Button Mushroom Spawning Methods and Technical Key Points

(1) Spawning date. In each region, an appropriate spawning period must be chosen according to local climatic conditions. The standard for the optimal spawning period is: during the mycelium-running stage of the compost, the natural temperature should be 24-26°C as far as possible. In the Yangtze River basin area, the spawning period is in early to mid-September; in Shanghai and areas near Shanghai, the optimal spawning period is September 8-12. If spawning is too early, temperatures above 28°C are often encountered after spawning, causing the spawn not to germinate and to die; if spawning is too late, the number of days suitable for fruiting is shortened, making it difficult to obtain high yields.

(2) Preparatory work before spawning. ① Loosen and even out the compost: after the end of the second fermentation, the compost must be turned over, that is, the entire compost is loosened, evenly mixed and leveled, in order to remove waste gases from the compost and make the compost uniform in thickness and loose. The turning must be done carefully, and all clumped compost must be broken up; otherwise, after spawning, the mycelial growth rate will slow down, or even contaminating microorganisms will appear and cause reduced yields. ② Check the compost temperature, ammonia smell and moisture content: after turning, first check the compost temperature. The normal temperature inside the compost is generally 0-1°C higher than the air temperature in the mushroom house; if it is more than 1°C higher, it indicates that the compost has retained heat, and spawning can only be done after the temperature drops; if the compost temperature remains high, a second turning must be carried out, otherwise the spawn will be scalded after spawning and will not germinate normally. Second, check whether there is an ammonia smell in the compost; if there is, it can be eliminated by turning and thorough ventilation; if the ammonia smell is relatively strong, spray 0.45-0.9 kg of 2% formaldehyde solution per square meter, then turn and ventilate, and spawn only after the formaldehyde odor has completely dissipated. Third, check the moisture content of the compost. The normal moisture content of the compost before spawning is 60%-65% (one or two drops of water come out when squeezed tightly by hand). If it is too wet, increase the number of turnings and ventilation to reduce the moisture content of the compost; if it is too dry, spray clear lime water at pH 8-8.5 to adjust it. ③ Spawn at the proper time: this means that after turning is completed, spawning is carried out at an appropriate time according to the temperature conditions at that time. If the weather remains hot (above 28°C), spawning should be postponed, and spawning must never be done under high temperature conditions. ④ Check the spawn: the quality of the spawn directly affects subsequent mycelial running and yield. Using poor-quality spawn may cause reduced yields in mild cases and almost no mushroom harvest in severe cases. Therefore, checking the spawn must never be taken lightly. a. The standards for high-quality spawn are: the mycelia on the bottle wall are thread-like and fluffy; fluffy mycelia should be more numerous than thread-like mycelia; the mycelia are white in color, robust, and have a strong aroma. Any spawn with shrunken mycelia, yellow water exudation, or mycelia that are yellow, green or other colors must not be used. b. Check whether the spawn has mites. If the mycelia on the bottle wall appear broken and shrunken, place the spawn bottle in the sun for half an hour, then use a magnifying glass to observe near the bottle shoulder and the cotton plug at the bottle mouth; if mites are found, discard it. c. Grain (wheat) spawn and cottonseed hull spawn must only be used 5-7 days after the mycelia have fully covered the bottle; otherwise, the mycelia in the grain or cottonseed hull at the bottom of the bottle have not grown fully, and after spawning, contaminating microorganisms can easily invade these media where mycelia have not fully grown and cause contamination. ⑤ Hook out the spawn: before hooking out the spawn, wipe and clean the outer wall of the spawn bottle, the container holding the spawn, and the hooking tools with 0.1% potassium permanganate solution; then remove the cotton plug, hook out the original spawn block in the bottle and the surface layer of spawn at the bottle mouth, then wipe the bottle mouth with 0.1% potassium permanganate solution, and then hook out the spawn. The clumped spawn that is hooked out must be broken into granules by hand.

(3) Spawning rate and spawning methods. To obtain high mushroom yields, high-quality mushroom production spawn must be used. Mushroom cottonseed hull spawn and grain (wheat) spawn are currently high-quality mushroom production spawn widely used in China. The spawning rate and spawning methods are as follows: ① Spawning rate: per square meter of cultivation area, 1875 ml of cottonseed hull spawn is needed (equivalent to 2.5 bottles of spawn, each bottle 750 ml), or 1125 ml of grain (wheat) spawn (equivalent to 1.5 bottles of spawn, each bottle 750 ml). ② Spawning methods: high-yield mushroom cultivation must use the broadcast spawning method and the mixed spawning method. Broadcast spawning method: spread two-thirds of the spawn on the surface of the compost, insert fingers into the compost and shake gently to mix the spawn evenly with the upper part of the compost, then spread the remaining one-third of the spawn on the surface of the compost, and gently pat the compost flat with the hand or other tools so that the spawn fits closely against the compost, which helps the spawn germinate quickly and colonize the compost. Mixed spawning method: mix the spawn evenly with all the compost and then spawn. After mixed spawning, gently pat the surface of the compost with the hand or a tool, then cover the compost surface with newspaper. When using the mixed spawning method, the spawning rate must be increased by one-third compared with the original spawning rate.