How to increase the yield of edible mushrooms? Introduction to practical methods

1. Scratching method: When the mycelium has covered the surface of the substrate, gently sweep a clean bamboo broom back and forth over the substrate surface to remove or break up the spindly surface mycelium and old mycelium. After new mycelium is exposed, spray water and cover with plastic film to retain moisture and warmth; primordia will appear and mushrooms will fruit in about 7 days, generally increasing the yield by about 10%.

2. Startling method: After the substrate is fully covered with mycelium, press and pat the substrate surface with flexible wooden slats to vibrate it. When doing this, apply force evenly, do not leave deep marks, and do not damage the substrate surface. This can promote accelerated mycelial growth and rapid differentiation of fruiting bodies. This method is suitable for shiitake (Lentinula edodes), oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus), phoenix mushroom (Pleurotus pulmonarius) and wood ear (Auricularia auricula-judae), generally increasing biological efficiency by about 15%.

3. Contact method: Cover the substrate surface with old newspapers, burlap sacks or fine soil; the pressure stimulus can promote rapid mycelial growth. Alternatively, insert sterilized small wooden sticks about 2 cm deep into the substrate, with a stick spacing of about 15 cm x 15 cm, so that as the mycelium grows and spreads it touches the small wooden sticks and wraps around them, forming a uniformly dense mycelial mass that develops into mushroom buds and fruiting bodies, generally increasing the yield by about 20%.

4. Hole-punching and sand-filling method: Punching holes in the substrate surface of the bed and filling them with sand can improve the aeration of the mushroom bed, enhance the water-holding capacity of the substrate surface, and make mushrooms emerge evenly on the bed surface with large caps and thick flesh. The method is: at sowing time, use a conical wooden stick 1.5 cm in diameter and 30 cm long to punch holes in a plum-blossom pattern at a spacing of 30 cm between plants and between rows, with the holes reaching the bottom of the substrate; two days later, fill the holes with yellow sand (the sand should be soaked and disinfected with 1% potassium permanganate solution) until it is about 1 cm above the substrate surface, and at the same time pour 0.5% limewater into the holes. Using this method can bring mushrooms out 4 days earlier, with uniform, plump fruiting, and biological efficiency can be increased by 28%.

5. Plant ash mulching method: When sowing in early spring, the temperature is low, mycelial development and growth are slow, and contamination by weed molds is easy. If a layer of plant ash is spread on the surface, because plant ash has a strong ability to absorb light and heat, it can raise the temperature of the bed and promote rapid mycelial development. Plant ash can also provide some nutrients for the mycelium and inhibit the growth of weed molds, increasing the yield by more than 10%.

6. Magnetized water treatment method: When the mycelium has fully grown and the first flush of mushrooms is forming, spray with 4000 gauss magnetized water; this can bring mushrooms out 7-15 days earlier, shorten the production period by about 10 days, add 1-2 flushes of mushrooms, and increase the yield by more than 15%.

7. Temperature-difference stimulation method: During the fruiting body formation stage of oyster mushroom, giving a daily temperature difference stimulus of 7 degC-12 degC can promote earlier fruiting and make the fruiting bodies develop uniformly. The method is: cover with film during the day to keep warm; on sunny evenings or mornings, uncover the film to expose the bed, ventilate and cool it down, and combine this with high-humidity watering to induce fruiting.

8. Chemical stimulation method: When preparing the substrate, appropriately add phosphates, sulfates, vitamin B1, etc., to ensure increased yield; spraying 0.5-1 mg/kg triacontanol at the young bud stage can increase the yield by about 15%; spraying 500 mg/kg ethephon solution 3 times in succession at the bud stage, young mushroom stage and cap expansion stage of oyster mushroom, 50 ml per square meter each time, can promote primordium formation and early ripening, increasing the yield by about 20%.