Detailed Explanation of Key Points for Straw Mushroom Cultivation in the North
Straw mushroom, also known as button-foot mushroom or orchid mushroom, has a cultivation history of more than 300 years in China and enjoys the reputation of "Chinese mushroom" on the international market; it is the only edible fungus variety to receive this "honor."
1 Typical Characteristics of Straw Mushroom
1.1 Three Fast Features
Fast mycelial growth: After sowing straw mushroom, under the suitable temperature of 28-32°C, the mycelium can fully colonize within 7 days, about 60% shorter than oyster mushroom and other varieties, and more than 90% shorter than shiitake and other varieties.
Fast budding: Under temperatures above 30°C, mushroom buds appear on the 6th-7th day after sowing, and the peak of budding can be reached on the 6th-9th day.
Fast growth: Under suitable temperature, mushroom buds can reach 70-80% maturity in 2-3 days, and enter the harvest peak after 10 days.
1.2 Three Highs
High temperature characteristic: Existing straw mushroom strains, such as V35 and Nongke 42, all adapt to high temperature conditions of 28-38°C, and basically do not bud below 26°C, a typical production trait of high-temperature fungi.
High yield characteristic: With the continuous progress of science and technology, straw mushroom, as a representative variety of "southern mushrooms moving north," has seen its biological efficiency in pure wheat straw cultivation increase from about 8% in the early period to about 30%, with a yield increase 2-5 times higher than general varieties.
High efficiency characteristic: Under natural conditions, in northern regions, idle greenhouses can be used for cultivation during the midsummer months of June to August, improving greenhouse utilization rate; secondly, the cultivation production cycle of general edible fungus varieties is 3-5 months or even longer, while straw mushroom, due to its extremely fast growth rate, can be fed one batch per month, maximizing the output efficiency per unit area.
1.3 Three Lows
Low input cost: Modern technology for cultivating straw mushroom can use wheat straw or waste cotton as the main raw material, with very low direct input cost.
Low yield level: Compared with varieties such as oyster mushroom and shaggy mane, straw mushroom has relatively low biological efficiency per unit yield, reaching about 30% when using the latest cultivation technology, only about 1/3 that of oyster mushroom and shaggy mane.
Low fresh storage capacity: Fresh straw mushroom has very low storage tolerance; from timely harvest to breaking the volva and opening the cap takes only 24 hours, and it is not tolerant of low-temperature storage; at 10°C, after about 6 hours, the mushroom body begins to soften, exude water, and lose commercial value.
Due to the unique high-temperature characteristics of straw mushroom, it is not conducive to long-term, large-scale commercial production in the north, and large-scale production has never been formed. With factors such as rural industrial structure adjustment and consumers' improved understanding of edible fungi, a new annual planting method suitable for the north has been successful. The construction of its mushroom house and key cultivation technical points are introduced as follows.
1 Building a Special Mushroom House For annual production of straw mushroom in the north, a mushroom house with heating equipment must be built. The mushroom house must have the characteristics of ventilation, moisture retention, heat preservation, heating, and light transmission. The structure of the mushroom house is shown in Figures 1-2. The mushroom house is about 4 m high, about 6 m long, and 4 m wide. The interior width should be suitable for placing 2 cultivation racks 1.2 m wide, and each mushroom house has an area of about 20 sq m. Along the walls on both sides in the length direction of the mushroom house, ceramic pipes about 25-30 cm in diameter are installed. One end of the ceramic pipe is connected to the stoves on both sides of the entrance, and the other end turns through to the outside above the back wall. The stove is 65 cm square, built of brick, and can hold about 30 honeycomb coal briquettes inside. The stove opening is outside the wall, facilitating adding coal briquettes and cleaning the stove chamber without causing pollution to the mushroom house. The front and back walls of the mushroom house are provided with two levels of windows, high and low, so that the mushroom house is ventilated from top to bottom. The windows are made of plastic film and window frames, with length and width of 40 cm x 60 cm. The top of the mushroom house is composed of plastic film, 10 cm thick polystyrene board, and the roof, which is conducive to heat preservation and moisture retention. Inside the mushroom house, 4-layer cultivation racks made of bamboo and wood are set up. Outside the mushroom house, a concrete floor is laid as a place for mixing materials. About 5 m from the mushroom house door, a drainage ditch is set to discharge excess water seeped during material mixing and flushing water from cleaning the mushroom house. When building mushroom houses, more than a dozen adjacent houses can be arranged side by side, facilitating continuous sowing and harvesting.
2 Key Points of Cultivation Technology
2.1 Temperature Regulation Mushroom houses for cultivating straw mushroom in the north can use natural temperature in summer and carry out normal production through reasonable ventilation. In winter, spring, and autumn, temperature is regulated by heating. In spring and autumn, only 2 stoves and extended ceramic pipes are needed to raise the temperature above 30°C. Usually, 36 honeycomb coal briquettes are placed in each stove, which can maintain high temperature for 24 hours. After the honeycomb coal briquettes are placed, the stove opening should be sealed tightly with thin mud.
2.2 Compost Moisture Adjustment and Heap Building for Fermentation: Waste cotton 450 kg, bran 30 kg, lime 20 kg. Make an iron frame of 1.8 m x 3.0 m x 0.5 m, place the iron frame on the concrete floor, then spread a layer of waste cotton in the iron frame, 10-15 cm thick, sprinkle a thin layer of lime powder, sprinkle water and press-tread so that the waste cotton absorbs enough water, then sprinkle a layer of bran, spread another layer of waste cotton, sprinkle a thin layer of lime powder, sprinkle water and press-tread again so that the second layer of waste cotton absorbs enough water, then sprinkle another layer of bran. Press and tread layer by layer in this way until the frame is full, then lift the iron frame upward and continue adding material and pressing-treading until the heap is about 1 m high. Ferment for 3 days. After turning the heap, ferment for another 2 days, then the material can be put in and spread.
2.3 Sowing and Fruiting Management In spring, autumn, and summer, always maintain the temperature at about 30°C. And maintain good ventilation. Place the compost on the cultivation shelf layers covered with plastic film, spread to a thickness of about 15 cm. Fruiting can begin on the 7th day after sowing, harvesting begins on the 11th day, and harvesting ends in about 16-17 days. 20 days is one cycle, and with 5 shelf layers, more than 100 kg of mushrooms can be harvested per cycle. After harvesting, remove the cultivation material, flush the bamboo racks and floor, and enter the next cycle. When planting straw mushroom in summer, there are many mushroom flies; 4-6 days after sowing, uncover the covering film and spray low-toxicity, high-efficiency organophosphorus pesticide.
2.4 Strengthen the management of room temperature when planting straw mushroom in winter. Before sowing, place the evenly mixed cultivation material on the shelf layers. In each mushroom house, add 3-4 stoves made from large oil drums in the walkway, add honeycomb coal briquettes and burn for 1 day, so that the internal temperature reaches 70-80°C to kill miscellaneous bacteria, then cool to 30°C and begin sowing. After sowing, cover with thick plastic film to retain moisture. Afterward, heat through 2 stoves to maintain the temperature at 28-30°C. One production cycle is about 20 days.
For annual cultivation of straw mushroom in the north, the one-time investment in the mushroom house is relatively high, and the cost of coal-burning cultivation is also relatively high, but the production cycle is short, the product can be continuously marketed, the price is high, and the economic benefit is still quite considerable.