Key Points of High-Yield Bag Cultivation Techniques for Tea Tree Mushroom

The tea tree mushroom, scientifically named Yangliu mushroom, also known as tea tree mushroom or tea mushroom, grows singly, in pairs, or in clusters, with a plump cap and crisp stipe; eaten fresh, it is crisp and refreshing with a delicious taste. When dried by roasting, it has an even more unique flavor, rich and fragrant, sweet and delicious, and is a highly popular mountain delicacy at folk weddings and festive banquets. It is suitable for year-round production to supply the market, and it has unique curative effects in lowering cholesterol, promoting diuresis, strengthening the spleen, and treating low fever and bedwetting in children. It is the latest high-yield, contaminant-resistant, beautifully shaped, wide-temperature, high-quality high-yield strain launched in recent years, among which "Tea Tree Mushroom No. 9" fruits at 12-35°C, with a conversion rate reaching over 100%, stable and high-yielding. It is a replacement variety for tea mushroom. Its cultivation techniques are as follows:

1. Season selection. The tea tree mushroom has a relatively wide growth temperature range; the mycelium can grow at 8-34°C, but 22-26°C is optimal; the fruiting body differentiation temperature is 13°C-32°C, with 20°C-28°C being most suitable. Based on the temperature characteristics of the tea tree mushroom, it can be cultivated in spring and autumn in northern regions, and year-round in southern provinces and regions. However, two key criteria must be well controlled: first, within 40-50 days after inoculation, the local temperature must not exceed 32°C; second, counting 60 days forward from the inoculation date into the fruiting period, the local temperature must not exceed 30°C and must not fall below 15°C.

2. Cultivation method. Bag cultivation on indoor tiered shelves is adopted, and it can also be intercropped in wild shiitake mushroom sheds during the summer fallow period. By opening the bags and increasing oxygen, the fruiting flushes are promoted and the fruiting rate is increased; this is currently a new technique for cultivating tea tree mushrooms.

3. Culture medium formula. Broadleaf tree sawdust and cottonseed hulls, etc., can all be used as culture material. Biological characteristics show that tea tree mushroom growth requires abundant nitrogen sources; therefore, a certain amount of wheat bran and corn flour needs to be added to the culture material.

4. Formula proportions. Sawdust medium (sawdust 73%, cottonseed hulls 10%, wheat bran 15%, lime powder 2%), cottonseed hull medium (cottonseed hulls 73%, sawdust 10%, bran 10%, lime powder 2%).

5. Mushroom bag production. Use 15 cm × 30 cm polyethylene plastic bags, mix the culture material evenly and adjust the water content to about 60%, fill each bag with 250-300 g dry material (500-600 g wet weight); the bag mouth may be left without a neck ring, simply folded down at the end, or tied securely with tying string. Sterilize under normal pressure, reaching a temperature of 100°C and maintaining it for about 15 hours.

6. Fruiting management. After inoculation, place at 20-28°C and culture for 40-60 days. After the mycelium fully colonizes the bag, the surface of the substrate gradually secretes yellow liquid and brown patches begin to appear. At this point, move them into the mushroom house, open the bag mouths, and increase the mushroom house temperature. After about 15 days, primordia appear; spray water once in the morning and evening in the space, maintain relative humidity at about 85%, and strengthen ventilation and scattered light to promote robust growth of the fruiting bodies, deepen their color, and increase the marketable rate.

7. Pest and disease control. Select spawn with vigorous mycelial growth to improve its own stress resistance; before the bags enter the shed, remove the parts contaminated by competing microorganisms and fruit them separately to prevent cross-infection; the mushroom shed must undergo strict and thorough disinfection treatment; during fruiting management, efforts should be made to create environmental conditions suitable for mushroom body growth, maintain the growth advantage of the fruiting bodies, and enhance their own immunity; toxic pesticides are prohibited during the fruiting period to avoid affecting food safety.

8. Harvesting and processing. The fruiting bodies of the tea tree mushroom fall off easily, and the flushes are not obvious; harvesting must be timely and must not be over-mature, so as not to affect quality. Maturity is judged by the standard that the veil has not broken; after harvesting, light and temperature management still need to be strengthened to promote the regeneration of a second flush of mushrooms.