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Key Points for Summer Management and Harvesting of Shiitake Mushroom Logs in Segment Wood Cultivation

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1. Summer management of mushroom logs. In Jiangnan, the plum rain season ends in late June, and the temperature stabilizes above 22°C, marking the start of midsummer. During this stage, mountain mushroom yards have relatively high temperatures and frequent thunderstorms. Mushroom log management should focus on ventilation and humidity reduction, and it is also necessary to prevent the logs from being exposed to the sun and losing their bark. At the same time, work such as clearing weeds and preventing the growth of contaminating fungi should be done well, so that the logs can pass through summer smoothly and accumulate a large amount of nutrients for the next mushroom season. In addition, when moving mushroom logs, care must be taken to protect the bark to prevent it from falling off. 2. Harvesting. Because the climate differs between the spring and autumn fruiting stages,

1. Summer management of mushroom logs. In Jiangnan, the plum rain season ends in late June, and the temperature stabilizes above 22°C, marking the start of midsummer. During this stage, mountain mushroom yards have relatively high temperatures and frequent thunderstorms. Mushroom log management should focus on ventilation and humidity reduction, and it is also necessary to prevent the logs from being exposed to the sun and losing their bark. At the same time, work such as clearing weeds and preventing the growth of contaminating fungi should be done well, so that the logs can pass through summer smoothly and accumulate a large amount of nutrients for the next mushroom season. In addition, when moving mushroom logs, care must be taken to protect the bark to prevent it from falling off.

2. Harvesting. Because the climate differs between the spring and autumn fruiting stages, the mushroom buds need 5 to 15 days to grow before they can be harvested. The suitable harvest time for shiitake mushrooms is when the caps are 60% to 70% open, the edges are still curled inward, and the partial veil at the cap margin is clearly visible. If harvesting is delayed past the proper time, the caps become thinner, the stipes become thicker, and quality declines. The quality of shiitake mushrooms is related to the air temperature during fruiting body development. If there is snowfall, fruiting body development is slow, the mushroom flesh is thick, and radial cracks (crazing) form on the caps, producing flower winter mushrooms, which are high-quality premium mushrooms; if rainfall is moderate and the temperature is low, the fruiting bodies develop into chrysanthemum-shaped thick mushrooms; if the temperature is relatively high and rainfall is somewhat excessive, the fruiting bodies develop rapidly, the mushroom flesh is thin, and they become thin mushrooms; caps with a diameter below 1.5 cm are classified as mushroom buttons. Shiitake mushrooms are best picked on sunny days so they can be dried. If picked on rainy days, they easily turn black after drying and lose their aroma and marketable appearance. When picking, hold the base of the stipe with your hand, gently twist, and pull it up; at the same time, be careful to protect the bark, prevent tearing off strips of bark, and do not leave broken stipe remnants on the mushroom log, so as to prevent the log from rotting. Because fruiting bodies on the same mushroom log develop unevenly, harvesting must be done carefully to avoid bruising the surrounding small mushroom buds. The harvested shiitake mushrooms should be placed in bamboo woven containers, handled gently, and kept ventilated. They must not be placed in plastic baskets, to prevent them from being spoiled.

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