Detailed Explanation of the Cultivation Process of the Shaggy Mane Mushroom

I. Cooked Substrate Cultivation

The production of cultivation logs is the same as for spawn. After removing the bags from the cultured mushroom bags, place them horizontally or vertically into the beds, with 2-3 cm between logs, fill with fertile soil, and arrange 30 logs per sq m. After arranging, cover with about 3 cm of soil. If the soil is too dry, spray a little water, then cover with polyethylene plastic film that has been pre-soaked in 5% Lysol solution.

Researchers in Jiangsu Province once conducted comparative experiments on horizontally and vertically arranged logs, showing that vertical arrangement produces mushrooms faster and has a higher biological efficiency. Casing soil should be applied in two steps: first fill the gaps between logs with soil, water thoroughly, then cover the surface of the logs with about 3 cm of fine soil, and water with a sprayer to avoid soil compaction and promote mushroom formation. The casing soil should mainly be 0.5-1 cm thick, not more than 2 cm. Maintain the relative air humidity in the cultivation room at 85%-90% and adjust the temperature to 16-22°C. Outdoor or greenhouse cultivation should have shading measures to avoid strong light exposure. After one week, the mycelium resumes growth and connects into blocks. Open the plastic film daily to spray water and increase ventilation to stimulate mycelial knotting and form mushroom buds. After the mushroom buds break through the soil, management should focus on ventilation and humidification. After more than 10 days of careful management, the fruiting bodies grow rapidly, and at about seven-tenths maturity, they should be harvested promptly.

II. Raw Substrate Cultivation

Cultivating the shaggy mane mushroom with raw substrate has more practical value than with cooked substrate. Practice has proven that it can be promoted in both the north and the south.

1. Substrate Preparation

① 100 kg cottonseed hulls or fallen waste cotton, 2-3 kg quicklime (some also add 0.1% carbendazim or thiophanate-methyl), water content 60%-65%.

② 100 kg cottonseed hulls, 2 kg phosphate fertilizer, 0.5 kg urea, 2 kg lime, 160 kg water.

③ 100 kg corncobs (crushed), 1 kg urea, 2 kg lime, 150-160 kg water.

④ 40 kg rice straw (cut into sections or crushed), 40 kg corn stalk powder, 20 kg horse manure (dry manure, broken up), 1 kg urea, 2 kg phosphate fertilizer, 3 kg lime, 150 kg water.

⑤ 80 kg spent enoki mushroom substrate, 20 kg cattle and horse manure, 1 kg urea, 2 kg phosphate fertilizer, 4 kg lime, 150 kg water.

2. Cultivation and Management

Mix the substrate thoroughly, pile it to a height of 1 m and a width of 1.2-1.5 m, with unlimited length. Cover with plastic film to keep warm, maintain at 60-70°C for 10 hours, then turn the pile. When the temperature reaches 60-70°C again, maintain for another 10 hours, and the fermentation is complete. After cooling, spread on previously prepared beds, with a substrate thickness of 10-20 cm, sow in 3 layers, using spawn at 15% of the substrate. After sowing, level the substrate surface, press down lightly, and finally cover with 5 cm of loam or first cover with plastic film to keep warm and moist. After the mycelium has grown well, remove the plastic film and apply casing soil: first apply coarse soil (pre-moistened with lime water, soil thickness 0.8-1.2 cm), then apply fine soil, and spray water to maintain moisture.

For outdoor cultivation, after applying the casing soil, an arched plastic low tunnel should also be built over the bed for protection, with a height of 30-40 cm.

For outdoor cultivation in the south, from sowing in September to the end of harvest in May of the following year, attention should be paid to changes in temperature, rainfall, wind, and other factors. In North China, plastic greenhouses should be used for cultivation to keep warm and moist, and production can be carried out year-round except during the hottest summer period.

The yield of the shaggy mane mushroom varies greatly depending on the strain, substrate, and cultivation conditions, with a yield of 4.5-18 kg per sq m, and biological efficiency mostly between 20%-70%, with good results exceeding 100%.