Eight Practical Measures for High-Quality, High-Yield Cultivation of Lion's Mane Mushroom
Lion's mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) is a mid-to-high-grade edible fungus with a distinctive flavor and high nutritional and health value. As people's living standards rise, the market for fresh lion's mane mushroom is gradually expanding. Popularizing its cultivation can both meet consumer demand and help mushroom growers become more prosperous. The techniques are described below: ...
Select good strains. First, the mother cultures used for production should have excellent traits, shown by fast growth that is even and uniform, filling the slant within two weeks at the optimal temperature. When preserved in a refrigerator, primordia often form, and microscopic examination reveals a small number of chlamydospores; if there are too many spores, the yield tends to be low. If the mycelium turns yellow, is thin and weak, or sparse, it indicates strain degeneration. Uneven or irregular growth, or antagonistic reactions, indicate that the strain is impure, and none of these should be used. All stock cultures should be dense and white, uniform from top to bottom, with no interruptions in the mycelium and vigorous surface mycelium. If the substrate has shrunk and dried, separates from the wall of the container, and the color has darkened, it indicates the strain has aged. If stripes and spots of various colors appear around the wall, it shows the strain is contaminated and cannot be used. Second, the age of the strain must be appropriate; generally, mother cultures and stock cultures kept in a refrigerator should not exceed 3 months, and at room temperature (20°C) should not exceed 20 days. If the strain is too old, its vigor declines, resulting not only in slow growth and low yield but also poor stress resistance and extreme susceptibility to contamination. In addition, choose excellent varieties suited to local production.Cultivate at the right time. The optimal temperature for the mycelium of lion's mane mushroom is around 24°C, and the suitable temperature for fruiting bodies is 18-20°C. This fungus is very sensitive to environmental conditions, especially at the fruiting body stage when it is sensitive to temperature. When the air temperature is above 25°C or below 12°C, normal fruiting bodies cannot form, showing no spines, yellowing, clustering, deformity or reddening, and growth stops. In northern cultivation, inoculation in February or September is best, with mushroom production in March-April or October-November; in the south, spring and autumn cultivation can be advanced or delayed by 20-30 days respectively. Practice has shown that in the north, spring cultivation should not have mushroom production later than mid-March, to avoid the mushroom period encountering high temperatures above 25°C, which causes reduced yield and lower quality. For autumn cultivation, if the temperature is on the low side (below 30°C), inoculation can be done as early as possible, so that mushroom production ends before the temperature drops below 12°C.
Raw material formulation. Raw material formulation is the basis for achieving stable and high yields. The culture material for stock cultures and cultivation spawn can be sourced locally; a commonly used formula: cottonseed hulls 87%, wheat bran 10%, sucrose 1%, gypsum 1%, sawdust 1%. Studies have shown that, within a certain range, increasing the amount of wheat bran added to the medium raises the yield, but there is a limit. For cultivation with cottonseed hulls, the amount of wheat bran should not exceed 15%, otherwise it not only increases costs but also causes the fruiting bodies to branch loosely, taking on a cauliflower-like or coral-like form, reducing quality. To improve yield and quality, when mixing the material, add as much water as the allowed range permits; a material-to-water ratio of 1:1.5-1.6 is better, so that the first flush mushrooms are large with heavy heads, white in color and good in taste, with good commercial quality.
Small-bag cultivation. Practice has shown that cultivating lion's mane mushroom in small bags (14 cm x 30 cm) with ring collars and inoculation at both ends results in early mushroom production and high yield. Generally, the first flush is 2-5 days earlier, and the head diameter reaches 8-9 cm. When filling the bags, make them tight outside and loose inside to prevent the substrate from losing water and affecting normal mushroom production. In addition, fill the material fully and leave little space, to avoid overly long stems that consume too many nutrients.
Thorough sterilization. Thorough sterilization is the key to ensuring the rate of usable finished bags. For autoclaving small bags, maintain a pressure of 14.7 x 10⁴ Pa for 1.5-1.8 hours, and for large bags for 1.8-2.4 hours; for atmospheric-pressure sterilization, maintaining 100°C for 4 hours and then holding for another 4 hours is preferable; if the temperature is insufficient, the sterilization time must be extended. Autoclaving also requires preventing the bags from swelling with gas and bursting, so when filling material and tying off the mouth, do not tie too tightly; during sterilization, use the method of opening the valve to heat, raising the temperature with a gentle fire, slowly releasing steam, and letting the pressure drop naturally to control swelling. To prevent holes in the bag surface, after sterilization dip the material bags while hot in thick limewater with a pH value of 13, which can noticeably increase the rate of usable bags.
Ventilation and moisture retention during the mushroom period. The focus of lion's mane mushroom cultivation management is the mushroom period, and the key to managing the mushroom period is temperature control, ventilation and moisture retention. In small-bag cultivation, primordia begin to form after 19-24 days, and at this point the bags should be moved into the mushroom house and opened in time for ventilation, to prevent the primordia from shrinking and delaying mushroom production. For log cultivation, a 1-2 cm cross-shaped cut can be made with a small knife where the mycelium has knotted, to increase oxygen and promote fruiting body differentiation. After opening, increase humidity by spraying atomized water so that the relative air humidity reaches 80%-90%. After mushrooms emerge, never spray water on the young buds, otherwise water seeping into the bag will cause the young mushrooms to shrink and then spoil and rot; spray little but often, and as the fruiting bodies grow faster, increase the amount of water. If the temperature is high and ventilation is poor, spray less or not at all; if ventilation is good and the temperature is suitable, spray more and often. The fruiting body is extremely sensitive to carbon dioxide; when the carbon dioxide concentration in the air exceeds 0.1%, it stimulates continuous differentiation of the mushroom stem, forming cauliflower-like or coral-like fruiting bodies and reducing palatability. Therefore, ventilation must be strengthened, 2-3 times a day for 30 minutes each time. Windows can also be kept open to ensure fresh air, but do not let air blow directly onto the fruiting bodies, to prevent discoloration and shrinking.
Timely harvesting and water replenishment. Lion's mane mushroom generally takes about 10 days from bud emergence to maturity. Because uses differ, harvesting standards vary. For fresh eating, canning or salting, harvesting when the spines are 0.3-0.5 cm long is best; at this time the mushroom body is solid and heavy, with good palatability. If the spines grow longer than 1 cm, the mushroom begins to release spores, which inevitably reduces nutrition, while the mushroom body softens and the taste declines. When harvesting, cut it off with a small knife, leaving a 1-2 cm mushroom stem. To increase yield, after harvesting the first flush, stop watering for 3 days and ventilate for 1 day, so that the cut surface of the mushroom base shrinks, then use a bamboo chopstick to punch 2 holes 8-10 cm deep in the end of the bag, and depending on bag size, replenish 50-100 ml of water into each. After 24 hours, drain off excess water, and culture at the optimal temperature for 7-10 days to produce a second flush.
Casing soil in the later stage to prevent contamination. After the second flush, the bags lose water severely, the lion's mane mycelium weakens, its vigor declines, and it is easily contaminated. Especially in a warm, humid environment, it is extremely susceptible to infection by Trichoderma viride. This fungus is an aerobic type that likes warmth and moisture, and once it occurs, it is very difficult to control. Therefore, casing soil cultivation can be carried out; the specific operation: first spread soil 5-6 cm on the ground, then remove the outer bags and place the fungus bags longitudinally in two rows, with 10-12 cm between rows and 2-3 cm between bags; after arranging, add soil 3-4 cm to each layer, fill the gaps with soil, moisten with water, then build the second layer; usually 6-8 layers can be built. Smooth the two sides of the fungus wall with mud, 1-2 cm thick, and seal the top of the wall with mud formed into a groove to facilitate water replenishment and moisture retention. This treatment can both prevent mold and provide water and nutrients for the growth of lion's mane fruiting bodies, and usually 2-3 more flushes of mushrooms can be produced. A bed-style casing soil method can also be used, which is even more conducive to water replenishment.