Application Methods of Lime in Edible Mushroom Production

Lime has a significant disinfection and sterilization effect and is also rich in calcium, giving it a wide range of uses in edible mushroom production.

1. Application on the site: Clear the weeds around the site, spread a layer of lime powder, then clean the cultivation room thoroughly, spray conventional insecticide, and spread another layer of lime powder. This can kill some contaminating microorganisms and reduce the contamination baseline, especially bacterial contamination, and can also prevent pests such as slugs from invading the site and causing damage.

2. Application in the substrate: Most edible mushrooms can grow normally in a slightly alkaline substrate, except acid-loving edible mushrooms such as lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus). Adding 1%-2% lime to the substrate can basically control contaminating microorganism contamination in raw-material cultivation. Practice has shown that for oyster mushrooms cultivated from raw materials, adding 2% lime compared with adding no lime gives a contamination rate of contaminating microorganisms below 2% for the former and as high as 20%-30% for the latter. This is because the material without added lime becomes fairly acidic after piling and fermentation, with pH generally below 5-6, which is suitable for the breeding of various contaminating microorganisms and easily causes explosive contamination by them. In contrast, the substrate with added lime is alkaline and can maintain a pH of around 8 after fermentation, making it harder for contaminating microorganisms to grow, thereby achieving the goal of controlling them. In addition, because lime contains a large amount of calcium, after use the mycelium is thick and white, and it can also enhance the firmness of the mushroom blocks and increase yield.

3. Application in rodent prevention and pest control: Because the mycelium has a special fragrance, mice very much like to gnaw on it. If lime is used together with chemical rodent control, the result is twice as effective with half the effort. A layer of lime powder can be spread at the entrances and exits of the spawn-running room, and mice will be afraid of inhaling the lime and stop advancing.