High-efficiency cultivation technique for oyster mushrooms without spraying water for humidification
The narrow-shed no-spray high-efficiency cultivation method for oyster mushrooms combines the advantages of the soil-burial cultivation method and the mushroom-wall cultivation method, making the cultivation and management of oyster mushrooms simpler, with excellent quality and high yield. The method is: after harvesting the first flush of mushrooms, remove the mushroom blocks from their bags and build a mushroom wall around the four earthen walls of the shed. The outer ends of the wall are bonded block-to-block with sealing mud, the interior of the wall is entirely filled with nutrient soil, and a water trough is built on top of the wall for replenishing water and nutrients. The advantages of this method are mainly five: (1) Before building the mushroom wall, first let the blocks produce one flush of mushrooms; the wall built from already-shrunk blocks does not deform, does not dry-crack, and has good stability. (2) The four walls of the shed are dug out, with intact structure and many pores, and a strong capacity to store and supply water, which helps regulate the water balance inside the mushroom wall. When too much water is added, the excess seeps into the shed walls and is stored, so the mushroom wall will not leak water due to excess moisture. When water is insufficient, the moisture in the shed walls can permeate back into the mushroom wall, preventing it from drying and cracking due to water shortage. (3) The materials used in the mushroom wall differ inside and out; the outside uses sealing mud, which prevents water from flowing out and guards against pests and diseases entering. The inside uses nutrient soil, which is loose and soft in texture and complete in nutrients, helping regulate water, nutrients, air and heat inside the wall, helping the mycelium rejuvenate; moreover, the wall is soft inside and hard outside, so it is not prone to leaning outward and collapsing. (4) Mushrooms emerge from the side of the wall, which matches the side-fruiting habit of oyster mushrooms, benefiting their growth and development; (5) Water replenishment is continuous and adequate, and no spraying is needed during the fruiting period of oyster mushrooms, which eliminates the trouble of spraying and also avoids the damage and contamination that spraying causes to mushroom primordia, benefiting high quality, high yield and high efficiency of oyster mushrooms. The technique is described below:
I. Shed construction
Choose a site far from livestock and poultry pens, free of pollution, sheltered from the wind and facing the sun, with a relatively thick soil layer, to build the mushroom shed. The shed runs east-west, faces south, and is semi-underground. The shed width is about 2 m, and the length is unlimited. Use the method of digging below and building above, with a digging depth of 1.4-1.5 m. When digging, follow a slope so that the bottom is inset by 0.1-0.15 m, so that when building the mushroom wall the blocks recede layer by layer, preventing the wall from leaning forward and collapsing. For the above-ground part, the north wall is about 0.8 m high, the south wall is about 0.3 m high, and the east and west walls connect naturally with the north and south walls. On the north and south walls, leave a ventilation hole about every 1.5 m. Leave the shed door at the northeast or northwest corner of the shed. After the earthen walls are built, set up the roof frame, cover with plastic film, then spray the four walls with 10% lime water (focusing on the earthen walls built above ground level), and disinfect for later use.
II. Preparation of sealing mud and nutrient soil
The role of sealing mud is to seal the mushroom wall, and it is required to have good adhesion, water retention and resistance to pests and diseases. Therefore, for sealing mud it is best to choose deep-layer soil with no crop residues, no fertilizer residues, no pest or disease contamination, and relatively low nutrient content. When preparing it, do not add any nutrients or auxiliary materials; simply mix it into mud with 3%-5% lime water, and the more thoroughly it is mixed, the better. The main role of nutrient soil is to supplement water and mineral nutrients for the mycelium. Therefore, for nutrient soil, choose loose, fertile, pest-free, uncontaminated topsoil or garden soil, and mix in 2% phosphate fertilizer; adding a small amount of stove ash gives even better results. When preparing nutrient soil, simply mix the soil and fertilizer evenly; do not add water, to avoid destroying its structure, affecting permeability, and reducing its water-storage and water-supply performance.
III. Key technical points for building the mushroom wall
The mushroom wall should be built in sections, with each section completed from bottom to top in one go; do not build layer by layer over a long distance. The blocks from mushrooms harvested within 3 days can be treated as one batch, and each batch builds one section, to avoid too long an interval between the upper and lower layers when building the wall. Otherwise, if you wait until the bottom layer fruits and then build the wall above it, not only is it inconvenient to operate, but soil falling onto the young mushrooms will affect mushroom quality. When building the mushroom wall, first determine the outer boundary of the wall; at the outer boundary of the wall, use sealing mud to build a mud ridge 2-3 cm wide and 2-3 cm high (to prevent water from flowing out from the bottom of the wall), and between the mud ridge and the shed wall fill 2-3 cm of nutrient soil, then water it thoroughly with 0.5% urea solution. Then, remove the plastic film from the blocks that have finished harvesting the first flush of mushrooms, smear a mud ring on the outward-facing end, and align the mud ring with the mud ridge and stick them one by one. After the first layer is bonded, use sealing mud to raise the mud rings on the outer ends of that layer's blocks into a mud ridge 2-3 cm high, fill the space between the mud ridge and the shed wall with nutrient soil, and likewise water it thoroughly with 0.5% urea solution. Build up layer by layer in this way, with the blocks arranged in staggered fashion between layers. Finally, raise the mud ridge on top of the mushroom wall to more than 5-6 cm, and fill 2-3 cm of nutrient soil between the mud ridge and the shed wall as a water trough. After the mushroom wall is built, dig a ditch 7-8 cm deep and 20 cm wide close to the bottom of the wall, for the growth of the bottom-layer mushrooms, to prevent the bottom-layer mushrooms from touching soil and affecting mushroom quality.
IV. Cultivation management
The management of the narrow-shed no-spray high-efficiency cultivation method for oyster mushrooms is much simpler than other cultivation methods; simply do a good job in the following 5 aspects to achieve the goals of high quality, high yield and high efficiency.
1. Water management
The outstanding feature of the narrow-shed no-spray high-efficiency cultivation method for oyster mushrooms in fruiting management is that there is no need to punch holes to replenish water, nor to spray water; simply pour water into the water trough 1-2 times a day. The amount of water poured depends on whether moisture inside the mushroom wall is abundant or lacking. Under normal conditions, the amount of water poured can be automatically regulated by the shed walls, and the mushroom wall shows no obvious response; beyond the limit, adjust the amount of water poured according to the situation. If the sealing mud has small cracks, it indicates insufficient moisture inside the mushroom wall, and the amount of water poured should be increased; if there is a water film on the surface of the sealing mud and the mushroom bodies have too high a water content, it indicates too much moisture inside the mushroom wall, and the amount of water poured should be reduced. To increase air humidity, pour water into the shed once every 1-2 days, and keep the ground moist at all times.
2. Temperature and light
Oyster mushroom fruiting needs the stimulus of scattered light; light that is too strong or too weak is unfavorable to its growth and development. When the temperature is high, coverings can be placed outside the shed to shade and cool it; when the temperature is low, coordinate the contradiction between temperature and light inside the shed, both letting sunlight enter the shed to raise the temperature and preventing strong light from harming the mushroom bodies; shade nets can be used inside the shed above the mushroom wall for shading.
3. Ventilation
During the fruiting period, oyster mushrooms respire vigorously and need abundant fresh air, so ventilation and air exchange in the shed are very important. When the temperature is high, all ventilation holes can be opened all day for ventilation. When the temperature is low, the holes on the windward side can be closed and the holes on the leeward side opened. As long as the temperature inside the shed in the morning is not lower than 4°C, the holes can remain open day and night. During ventilation, avoid cold air blowing directly onto the mushroom bodies; especially for oyster mushrooms near the shed door, yield is often affected by direct cold wind, so a plastic film can be hung inside the shed door as a shield.
4. Fertilizer supplementation
To maintain sustained high yield of oyster mushrooms, after each flush is harvested, water once with 0.5% urea water.
5. Maintenance of the mushroom wall
No leaks in the water trough and no cracks in the mushroom wall are the basic conditions for ensuring uniform permeation of water within the mushroom wall and continuous water replenishment. Observe at all times, and deal with problems promptly when found. If holes or cracks appear in the water trough, fill them promptly with nutrient soil, watering while filling, so that the soil enters the holes with the water until filled full. If cracks appear in the sealing mud on the surface of the mushroom wall, simply smooth them tight promptly with your fingers. At the same time, cracks appearing in the mushroom wall indicate insufficient water poured, and the amount of water poured should be increased.
V. Harvesting
The oyster mushrooms growing on the mushroom wall are large and thick-fleshed; when harvesting, cut them off with a curved knife; do not pull them off by hand, to avoid damaging the mushroom wall. After harvesting, promptly clean the surface of the mushroom wall, removing residual bases and degenerated, shrunken young mushrooms cleanly, and take them out of the shed.