Detailed Explanation of Polyporus umbellatus Planting Methods and Technical Points
Polyporus umbellatus is a medicinal fungus of the genus Grifola in the family Polyporaceae, order Aphyllophorales. The fruiting body is large or very large, fleshy, stalked, much branched, with round white to light brown caps borne at the ends, and a single cluster can reach 35cm in diameter. The cap is round, depressed in the center and nearly funnel-shaped, with an inrolled margin covered in dark fine scales, 1-4cm wide. The flesh is white, the pore surface is white, turning straw-yellow when dry.
Growth Characteristics
It prefers fertile, moist, humus-rich, well-drained shaded slopes of cultivated land. Polyporus umbellatus begins to grow when the temperature 5 cm below the ground surface reaches 8-9°C, grows best at 15-20°C, and at 25-30°C the mycelium stops growing and enters a short dormant period, or produces fruiting bodies to survive unfavorable conditions and reproduce by spores. In late autumn and early winter, when the temperature 5 cm below the ground surface drops below 8°C, it again enters winter dormancy. During the year, April to June and September to October are the active growth periods of Polyporus umbellatus mycelium.
Cultivation Techniques
1. Site Selection and Land Preparation
It is best to choose forest land at an altitude of 1000-2000 m, with a slope aspect to the southeast or southwest, that is, a semi-shaded slope, with deep soil, abundant humus, and loose sandy loam. The vegetation is birch, oak, maple, birch and other forest trees.
2. Propagation Method
At present, artificial cultivation mostly uses small Polyporus umbellatus sclerotia for propagation.
3. Cultivation Time
It is best in spring from March to April or autumn from July to August, when Polyporus umbellatus is passing through dormancy and entering the growth period, and Armillaria mellea is also in its growth period, so the two can establish a good symbiotic relationship with each other.
4. Cultivation Method
Pit cultivation is used, generally with a pit depth of 50 cm and a length and width of 70 cm each. Cultivation under forest not only prevents destruction of the forest, but also creates a suitable environment for Polyporus umbellatus and prevents soil erosion. Before cultivation, first cultivate the fungus bed or fungus wood for Armillaria mellea. Generally, rotten tree roots, branches and bark with Armillaria mellea are used as spawn, and newly cut tree sticks (about 10 cm thick, cut into short sections 50-60 cm long) are piled in the pit, covered with 20-25 cm of soil, and with suitable temperature, they can be used after 1-2 months. One can also use fungus wood cultivated in preparation for planting Gastrodia elata, or old sticks that have been used to grow Gastrodia elata and have not yet rotted and have no contaminating fungi to cultivate Polyporus umbellatus. Use 5 fungus sticks per nest, and sow 0.18 kg of sclerotia. When planting, select complete, uninjured, fresh wild small Polyporus umbellatus, or divide the Polyporus umbellatus sclerotia into small pieces, each about the size of a walnut, and press firmly with the fingers so that the broken mycelium cross-section of the sclerotium closely contacts the fungus wood. On one fungus stick, 7-8 sclerotium pieces can be pressed and placed. After planting one stick, cultivate humus soil all around it, leaving no gaps. And so on. Generally only one layer is planted, and it is best to cover with 20-25 cm of humus soil, slightly higher than the ground surface, and it can be harvested after two years.