What living conditions does the shiitake mushroom need to grow?
The living conditions required for the growth and development of the shiitake mushroom generally include water, nutrients, temperature, air, light, and pH level.
1. Nutrients
The shiitake mushroom is a wood-decaying fungus that lives by decomposing and absorbing the nutrients within wood. In sawdust cultivation, adding some nutrients to the substrate, such as rice bran, wheat bran, sugar, and trace elements, can promote good mycelial development and help achieve high quality and high yield of shiitake mushrooms.
2. Temperature
The shiitake mushroom is a low-temperature, temperature-variable fruiting fungus. The optimum temperature for its spore germination is 22-26°C; the mycelium grows within the range of 3-32°C, with an optimum of 10-28°C; the fruiting body develops at temperatures of 5-25°C, with an optimum of 12-18°C. Different shiitake varieties have different temperature requirements; for example, the "7402" variety produces the highest mushroom yield when the monthly average temperature is 12-17°C. Low temperatures and temperature fluctuations stimulate fruiting body formation; under constant temperature conditions, the primordium does not form mushroom buds.
3. Water
The shiitake mushroom has different requirements for water and humidity at different stages of growth and development. During mycelial growth, the moisture content of the substrate should preferably be 55%, and the relative air humidity around 70%; during the fruiting body development stage, a moisture content of 60% and a relative air humidity of 85-93% are suitable.
4. Air
The shiitake mushroom is an aerobic fungus. When oxygen is lacking, the mycelium tends to age, the fruiting bodies become deformed, and some molds and contaminant organisms readily breed.
5. Light
During growth and development, the shiitake mushroom needs scattered light of appropriate intensity. Scattered light can promote mycelial development as well as the transformation and deposition of pigments. During the fruiting body differentiation stage, without a certain amount of scattered light, the primordium is not easily formed. Under insufficient light, the grown shiitake mushrooms are pale in color, thin-fleshed, and long-stemmed, with poor quality. Of course, excessive direct light is also harmful.
6. pH level
The shiitake mushroom is suited to growing in slightly acidic substrate, with a suitable pH range of 3-7, of which 5 is the most suitable. In the case of sawdust cultivation, the pH of the cultivation block is generally preferably 3.5-5, with the optimum at around 4.
All of the above conditions are indispensable for the growth of the shiitake mushroom, and they complement one another. One-sidedly emphasizing one aspect while neglecting the other conditions is detrimental to the normal growth of the shiitake mushroom.