What are the methods to stimulate mushroom logs to fruit early?

There are many methods to stimulate the growth and development of microorganisms, such as mechanical stimulation, ecological stimulation, physical stimulation, chemical stimulation, etc., but in the process of oyster mushroom cultivation, the following methods are generally used:

(1) Shocking the mycelium: when the oyster mushroom mycelium has fully colonized and a layer of mycelial film has formed on the bed, a flat wooden board can be used to pat the bed firmly, board by board, leaving numerous board marks on the bed. In this way, the mycelium is subjected to vibration, which increases the opportunities for biochemical reactions and promotes the mass and rapid differentiation of fruiting bodies.

(2) Scratch-and-break stimulation: after the mycelium has fully colonized, an iron hook can be used to scratch the surface of the substrate, which is called scratching. You can also puncture the substrate surface in spots or patches, remove the old mycelial skin and mushroom bases, and after callus tissue forms, nutrients accumulate and twist into primordia separately.

(3) Insertion stimulation: after the mycelium has fully colonized, insert a small wooden stick or small wooden board 2-3 cm deep into the bed, so that the vegetative mycelium touches or twines around the stick as it grows and spreads, forming a dense mycelial mass that promotes the mass formation of fruiting bodies.

(4) Temperature-difference stimulation: the oyster mushroom is a temperature-changing fruiting fungus. The greater the temperature difference, the faster the fruiting. For example, in winter cultivation, the daytime temperature is high, so a fire is lit for heating, while the nighttime temperature is low, yet the fire must be stopped. The day-night temperature difference can be artificially increased to 6-8 degrees C to prompt the mycelium to form primordia.

(5) Hormone stimulation: growth hormones have the effect of inducing cell division and growth and promoting body respiration; they can increase the mycelium's absorption of nutrients and enhance the activity of various enzymes, thereby promoting faster mycelial growth, earlier primordium formation, and increasing the yield of oyster mushrooms.