Key Points of Fast-Growing, High-Yield Cultivation Techniques for Lion's Mane Mushroom

Lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus) is a kind of edible fungus, and its fruiting body is fresh and meaty with a delicate fragrance and pleasant taste. In recent years, as the area under artificial cultivation of lion's mane has expanded year by year, the yield has also been continuously increasing. The fast-growing, high-yield cultivation techniques for lion's mane are summarized and introduced as follows.

1. Material selection and mixing

Select fresh, clean sawdust or cottonseed hulls as the raw material. If the raw material is not fresh, it should be exposed to strong sunlight for 2-3 days before use. For large-scale production, sufficient raw material should be prepared all at once and stored in a moisture-proof, well-ventilated site. When mixing, first mix 65% sawdust (if the sawdust is too fine, add an appropriate amount of wood shavings), 30% rice bran, and 5% garden soil evenly, then weigh out sugar equal to 1% of the total dry material, 0.2% urea, 0.3% ammonium nitrate, 0.5% magnesium sulfate, 2% gypsum powder, 1% superphosphate, and 0.1% monopotassium phosphate, add water at a ratio of total material : water = 1:1.2-1.3 and stir evenly, then add 0.01% potassium permanganate and stir thoroughly so that the water content reaches about 60% (it forms a ball when squeezed by hand with water marks between the fingers), and adjust the pH to 5.5-6. If cottonseed hulls are used as the raw material, the mixture can be prepared in the proportions of 90% cottonseed hulls, 3% garden soil, 5% wheat bran, 1% gypsum powder, and 1% sucrose, with a ratio of total material to water of 1:1.4; then add water to each ingredient separately, mix and blend them evenly, adjust the pH to 5.5-6, and the water content should be such that when the material is held in the hand, a slight amount of water seeps between the fingers. Never use excessive water, to prevent nutrients from leaching away with the water and affecting normal mycelial growth. If conditions permit, an appropriate amount of potato juice, soybean cake water, etc. may be added, all of which have varying degrees of yield-increasing effects.

2. Bag making and bag filling

Cut polypropylene plastic film into lengths of 50-60 cm and a width of 26 cm, fold it in half, and process it with a heat sealer into a slender tube, then seal one end to form a plastic bag. The bag edges and bag opening must be sealed tightly to prevent bacterial contamination. Then fill the mixed raw material into the bag, pressing it firmly while filling until full, then tie the bag opening tightly with string so that it forms a cylinder, and press it slightly flat so that it has a somewhat flat surface, which facilitates cultivation and arrangement.

3. Sterilization and inoculation

Place the filled culture bags in a sterilization pot for disinfection and sterilization. The sterilization time can be determined according to the volume of the pot and the amount of material loaded; generally, atmospheric steam sterilization at 100°C lasts 6-8 hours, after which they are taken out and placed in a cooling room, and inoculation is carried out when the material temperature drops to about 20°C. For inoculation, select spawn with snow-white, robust mycelium, vigorous growth, and no contamination by foreign microbes. In a sterile room or inoculation box, carry out inoculation strictly according to aseptic operating procedures; the entire procedure must be rigorous and rapid to prevent the invasion of foreign microbes. When inoculating, first open the mouth of the stock spawn (secondary expanded spawn) bottle, seal the opening with the flame of an alcohol lamp, then untie the mouth of the culture bag, quickly take out the stock spawn with an inoculation hook and insert it into the culture bag. The inoculation amount per bag is about 25-50 g. After inoculation, plug a cotton ball into the bag opening, with appropriate tightness, and tie the bag opening well, which is beneficial for general oxygen supply and promotes robust growth of lion's mane mycelium.

4. Cultivation and management

After inoculation, move the culture bags into the cultivation room and place them on the ground or on angle-iron shelving. The room temperature should preferably be controlled at 25-30°C; after about 30-35 days, the mycelium will have grown throughout the bags. Below 12°C growth is slow, and above 33°C ventilation and cooling are needed. After lion's mane primordia appear, the room temperature can be lowered to 18-28°C, but development is best and primordia form fastest at 20-23°C. When the primordia grow into nodular protrusions, tear a small hole in the plastic film on top of them, or untie the bag opening, and then lower the room temperature to 16-18°C. At this time, management should pay attention to ventilation and air exchange, opening doors and windows once each in the morning, noon, and evening, with each ventilation lasting about 15-20 minutes. The requirements for relative air humidity differ greatly among the stages: during the mycelial growth stage, generally 10%-20% is best; during the fruiting body growth stage, 90%-95% is suitable. Below 90%, growth is slow, the flesh is of poor quality, and the fruiting bodies are thin and small; below 90%, growth is slow, the flesh is of poor quality, and the fruiting bodies are thin and small; below 60%, primordia are very difficult to form, and even if young primordia appear, they soon dry up; above 95%, deformed primordia easily appear, mostly showing a loose, branched type, and they are prone to rot and deterioration. Lion's mane mushroom is light-loving and requires certain scattered light conditions; under completely dark conditions, although the mycelium can grow, it is very difficult to form fruiting bodies. Therefore, when cultivating lion's mane mushroom, the room must be kept bright, preferably with scattered light, avoiding direct sunlight. Generally, during the growth period of the lion's mane fruiting body, attention should be paid to frequent mist spraying to help increase yield.

Autumn has a cool climate, abundant rainfall, and relatively high air humidity, making it the best season for cultivating lion's mane mushroom. In other seasons, corresponding measures should be taken according to the environmental requirements of lion's mane mushroom for cultivation to succeed.

5. Harvesting

When the spherical mass of the fruiting body is covered with spines, and the spines are about 1 cm long and white in color, it can be harvested. When harvesting, press the bag with the left hand, hold the fruiting body tightly with the right hand and twist it slowly downward; note that the stipe should not be left with too high a stump, to avoid rotting after watering and attracting foreign microbes and insect pests.