What to Do If Blue Mushrooms Appear? Introduction to the Correct Handling Method

The symptom of blue mushrooms is that when the mushroom body grows, a blue halo forms at the edge of the cap. In severe cases, the entire mushroom body looks as if blue ink has been splashed on it, and it does not disappear even after the mushroom body is harvested. The main causes of blue mushrooms are:

(1) Heating the mushroom shed with coal, firewood and other fuels causes carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide poisoning in the mushroom body, stimulating changes in the components within the mushroom body and producing a discoloration reaction.

(2) Using poor-quality new plastic film as covering material: due to the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the film and the relatively high humidity inside the film, many small water droplets easily condense inside the film. The droplets contain some soluble toxic chemical substances that seep out from the film. When the droplets fall on the mushroom buds and the caps of the fruiting bodies, they are absorbed by the oyster mushroom cells and cause poisoning, turning them blue. Blue mushrooms mostly occur in Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus pulmonarius; other species have strong resistance to carbon monoxide and are not prone to it.

Prevention methods: ventilate the mushroom shed frequently. When heating is needed because of low temperatures, it is best to use sunlight, soil heating, or electric heating. When heating with coal fires, wood fires and similar methods, a closed heat-transfer and smoke-exhaust pipe should be installed. Choose better-quality plastic film as the covering material to prevent harmful toxic water droplets from falling on the caps and causing discoloration.