A Detailed Guide to Lingzhi (Reishi) Cultivation Techniques and Management Methods
Lingzhi (scientific name: Ganoderma Lucidum Karst), also known as forest spirit and Qiongzhen, is the fruiting body of the fungus Ganoderma lucidum in the family Polyporaceae. It has the effects of tonifying qi and calming the mind, relieving cough and asthma, and prolonging life. It is used for dizziness and insomnia, palpitations and shortness of breath, neurasthenia, and consumptive cough and asthma.
Lingzhi cultivation conditions
Lingzhi's nutritional requirements: Lingzhi is a saprophytic fungus with a strong ability to decompose and absorb lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, and the like. Sawdust and some crop straws such as cottonseed hulls, wheat bran, rice bran, corn cobs, and rice straw can all be used as cultivation materials.
Lingzhi's temperature requirements: Lingzhi is a high-temperature fungus. The temperature range for mycelial growth is 15-40 degrees Celsius, with the most suitable temperature being 22~25 degrees Celsius; the fruiting body development temperature is 22-30 degrees Celsius, with 25~28 degrees Celsius being the most suitable.
Lingzhi's humidity requirements: During the mycelial growth stage, the relative air humidity is required to be 60% to 70%; during the fruiting body growth period, the relative air humidity is required to be 85% to 90%.
Lingzhi's air requirements: Lingzhi is an aerobic fungus, and carbon dioxide has a great influence on fruiting body growth. When the carbon dioxide concentration reaches 0.1%, it promotes stipe elongation and inhibits cap growth; when it reaches 0.1%-1%, the fruiting body can still grow but forms branches and antler-like shapes; when it exceeds 1%, fruiting body development is extremely abnormal.
Lingzhi's light requirements: Lingzhi is very sensitive to light during its growth and development. The mycelium does not like light and grows fastest under dark conditions without light; the differentiation and growth of the fruiting body require relatively strong scattered light. At 1500-5000 lux, the stipe and cap grow rapidly and become thick and sturdy, and the cap is relatively thick.
Lingzhi's growth and development cycle
Lingzhi's growth and development cycle is divided into two stages. The first stage is the mycelial growth period. Under suitable conditions such as temperature and humidity, Lingzhi basidiospores develop into mycelium.
The second stage is the fruiting body growth stage. When the mycelium gathers and becomes densely packed and has accumulated sufficient nutrients, it begins to transform toward fruiting body growth, and fruiting bodies form at one point or several points.
The growth of the Lingzhi fruiting body is further divided into three stages, namely the primordium stage, the cap-opening stage, and the maturation stage.
For Lingzhi cultivation, inoculation generally begins in early May, and after about 45 days of mycelial growth, it enters the primordium stage.
The primordium is a milky white bump-like protrusion formed by the development of the mycelium. The primordium stage generally lasts about 15 days, after which it enters the cap-opening stage.
The cap-opening stage is characterized by elongation of the stipe and development of the cap into a shell or fan shape. The cap-opening stage also lasts about 15 days, after which Lingzhi enters the maturation stage.
The sign of Lingzhi maturity is the discharge of spores from beneath the cap. On the surface of mature Lingzhi, a layer of fine spore powder can be seen.
The conditions required for Lingzhi growth and development mainly include nutrients, temperature, moisture, air, light, and pH.
Bag-cultivated LingzhiPrecautions for Lingzhi
Lingzhi is tough in texture and needs to absorb a large amount of lignin and cellulose during growth. When sawdust or cotton hulls are used as the culture medium, because the texture is loose, the lignin in the substrate is easily decomposed by the mycelium, and often after harvesting one to two flushes, the fungus logs disperse and disintegrate. If wood blocks mixed with coarse sawdust are used as the culture medium instead, the same volume contains more lignin, and there are many gaps between the wood blocks, giving good aeration, which is beneficial to Lingzhi growth, thus yielding high output and good quality.
In indoor bag cultivation of Lingzhi, a relatively thick layer of fungal skin easily forms on the surface of the fungus logs, causing difficulties for artificial water replenishment and greatly affecting the yield of the second flush. Changing indoor cultivation to field soil-covering cultivation can better solve the problem of water replenishment for the fungus logs. The fungus logs can absorb water and beneficial trace elements from the soil, making it easy to obtain high and stable yields. In addition, the light source is evenly distributed in the field, and the Lingzhi grown is large, round and regular, and bright in color, with the proportion of first-grade products clearly higher than that of indoor cultivation.
Mature Lingzhi is generally lignified or cutinized, and the stipe is tightly connected to the culture medium. Directly breaking off the fruiting body by hand causes serious damage to the fungus log, which is unfavorable to the growth of the second-flush Lingzhi, and the wound is also easily infected by contaminating microorganisms. Change picking Lingzhi to cutting Lingzhi, using pruning shears to harvest, so that the cut is smooth and the stipe base is undamaged. For the second-flush Lingzhi, the stipe base of the first-flush Lingzhi can be used as a primordium to quickly grow Lingzhi buds, reducing the interval between flushes and shortening the production cycle.