What are the methods for rehydrating shiitake mushrooms in spring?
How do you rehydrate shiitake mushrooms in spring? Please advise. After the mushroom logs in log-style shiitake cultivation have fruited through autumn and winter, their water content decreases. To increase shiitake yield, rehydration treatment is needed. There are two rehydration methods: the injection method and the soaking method. Here we mainly introduce rehydration by the injection method. The mushroom logs in the mushroom bed stay in place, and...
How do you rehydrate shiitake mushrooms in spring? Please advise.
After the mushroom logs in log-style shiitake cultivation have fruited through autumn and winter, their water content decreases. To increase shiitake yield, rehydration treatment is needed. There are two rehydration methods: the injection method and the soaking method. Here we mainly introduce rehydration by the injection method.
The mushroom logs in the mushroom bed stay in place. A plastic pipe 2 cm in diameter is installed along the direction of the bed. A main water pipe is set in the middle of the mushroom bed, and small water pipes branch off from the main water pipe. The small water pipes are about 50 cm long, and No. 12 needles are installed on them to control the water flow. Water is supplied by the main water pipe, and the other end is sealed. The water container is placed about 2 m above the mushroom logs, so that the water flow has pressure from the drop. When injecting water, a hole is made in the center of the log with an iron rod 6 mm in diameter, with a depth of about 3/4 of the log height; do not insert it all the way through, to avoid water loss during injection. Because the flow rate is controlled by the needle, the dripping water can be absorbed by the log without overflowing, and generally rehydration is completed in 15 minutes. After rehydration, cover with plastic film, control the temperature between 20°C and 22°C for mycelial growth, and exchange the air 1 to 2 times a day for 1 hour each time. Water injection provides the log with sufficient moisture and at the same time increases the wet-dry difference and temperature difference. After 6 days, mushroom buds begin to appear, the fruiting flush is obvious, and the fruiting bodies are evenly distributed. When the temperature rises above 23°C, primordium formation is inhibited. You should use the low temperatures in the morning to spray cold water to lower the temperature, stimulating the log to form primordia and produce another flush of mushrooms. Because of the rise in temperature and because the nutrients in the log are almost exhausted, the mycelium becomes weak and loses vigor, and log cultivation can then be ended.
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