Detailed Explanation of Key Techniques for Multi-Layer Indoor Mushroom Bed Cultivation

Mushroom house: The mushroom house can be a simple thatched shed, a plastic greenhouse, an old dwelling, etc. Windows are opened on all four sides of the mushroom house, and ventilation tubes are installed on the roof. Inside the mushroom house, 4-6 layer bed frames are built using moso bamboo or other building materials, with walkways left around each bed frame.

Compost: There are many formulas for mushroom compost. The most commonly used formula is, per 100 sq m, 3000 kg of rice and wheat straw, 300 kg of rapeseed cake, 25 kg of urea, 6000 kg of human and animal manure, 60 kg of superphosphate, 50 kg of red ash, and 50 kg of gypsum. The compost needs to be piled and fermented in advance. The specific method is as follows: In August, soak the rice and wheat straw thoroughly, then choose a clean cement drying yard, add one layer of straw and one layer of the other ingredients in the formula, pile into a compost heap 1.4 m high, 2 m wide, and of unlimited length, and cover the outside with plastic film. After 3-4 days, the temperature in the heap can rise to 60-70°C. At this point, carry out the first turning of the material, swapping the inside and outside, and top and bottom. After that, turn the pile again at intervals of 4, 3, and 2 days respectively. Then move this material onto the bed frames in the mushroom house and immediately apply heat for the second indoor fermentation, promoting further decomposition of the compost, cultivating more microbial protein, and also serving to prevent disease and kill insects. After two fermentations, the original structure of the manure and straw has completely changed. The compost, together with the bed frames above and below, is covered with white beneficial microorganisms. At this time, there is not only no odor of livestock manure; on the contrary, the mushroom house is filled with a fresh fragrance.

Spawning: When the temperature of the compost drops below 28°C, evenly scatter the spawn over the surface of the compost, then pat the compost with your hands so that about 75% of the spawn is mixed into the compost and the rest remains on the surface. Cover with wet rice straw. After 1-2 days, new mycelium emerges from the spawn blocks, and after 7-10 days, the mycelium spreads over the entire surface of the compost.

Casing soil: About 20 days after spawning, when the mycelium has penetrated about 2/3 into the compost, cover the surface with about 3 cm of casing soil mixed from rice husk and crushed soil, or rice husk and river pond mud, etc. Casing soil is a technique unique to mushroom cultivation, mainly to stimulate the mycelium to shift from vegetative growth to reproductive growth, prevent rapid changes in the temperature and humidity of the compost, help support the growth of the fruiting bodies, and provide part of the nutrients for the mycelium.

Management: The general requirements are that the air in the mushroom house must be fresh, with frequent ventilation; no light or only a small amount of light is needed; during high-temperature weather in early autumn and spring, attention should be paid to cooling; in winter, warmth should be maintained; and the compost and casing soil should be kept moist at all times.

Fruiting: About 20 days after casing, mushrooms can grow. The fruiting period can last from autumn to the spring of the following year. When the fruiting bodies grow to the size of a button and have not yet opened their caps, they can be harvested. If harvested after the caps open, they cannot be made into canned goods, and their marketability and edibility will be greatly reduced.