Technical Methods for Bag Cultivation of Edible Mushrooms in Mushroom Houses and Mushroom Sheds

1. Cultivation site and setup. Bag cultivation uses the shelf cultivation method in mushroom houses (sheds). Choose a clean, well-ventilated room; set up 4 to 5 tiers of bed frames indoors, with a tier spacing of 50 cm and the bottom tier 30 cm above the ground. Place the mushroom bags upright in a single layer on the shelves, with 100 bags per sq m.

2. Cultivation materials and formulas. (1) 23% mixed sawdust, 23% cottonseed hulls, 28% bean stalk powder, 19% wheat bran, 5% cornmeal, 1% sucrose, 1% calcium carbonate; (2) 36% mixed sawdust, 25% cottonseed hulls, 2% bean stalk powder, 18% corncob, 15% wheat bran, 2% cornmeal, 1% gypsum powder, 1% superphosphate; (3) 40% cottonseed hulls, 20% sawdust, 20% corncob, 18% wheat bran, 2% gypsum powder; (4) 60% corncob, 20% sawdust, 18% wheat bran, 2% gypsum powder; (5) 70% bagasse, 20% rice bran, 7% cornmeal, 1% sucrose, 1% superphosphate, 1% gypsum powder.

3. Mixing, bagging, and sterilization. The plastic bags are tubular film bags measuring 17 cm x 34-38 cm x 0.05 cm. For autumn cultivation, use polypropylene bags; for low-temperature winter periods, high-density low-pressure polyethylene bags are preferable. Weigh the substrate according to the formula proportions, mix thoroughly, and adjust the moisture content to 62%-68%. The pH is natural. Fill each bag with 600-800 g of wet substrate, fold the bag opening, tie it closed with string, and sterilize under normal pressure at 100 degrees C for 12-14 hours. When the bag temperature drops below 28 degrees C, inoculate under sterile conditions; each bottle of spawn (750 ml) can inoculate 40 bags; when the natural temperature is relatively low, appropriately increase the inoculation amount, with each bottle of spawn inoculating 20 bags. After inoculation, place the bags upright on the shelves, cultivate in the dark, and maintain the room temperature at 25 degrees C.

4. Fruiting management. (1) Timing of opening the bags. After the bags are inoculated, in a cultivation room at 25 degrees C, 70% relative air humidity, and relatively dim light, the mycelium can fully colonize the entire bag after 30-40 days. Continue cultivating for 10-20 days to provide conditions for primordium induction. Do not open the bags when the temperature is above 20 degrees C; opening the bags at 10-18 degrees C is best. When opening the bags, roll the bag film outward and fold it down to about 2 cm above the substrate surface, or cut away the bag film at the substrate surface. If primordia on the substrate surface are too dense, thin them out, keeping 3-4 robust mushroom buds per bag. Then stand the bags upright on the shelves, leaving some gaps between the bags. If using 15 cm x 55 cm bags (each bag can hold 0.8 kg-1 kg of dry substrate), you can switch to wall-style cultivation, arranging the bag openings in a crisscross pattern so that mushrooms can grow from both sides of the mushroom wall. (2) Temperature control. The temperature should be controlled at 10-20 degrees C. (3) Humidity management. During the primordium formation stage, maintain the relative air humidity in the mushroom house at 85%-95%; when the caps grow to 2-3 cm in diameter, the relative air humidity should be 85%. (4) Ventilation management. During fruiting body primordium formation, focus on moisture retention, and ventilation can be moderately reduced. As the fruiting bodies grow and develop, correspondingly increase the ventilation frequency and extend the ventilation time. In low-temperature seasons, if the bed surface is covered with plastic film, uncover the film once or twice a day for ventilation. When mushroom buds appear in large numbers, uncover the film promptly and increase ventilation. (5) Light management. The growth and development of fruiting bodies require sufficient diffused light, and light regulation should take other factors in the mushroom house into consideration. When the temperature is low, light intensity can be increased; when the temperature is high, light should be reduced.