What should be noted when cultivating shiitake mushrooms off-season?

Shiitake mushrooms cultivated off-season can usually fruit in spring; such shiitake mushrooms are of good quality, fetch a high price, and have a good market. To develop shiitake cultivation in the future, the number of off-season crops must be increased, so that supplies are available to the market year-round and economic returns can also be raised.

The principles and methods of off-season cultivation are basically the same as those of spring cultivation, but the following four points should be noted:

1. Inoculation season: inoculation should be carried out when the local average temperature is steadily below 10°C.

2. During the spawn-running process, the temperature requirement of 7-13°C should be met as much as possible; spawn running can be carried out in a greenhouse or a single-board machine room (referring to a room with a temperature of 0-13°C).

3. Color change: the color change of shiitake mushrooms must be completed at a temperature above 15°C and under light conditions. Therefore, after spawn running is finished, conditions can be created or the color change can be carried out in the following spring.

4. After the color change, the temperature should be raised as much as possible, but not above 25°C, because effective accumulated temperature and an increased amount of spawn are the prerequisites for ensuring early fruiting in spring.