Reasonable Methods for Blending Raw Materials in Edible Mushroom Cultivation

  Since last year, the price of raw materials for edible mushroom cultivation has been rising steadily, making many mushroom growers anxious: with raw materials going up and mushroom prices going down, can we still grow mushrooms this year? In fact, as long as you stick to the principle of "adapting to local conditions," you can achieve the goal of "sitting steadily in the fishing boat no matter how the wind and waves rise." Don't believe it? See whether what the author says makes sense: 

1. Cottonseed hulls. The current price has reached about 1.10 yuan per kg, an increase of about 40% compared with previous years. Together with the rising cost of plastic bag materials and other items, production costs have increased by about 50% or more, which is indeed considerable pressure. However, everything has two sides. Cultivating edible mushrooms with cottonseed hulls clearly has the advantages of easy operation, reliable mycelial colonization, and stable yield. Comparatively speaking, especially for first-time growers, the benefits are stable and reassuring. Basic formula: cottonseed hulls 250 kg, superphosphate 5 kg, urea 1 kg, gypsum powder 3.5 kg, edible mushroom three-dimensional nutrient essence 120 g; when sowing from April to September, add lime powder 5 kg.

2. Corncobs. Because this raw material can be used as an industrial raw material for xylitol, furfural, and the like, its value has multiplied in recent years. Several years ago it was less than 0.10 yuan per kg, and in the past two years it has sharply increased to about 0.50 yuan, with processing costs of about 0.10 yuan. This is not much different from cottonseed hulls, and its biological efficiency is also about the same. Basic formula: corncobs 250 kg, soybean cake powder 5 kg, lime powder 5 kg, gypsum powder 2 kg, superphosphate 6 kg, urea 1 kg, mushroom disease eliminator 5 bags, edible mushroom three-dimensional nutrient essence 120 g (add and mix evenly after fermentation is completed, the same below).

3. Soybean stalks. This raw material is not very abundant in inland areas such as Shandong, but there are fairly large quantities in places such as Tai'an and Heze. This raw material contains the highest nitrogenous substances among all stalk-type raw materials. The author once mixed it with corncobs and other materials, and the cultivation effect was very ideal. The basic formula is: corncobs 100 kg, soybean stalks 150 kg, lime powder 5 kg, gypsum powder 2 kg, superphosphate 6 kg, mushroom disease eliminator 5 bags, edible mushroom three-dimensional nutrient essence 120 g.

4. Wheat straw and rice straw. This type of raw material is mostly used for cultivating straw mushrooms, button mushrooms, Agaricus blazei, and other varieties, and is rarely used for producing oyster mushrooms, lion's mane mushrooms, and the like. This is not to say it is completely unusable, but rather that this material is at least not the best choice, especially for wood-decaying fungi such as shiitake, lion's mane, and wood ear, whose colonization time and fruiting time are longer. As straw material, its components are mostly cellulose, with relatively low lignin content, making it difficult for the mycelium to decompose over a long period and maintain a basically full-bag state. Therefore, use it as much as possible for producing straw-decaying fungi. Formula for cultivating button mushrooms: wheat straw or rice straw 3000 kg, cow dung powder 3000 kg, superphosphate 60 kg, urea 60 kg, lime powder 80 kg, gypsum powder 80 kg, calcium carbonate 90 kg, edible mushroom three-dimensional nutrient essence (mixing type) 1440 g. Basic formula for cultivating straw mushrooms: wheat straw or rice straw 225 kg, wheat bran 25 kg, superphosphate 8 kg, urea 1.5 kg, lime powder 12 kg, gypsum powder 4 kg, mushroom disease eliminator 5 bags, edible mushroom three-dimensional nutrient essence 120 g.

5. Peanut vines, peanut shells, and millet stalks. These resources are relatively scarce, and wheat straw-type stalks can be referenced in production.

6. Cotton stalks. This raw material is somewhat similar to wood chips and contains a large amount of phloem tissue, which is very beneficial to the growth of edible mushroom mycelium. The author once used it as a cultivation material for shaggy mane mushrooms, and the effect was very ideal. The vast majority of mushroom growers are unwilling to use it because it is difficult to crush. Ordinary crushers cannot handle it; only wood chipper machinery can cut it up, after which it can be pulverized. According to surveys, most farmers burn it as firewood, which is a great pity. Formula for cultivating oyster mushrooms and shaggy mane mushrooms: cotton stalk powder (below 0.5 cm) 220 kg, wheat bran 30 kg, ternary compound fertilizer 3 kg, lime powder 10 kg, gypsum powder 5 kg, mushroom disease eliminator 5 bags, edible mushroom three-dimensional nutrient essence 120 g. When used for cultivating shiitake, it can be treated as wood chips for the formula. However, most cotton nowadays is a genetically modified variety, so products cultivated with cotton stalk powder must not be used for export.