How to cultivate high-temperature oyster mushrooms? Detailed explanation of key technical points

Late spring and early summer is a good time to cultivate oyster mushrooms. Because high-temperature oyster mushrooms fruit during periods of high air temperature and are prone to many diseases, the planted quantity is relatively small, but their price is 2 to 3 times that of the autumn-winter period. High-temperature oyster mushroom cultivation is technically difficult and the success rate is extremely low, so how to obtain high quality and high yield is a matter of greater concern to mushroom growers.

Variety selection

Many mushroom growers fail in cultivating high-temperature oyster mushrooms, mostly due to mistakes in variety selection. Some growers do not clarify the temperature type of the variety and plant casually, resulting in no fruiting or failure of mycelial growth because the temperature type is wrong, so it is essential to obtain spawn from research institutions with high credibility.

Ensuring spawn quality

To achieve high and stable yields of high-temperature oyster mushrooms, it is important to master the correct production process for spawn and ensure good spawn quality. Good spawn can increase yield by more than 30% compared with inferior spawn, and the mushrooms fruit robustly with very few pests and diseases.

Site selection

The fruiting site for high-temperature oyster mushrooms can be a large arched shed, a semi-underground mushroom shed, an idle summer vegetable shed, an abandoned house, etc. The requirement is that the covering on the shed must be thick, with good ventilation and convenient drainage.

Bag making

Two methods can be used: bag making with sterilized substrate and bag making with fermented substrate. Raw material cultivation must not be used, otherwise production will fail.

Bag making with sterilized substrate Sterilized substrate cultivation refers to the method in which the substrate is first sterilized at high temperature after being formulated, and then inoculated and colonized. This method is the most suitable for cultivating high-temperature oyster mushrooms. Its advantages are: 1) after high-temperature sterilization of the substrate, the nutrients in the substrate can be fully decomposed, and the mycelium's nutrient utilization rate of the substrate is high; 2) with this method, various nutrients can be safely added to the substrate without worrying about contaminating bacteria infecting the bags during the colonization period; 3) the substrate temperature in sterilized substrate cultivation can be well controlled, preventing the pile heating phenomenon during colonization in raw material cultivation; 4) sterilized substrate cultivation fruits early, and when inoculated at the same time, can fruit 10 to 15 days earlier than raw material cultivation. For sterilized substrate bags, the specification of 20 cm x 45 cm x 2.5 to 3 silk is suitable, and they must not be too thick or too thin.

Bag making with fermented substrate is suitable for mushroom growers with relatively rich experience in colonization. Specific method: after adding water to the substrate and mixing evenly, build a pile about 1.5 m wide, about 1.2 to 1.5 m high, and of unlimited length. The dry material amount of the pile should be above 500 kg, and must not be too little, so as to avoid the pile temperature failing to rise or rising too slowly. The upper part of the pile should be built into a turtle-back shape, and the surroundings should be gently patted firm. Use wooden sticks about 5 cm in diameter to make two rows of ventilation holes at the top of the pile, then make one row of ventilation holes slanting inward horizontally at the middle and lower parts of the pile, with a hole spacing of about 30 cm, and cover well with straw curtains, gunny sacks, fish-scale bags, etc.

After the pile is covered, use a thermometer to measure the temperature at about 25 cm on the surface layer of the substrate. When it rises above 55°C, start timing, maintain for about 12 hours, and then turn the pile. Generally, the pile needs to be turned 3 times before the substrate is well fermented. The key to turning the pile is to swap the upper and lower positions of the pile and exchange the inner and outer parts. After turning well, rebuild the pile, with the same operation as when initially building the pile. After the substrate is well fermented, dismantle the pile to cool down. When the temperature drops to about 30°C, it can be bagged. For the substrate bags, plastic bags of 22 to 25 cm x 45 cm x 1.5 to 2 silk can be selected, and the inoculation method adopts the layer-spawning method of four layers of spawn and three layers of substrate. After inoculation, make holes around the substrate bag and at both ends where spawn is placed for ventilation. At both ends and in the middle, 8 to 10 ventilation holes can be made at each layer where spawn is placed.

Colonization management

Summer temperatures are high and colonization is difficult, so bags should be arranged reasonably, bags should be turned and piles should be turned at the proper time, and ventilation and oxygen should be increased to control the colonization temperature and the environmental temperature well. Whether sterilized substrate bags or fermented substrate bags, they should all be arranged in a single layer, with row spacing not less than 50 cm and bag spacing not less than 5 cm. The colonization site should strengthen shading and increase ventilation and heat dissipation. When necessary, cool water can be sprayed on the bags to lower the temperature, and it is strictly forbidden for the bag temperature to exceed 33°C.

Fruiting management

When the mycelium has grown fully through the bag, the bag feels firm and solid when pressed by hand and is full of elasticity, and light yellow water droplets and primordia appear on the surface, this indicates that the mycelium has reached physiological maturity. When 80% of the bags have primordia, they can be stacked to fruit. The mushroom wall can be stacked at most three layers, and bags must not be pressed tightly against each other; a gap of 3 to 5 cm should be reserved for heat dissipation, and layers can be separated with small bamboo poles. Throughout the fruiting process, ventilation must be good; because summer temperatures are high and water evaporates quickly, to ensure humidity, water can be sprayed 3 to 4 times a day, and the shed can be flooded with a large amount of water once every few days. High-temperature oyster mushrooms take a relatively short time from inoculation to fruiting. With normal management, they can fruit in about 20-plus days, and the biological conversion rate can reach 100 to 130%.