How to Supplement Nutrients for Edible Mushrooms? Sharing Practical Technical Points
In edible mushroom production, scientifically and rationally supplementing the various nutrients needed for the growth of edible mushroom fruiting bodies can effectively improve the yield and quality of edible mushrooms. However, in the process of supplementing nutrients, improper methods can also backfire. The author summarizes the production practice experience of recent years as follows for reference.
1 Carefully Choose the Liquid Supplementation Method
There are roughly three methods for supplementing nutrients to edible mushrooms: spraying, pouring, and soaking. The most commonly used method is to prepare fertilizers and nutrients into a nutrient solution of a certain concentration and spray it on the fungus blocks or fungus beds along with water supplementation. When spraying during the mushroom bud stage, the nutrient solution should be sprayed on the fungus bed where there are no mushrooms or near small mushroom buds, and then spray clean water several times to rinse the fruiting bodies with clean water. It is best to spray the nutrient solution after the edible mushrooms have been completely harvested, the fungus bed or fungus blocks have been cleaned up, and the mycelium has undergone a certain period of recovery growth. For fungus blocks and log segments, the soaking method can also be used. Generally, after each flush of mushrooms is harvested, they are placed into a prepared solution containing various nutrients, with the upper surface covered by a mesh screen and weighted down with heavy objects to ensure they are fully submerged in the nutrient solution, allowing them to fully absorb nutrients, and then they are left to resume mycelial growth after absorbing enough. On the fungus bed, the pouring method can also be used for supplementation. Remove the casing soil on the bed surface, insert a funnel into the culture material, pour in the nutrient solution, and then cover it back. The distance between pouring holes should be about 10cm, and about 5mL of nutrient solution should be poured into each hole. For straw mushrooms, holes can be directly punched and then poured.
2 Supplement Nutrients with Overall Coordination ⟧7⟧Edible mushroom cultivation is one of the soilless cultivation methods. Its formulation emphasizes comprehensive nutrition and good air permeability. During the cultivation process, nutrient supplementation likewise requires nutritional balance and targeted application. Glucose is a carbon nutrient, urea is a nitrogen nutrient, potassium dihydrogen phosphate is a phosphorus and potassium nutrient, and there are also other trace element nutrients or organic nutrients, etc. Nitrogen nutrients can effectively promote the growth of mycelium, while carbon nutrients can effectively promote the formation of fruiting bodies. Correspondingly, if nitrogen nutrition is supplemented for a long time or emphasized, it may promote excessive vegetative growth of mycelium, making it difficult for fruiting bodies to form. Conversely, if nutrition cannot keep up, the growth of fruiting bodies will be hindered and yield will decline. No matter which nutrient is emphasized, the expected goal will not be achieved. This is like the barrel principle. Therefore, different nutrients must be supplemented alternately. Consider using biogas slurry, rice washing water, and other materials with comprehensive nutrition to prepare nutrient solutions, so as to meet the demand of edible mushrooms for multiple nutrients during growth and development. On mushroom beds, generally nutrient solutions that add nutrients are applied first, followed by high-efficiency nutrient agents, to facilitate the growth of fruiting bodies.
Edible mushroom cultivation is one of the methods of soilless cultivation. Its substrate formulation emphasizes comprehensive nutrition and good air permeability, and supplementing nutrients during the cultivation process likewise requires nutritional balance and a targeted approach. Glucose is a carbon nutrient, urea is a nitrogen nutrient, potassium dihydrogen phosphate is a phosphorus-potassium nutrient, and there are also other trace element nutrients or organic nutrients. Nitrogen nutrients can effectively promote the growth of mycelium, while carbon nutrients can effectively promote the formation of fruiting bodies. Correspondingly, if nitrogen nutrition is supplemented over the long term or emphasized, it may cause excessive vegetative growth of mycelium, making it difficult for fruiting bodies to form. Conversely, if nutrition cannot keep up, the growth of fruiting bodies will be hindered and yields will decline. No matter which nutrient is emphasized, the desired goal will not be achieved, just like the barrel principle. Therefore, various different nutrients must be supplemented alternately. Consider using nutrient solutions prepared with nutrient-comprehensive biogas slurry, rice washing water, and the like to meet the demand of edible mushrooms for multiple nutrients during growth and development. On mushroom beds, generally a nutrient solution that adds nutrients is applied first, followed by a high-efficiency nutrient agent, to facilitate the growth of fruiting bodies.
3 Scientifically and Rationally Determine the Dosage
The nutrient solution should not be applied in too large an amount at one time, otherwise the culture material will have excessive moisture, and the oxygen content in the culture material will be greatly reduced, which is extremely unfavorable to mycelial growth. When supplementing the nutrient solution, carefully check the moisture of the culture material. If the moisture is too high, appropriately increase the concentration of the nutrient solution to reduce the amount of water added. If the culture material has lost too much water and the water content is too low, appropriately reduce the concentration of the nutrient solution and adopt the method of multiple water supplementations, supplementing the water content of the formulation along with the nutrient supplementation. Starting two days before nutrient supplementation, stop humidifying the mushroom shed. After supplementation, increase ventilation to remove moisture. The concentration of the nutrient solution should not be too high either; generally, a 1%-2% diluted solution is used.
4 Use Rotten Fertilizer According to Regulations
Organic fertilizers are crucial to the growth of edible mushrooms. For organic fertilizers such as compost and manure, they must be fully decomposed or disinfected by boiling, and only after filtration can they be used to prepare nutrient solutions. They must not contain pathogens or insect eggs. When supplementing with plant extracts such as soybean milk juice and potato juice, select raw materials that have not deteriorated, and prepare and use them on the spot. They must not be left for a long time, lest they sour and deteriorate. As for biogas slurry, choose a biogas digester that has been fermenting normally for more than half a year, take the supernatant, and filter it through more than five layers of gauze before use.
5 Pay Attention to Temperature and Operate Flexibly
Temperature is one of the key factors affecting the growth of edible mushrooms. When the temperature is above 20°C, fungus blocks of generally medium- and low-temperature mushroom types find it difficult to form fruiting bodies, and their demand for nutrients is relatively small, so nutrient solution supplementation should be stopped. For high-temperature edible mushrooms, fruiting bodies can still form normally in the next period, and the fruiting bodies grow quickly, consuming more nutrients and water, so water and nutrients should be supplemented in a timely manner. Nutrient solutions such as glucose, soybean milk juice, and human urine are highly prone to spoilage and deterioration at temperatures above 18°C. Therefore, they cannot be used under high-temperature conditions and should be replaced with other organic matter or nutrient solutions.
6 Treat Disease Areas Differently
Nutrients can promote the growth of edible mushroom mycelium, and can likewise promote the rapid breeding of other contaminating microorganisms, worsening infection. Therefore, for fungus blocks and fungus beds with large-area contamination by foreign microorganisms, nutrients can only be supplemented after drug treatment or isolation. For fungus beds with small-area localized infection, they can be promptly removed and sprinkled with quicklime powder, and then nutrients can be supplemented. For fungus bags, if the contamination is severe, they should be promptly moved out and burned or deeply buried in a timely manner. If the contamination is mild, the contaminated area can be directly dug out, and then nutrients can be supplemented to the fungus bags.