What kind of environmental conditions does oyster mushroom growth require?

The main factors affecting the growth and development of oyster mushrooms are nutrition, temperature, water, air, light, pH, etc. During artificial cultivation, the living conditions required at each growth and development stage must be met promptly throughout the entire process in order to obtain high-yield, high-quality oyster mushrooms.

1. Nutrition Carbon sources are an important nutrient source for oyster mushrooms; they are not only raw materials for synthesizing carbohydrates and amino acids, but also an important energy source. The nutrients needed by wild oyster mushrooms are mainly obtained by decomposing dead wood and dead grass. For artificial cultivation, using rice straw, wheat straw, corn cobs, sugarcane bagasse, cottonseed hulls, sawdust, etc. as the substrate can meet the carbon source needed for oyster mushroom growth. Nitrogen sources are also an important nutrient source for oyster mushrooms. When oyster mushrooms synthesize proteins and nucleic acids, nitrogen is an indispensable raw material. Oyster mushroom mycelium contains various proteases that can break down proteins in the substrate into amino acids with a simple structure that the mycelium can directly absorb. Natural nitrogen-containing compounds such as rice bran, wheat bran, cornmeal, and soybean cake powder can be used as nitrogen nutrient sources.

2. Temperature Oyster mushrooms have different temperature requirements at different growth stages of vegetative and reproductive growth. During the mycelium culture stage, the temperature should be kept between 20-28°C, with the optimum temperature being 24-25°C. Usually, the temperature for primordium differentiation is lower than that required for mycelial growth, and different species and varieties differ greatly in the temperature required during fruiting body formation. Generally, for the low-temperature type, the temperature for primordium differentiation is below 20°C, with the optimum temperature between 13-17°C. After the mycelium has covered the substrate, if it is placed under fruiting temperature conditions with a certain daily temperature difference, variable temperature stimulation can induce oyster mushroom primordium differentiation.

3. Water and humidity During the mycelium running stage of oyster mushrooms, the moisture content of the substrate should be controlled between 60%-70%, and the air humidity is preferably 60%-70%; during the mushroom production stage, the moisture content of the substrate should be kept between 65%-75%, and the spatial humidity is preferably 85%-95%.

4. Light The mycelium stage does not require light, and fruiting bodies will not form under complete darkness. Therefore, after the mycelium has grown through the substrate, allowing scattered light stimulation to promote primordium differentiation will result in neat fruiting, a large quantity, and batch fruiting.

5. pH Oyster mushrooms like to grow on slightly acidic substrate. Usually, the substrate prepared according to a conventional formula has a natural pH that can basically meet the needs of mycelial growth, without the need for testing and adjustment.