What are the key technical points for soil casing in the log cultivation of reishi mushrooms (Ganoderma lucidum)?

In reishi log cultivation, applying a soil casing layer afterward can retain moisture, increase yield, and boost profits. In addition to the same operations as ordinary cultivation, the following technical points must also be mastered: 1. Site selection and preparation. Choose a place near a water source, with convenient transportation, sandy soil, flat terrain, shelter from wind, and no pollution. Determine the corresponding width according to the cultivation scale, preferably rectangular. Remove the weeds around it, clear away branches, leaves, and weeds, plow and break up the soil finely, level it, and then make beds 1 m to 3.4 m wide. The length of the beds depends on the site, and the depth of the beds depends on the length of the logs. 2. Selection and blending of casing soil. The casing soil used for cultivating reishi mushrooms must have good permeability, be rich in the various nutrients needed by reishi mushrooms, contain few contaminating fungi harmful to reishi mushrooms, and have suitable moisture, etc. Use sandy loam soil from nearby, or add some sawdust, etc., to improve permeability. To increase nutrients, organic materials such as rice husks and corn stalk powder can be added; to reduce contaminating fungi, pesticides such as lime and formalin can be used for eradication. In addition, attention must also be paid to preventing ants, insects, and waterlogging, etc. 3. Timely casing. Once the mycelium has fully grown through the logs, they should be promptly moved into the field and buried in beds with casing soil. In the beds, the spacing between fungus sticks should preferably be 5 cm to 10 cm. Fill the spaces between the fungus sticks with the prepared casing soil. The thickness of the casing soil depends on the moisture content of the logs, their moisture-retaining capacity, and environmental conditions. Sometimes leave the tops of the logs exposed by 2 cm to 3 cm, and sometimes cover the tops of the logs by 2 cm to 3 cm, varying accordingly. 4. Build a shade shed. Because the formation and growth of reishi mushrooms both require relatively high humidity, shade sheds must be built over the reishi beds. The sheds can be flat sheds or arched sheds. Use bamboo and wood as the frame, and cover it with straw, corn stalks, wheat straw, and other wild grasses. The height of the shed should be such that a person can enter to work. Enclose the two sides of the shed tightly, leave doors at both ends, and if necessary also install ventilation windows. If the shed is too wide, small sheds should also be built inside the large shed. It is best to complete the shed a few days before the reishi logs are put into the beds, and to sterilize and kill insects. 5. Scientific management and care. After the reishi logs are put into the shed, keep the air temperature at 24°C to 27°C and the relative air humidity at 85% to 90%. When mushrooms emerge, the shed temperature should be kept at 26°C to 30°C, the humidity at 88% to 94%, with a certain amount of scattered light and sufficient oxygen. Ventilate 2 times to 3 times a day, 20 minutes to 30 minutes each time. Do not spray water directly on the reishi buds. When the caps are 2 cm to 3 cm, water can be sprayed on the caps. 6. Harvest at proper maturity. About 50 days to 60 days after the reishi buds form, when the color of the edge of the cap is consistent with that of the center, and the cap and stem become hard, they should be harvested promptly. Harvesting too early results in low yield and poor quality; harvesting too late may lead to insect damage and also affects the emergence time of the next batch. When harvesting, leave 2 cm to 3 cm of the stem. After harvesting reishi mushrooms, stop spraying water for 4 days to 7 days. Then raise the humidity to 85% to 94%, keep the temperature at 24°C to 30°C, and after 7 days to 10 days, reishi buds will grow again in other places on the harvested stems. With the same management, another harvest can be taken after 25 days to 40 days. Depending on the size of the reishi logs, 1 batch to 2 batches can be harvested in the same year. In the second year, another 1 batch to 2 batches can be harvested. With soil casing for reishi mushrooms, the mycelium can absorb nutrients from the casing soil, and with the added moisture retention, the yield can therefore be increased by 15% to 25%.