How to Grow Enoki Mushrooms? Detailed Explanation of Planting Methods and Key Technical Points

Enoki mushrooms (Flammulina velutipes) are a very popular edible fungus. Young people today like to use them in cold dressed dishes and as an ingredient for hot pot. They taste excellent, and most importantly, they are rich in nutrients such as amino acids and protein. They are very low in calories, making them ideal for people trying to lose weight. They can also help treat constipation, promote digestion, and aid detoxification. However, because their value is relatively high and their yield is not large, today let us learn together how to grow enoki mushrooms.

1. Nutrient Medium Preparation

Since enoki mushrooms develop from a kind of mycelium, before planting we need to prepare the nutrient medium for cultivating this mycelium. Usually we mainly use cottonseed hulls as the base, then add appropriate amounts of wheat bran, gypsum, sawdust, and corn cobs. These materials are then piled on disinfected ground, and an appropriate amount of water is added and stirred evenly. They must be stirred at least three times a day, and after three days the material can be bagged.

2. Inoculation Management

First, we need to sterilize the bagged nutrient medium under high temperature or high pressure, then place the medium into the inoculation room and spread it evenly on the inoculation bed, usually at a thickness of five to eight cm. Then the medium is cooled down, preferably to around 25°C. Finally, the spawn is evenly inoculated into the culture medium for cultivation. Special attention should be paid to the fact that during inoculation, the inoculating personnel and all utensils must be sterilized, so as not to affect the success rate of enoki mushroom inoculation.

3. Mycelium Emergence Management

The most important part of mycelium emergence management is managing the temperature, moisture, ventilation, and other fungi in the emergence room. First, we need to regulate the indoor temperature to around 20 to 25°C. Then, as the mycelium grows, the indoor temperature will rise, so the temperature should be lowered by two to three degrees as appropriate. It generally takes about one month for mycelium emergence to fully succeed, so at this stage we also need to remove other fungal species from the medium to avoid affecting the growth of the enoki mycelium.

4. Fruiting Body Management

Fruiting body management actually means that the mycelium has basically completed its development, and at this point we can see the fruiting bodies of the mycelium. So we need to scrape off the older mycelium on the surface, which promotes the growth of the mycelium. Next, the indoor temperature should be lowered again, maintained at around 10 to 15°C, and the air humidity should reach at least 91 to 92 percent. At the same time, indoor air circulation should be maintained, so that the enoki mushrooms grown will be more tender and taste better.

5. Timely Harvesting

Enoki mushrooms easily become old, so we need to harvest the mature ones in time. Generally, harvesting should be carried out when the enoki mushrooms have grown to about 12 to 15 cm. When harvesting, we should gently hold the stipe of the enoki mushroom, then slowly shake it, and finally pull the enoki mushroom out. Then follow the same methods for mycelium emergence management and fruiting body management, so that a second harvest can be reached quickly.