tightly in the sterilization pot, will all lead to incomplete sterilization.
II. Slow mycelial growth. 1. Weak spawn vigor can cause slow mycelial growth. When buying spawn, be sure to buy from larger, highly reputable suppliers. The suitable spawn age is generally 30-40 days; white, dense, thick mycelium indicates strong vitality. 2. If the bags are packed too tightly or the moisture content is too high (above 65%), the lack of sufficient oxygen in the bags inhibits the growth rate of the mycelium. 3. If the incubation temperature is too low, such as below 20°C, and ventilation is poor or the pH of the substrate is unsuitable (the suitable pH is around 7), it can also cause slow incubation.
III. Fruiting from the sides of the bags, and mostly deformed. During sterilization, the bags press against each other, and the round bags deform, creating gaps between the substrate and the bag, which provides air and space for the mycelium to knot. Combined with low temperature, light stimulation and mechanical stimulation (such as turning the bags), the mycelium on the sides of the bags knots to form primordia and develops into fruiting bodies. Due to the restriction of the plastic bag, these mushrooms are all deformed. When this happens, the mushroom buds should be pinched promptly to stop their growth, so as to avoid wasting more nutrients.
IV. Small fruiting bodies and a low marketable rate. The cause of this situation is the failure to thin the buds. After the primordia differentiate, many small mushroom buds grow on both sides of the bag, as few as a few and as many as dozens. However, due to the limitations of nutrients and space, most of these buds cannot grow into marketable mushrooms, so bud thinning should be carried out to avoid wasting nutrients. The principle of bud thinning is to select, when the buds have just formed, those with a good position, proper shape and similar size, keeping 4-6 per side; when the fruiting bodies grow to about two cm, carry out another selection, keeping 2-4 per side. In this way, a relatively high marketable rate can be ensured.
V. Excessive mycelial growth. During fruiting, the mycelium suddenly grows vigorously, with white mycelium covering both ends of the bag and the fruiting bodies; the fruiting bodies begin to shrink from the middle of the cap, and in severe cases turn yellow and die. This is mainly caused by a sudden rise in temperature inside the mushroom shed. During the fruiting stage, both the mycelium and the fruiting bodies are growing; under normal conditions, these two kinds of growth reach a dynamic balance. What determines this balance is temperature; relatively higher temperatures favor mycelial growth, while lower temperatures favor primordium differentiation. A sudden temperature rise breaks the original balance, giving mycelial growth the advantage. When nutrients and water are fixed, more nutrients and water are supplied to mycelial growth and less to the fruiting bodies; in severe cases, the nutrients of the fruiting bodies flow back, showing externally as shriveling of the fruiting bodies, or even yellowing and death. A sudden rise in temperature inside the mushroom shed should be prevented.
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