How much do straw mushroom spawns cost? A detailed guide to cultivation methods
Straw mushroom is also known as orchid mushroom, bud-foot mushroom, Chinese mushroom, etc. It gets its name because it often grows in moist, rotting rice straw. It is the third largest cultivated edible mushroom in the world. China began artificial cultivation 300 years ago, and in about the 1930s it was introduced to countries around the world by overseas Chinese. China's straw mushroom output ranks first in the world. Let's take a look at straw mushroom spawn prices and cultivation methods below!
Straw mushroom spawn prices
The price of straw mushroom spawn varies depending on variety, quality, etc. For example, a 475 g bag of straw mushroom spawn sufficient to sow 1.5-2 sq m costs about 4-5 yuan each. Straw mushroom originated at Nanhua Temple in Shaoguan, Guangdong. It is very nutritious and delicious, plump, thick-fleshed, short-stemmed and smooth, hence the names orchid mushroom and delicious wrapped-foot mushroom. It is mostly produced in Guangdong and Guangxi, Fujian, Jiangxi, Taiwan, China and other places.
Cultivation conditions for straw mushroom
1. Temperature: Straw mushroom is a high-temperature fungus, with a growth and development temperature of 10-44°C. Different growth and development stages have different temperature requirements. The germination temperature of basidiospores is 30-40°C, the mycelium can grow at 10-44°C, and the fruiting body development temperature is most suitable at 28-32°C.
2. Moisture: Straw mushroom is suitable for growing under relatively high humidity conditions. The water content of the substrate is about 70%, and the relative air humidity of 90-95% is suitable. When air humidity is below 80%, the fruiting bodies grow slowly and the surface is rough and lusterless; when it is above 96%, the mushrooms are prone to necrosis and disease.
3. Light: In the vegetative growth stage, straw mushroom does not have strict light requirements and can grow normally under dark conditions. When it enters the reproductive growth stage, light induction is needed to produce fruiting bodies. However, strong light should be avoided. Suitable light is 50-100 lx. The color of the fruiting body is related to the intensity of light.
4. Nutrients: Glucose, fructose, sucrose, peptone, asparagine, glutamine, etc. are all good carbon and nitrogen sources for straw mushroom. Rice straw, waste cotton, bagasse, etc. are the main materials for cultivating straw mushroom.
5. pH: Straw mushroom requires a pH between 4 and 10.3. The basidiospore germination rate is highest at pH 7.5. In the mycelium and fruiting body stages, pH 4.7-6.5 and 8 are suitable.
Straw mushroom substrate formulas
1. Waste cotton 69-79%, rice straw 10%, wheat bran 5-15%, lime 6-8%, pH 8-9, water content 68-70%
2. Waste cotton 100 kg, rice straw powder 12.5-25 kg, bran 25 kg, dried cow dung 12.5 kg, superphosphate 2.5 kg, calcium carbonate 2.5 kg, water content 65-68%.
3. Bagasse 100 kg, bran 15-20 kg, lime 3 kg, water content 60%.
4. Rice straw 100 kg, rice straw powder 30 kg, dried cow dung 15 kg, gypsum powder 1 kg, water content 60-65%.
Cultivation methods for straw mushroom
1. Suitable cultivation period: Sowing straw mushroom too early is not conducive to growth because of low temperature, while sowing too late affects the production of autumn and winter vegetables. After the winter and spring vegetable production ends, the plot can be cleared, the greenhouse disinfected, fumigated with sulfur, and the soil treated with dichlorvos or trichlorfon.
2. Substrate treatment: The straw mushroom cultivation substrate must be fresh, dry and free of mold. Before use, sun-dry it for 2-3 days, then thoroughly mix 100 kg wheat bran with 10 kg lime and place it in a water tank. Cover the top tightly with plastic film. After fully soaking for 24-36 hours, take it out.
3. Cultivation methods
① Making beds: Straw mushroom cultivation beds run north-south, with a width of 1 m and a length depending on the greenhouse width. The bed depth is 8-10 cm, and the spacing between beds is 30-50 cm. The soil dug from the beds is temporarily placed on the bed ridges.
② Laying substrate: Spread the soaked substrate in the bed in a turtle-back shape, or in a wave shape. The thick part of the substrate ridge is 15 cm, and the substrate on both sides is 5-8 cm thick. Use 15-20 kg per sq m.
③ Sowing: Break the prepared spawn into small pieces 1-2 cm square and use the hole-sowing method with a hole spacing of 8-10 cm. Evenly sow the spawn into the substrate at a depth of 1 cm, sowing 10-15 g of spawn per hole. Then cover the substrate with the soil from the bed ridges.
④ Covering with soil: Do not use clay or sandy soil for covering, and it must not be too dry or too wet. The covering soil thickness should be 1 cm thicker than the substrate ridge and 3-5 cm thick in the substrate furrows. Then use a sterilized wooden stick 2 cm in diameter to poke aeration holes with a spacing of 10 cm, and the depth should preferably penetrate the substrate.
4. Cultivation management
① Temperature: 1-2 days after sowing, lower the temperature by uncovering the film to keep the substrate temperature at 35-38°C, and keep the air temperature in the greenhouse at about 35°C.
② Humidity: 3-4 days after sowing, the mycelium has basically fully colonized. If the air humidity in the greenhouse is insufficient due to ventilation, spray 2% lime water once.
③ Ventilation: During the mycelium growth period, ventilate for 15-20 minutes at noon every day. During the fruiting body growth period, ventilate 2-3 times a day for 20 minutes each time.
④ Light: Straw mushroom can grow normally under dark conditions. Cover the greenhouse with straw mats, and scattered light is suitable.
⑤ Pests: The main pests include mites, mushroom flies and click beetles, etc. They can be controlled by spraying 80% dichlorvos emulsifiable concentrate at 800-1000 times dilution.
5. Timely harvesting: Straw mushroom is generally best harvested when the slightly pointed pagoda shape at the top becomes oval, the mushroom body is plump and smooth, it feels slightly soft when pinched by hand, the color changes from dark to light, the membrane has not ruptured, and the cap and stipe have not extended out.