Key points to remember for growing lingzhi with three harvests a year

Lingzhi is an important fungus and one of the nine immortal herbs, and it has received widespread attention. Therefore, many growers have now begun to cultivate lingzhi artificially. Let us take a look below at the key points for growing lingzhi with three harvests a year.

1. Reasonable cultivation season

Lingzhi is a high-temperature, constant-temperature fruiting fungus. During its growth and development, it requires a relatively high temperature, with 26°C~28°C being optimal. The optimum temperature for mycelial growth is 28°C; below 27°C growth is clearly inhibited, and above 30°C the mycelium can age and self-lyse. The optimum temperature for fruiting body growth is 24°C~28°C, and below 18°C it cannot grow normally. The stage of lingzhi primordium formation and fruiting body growth does not require stimulation by a temperature difference; if the temperature difference is too great, deformed lingzhi can be produced. Using this as a reference, in Anhui Province only the temperatures from May to October can meet the needs of lingzhi growth and development. From the perspective of three harvests a year, the final harvest period should be in early September. Counting backward from this, mother spawn should be propagated in early March, stock spawn in early April, and cultivation inoculation should be carried out in early May, so that three harvests can be taken in early July, early August, and early September.

2. Select good varieties

There are many kinds of lingzhi. According to morphology and color, they can be divided into six types: red lingzhi, black lingzhi, green lingzhi, white lingzhi, yellow lingzhi, and purple lingzhi. The commonly cultivated variety is red lingzhi. Among red lingzhi, good varieties include: Xinzhou, Huizhou, South Korea, Taishan No. 1, Dabie Mountain lingzhi, and others. Xinzhou lingzhi has strong stress resistance, a large and thick cap, good commercial quality, and high yield, and is an excellent variety for export to earn foreign exchange. South Korea lingzhi spawns quickly, fruits early, has large and uniform caps, and relatively high yield. Taishan lingzhi grows rapidly and is suitable for substitute material cultivation, but its yield is slightly lower. Dabie Mountain lingzhi has a large cap and deep color, and is more suitable for log cultivation. Therefore, each locality should determine the variety according to local production conditions (for example, whether substitute material or log cultivation) and production purpose (for example, export or domestic sale). If substitute material cultivation is adopted to achieve three harvests a year, South Korea lingzhi can be selected.

3. Reasonably select substitute material formulas

Lingzhi is a wood-rotting fungus. Suitable tree species include oak, wild jujube, Chinese tallow tree, elm, poplar, and others. Substitute material cultivation should mainly use sawdust from suitable tree species, appropriately combined with some cottonseed hulls, corncobs, and so on. Commonly used formulas may be selected as follows:

1. Mixed wood sawdust 83%, cornmeal (or wheat bran) 15%, gypsum powder 1%, sucrose 1%.

2. Cottonseed hulls 39%, mixed wood sawdust 39%, cornmeal (or wheat bran) 15%, gypsum powder 1%, sucrose 1%.

3. Corncobs 78%, bran 15%, gypsum 2%, sucrose 1%, superphosphate 1%, urea 0.5%, lime 2.5%.

The older the sawdust selected, the better, but it must not be moldy. Bran can also be replaced with rice bran, and gypsum can be replaced with calcium carbonate. The material-to-water ratio is generally 1:1.4~1.6.

4. Bagging, sterilization, and mycelial culture

For cultivation bags, low-pressure polyethylene or polypropylene tubing 17cm wide and 0.4mm thick may be selected, cut into bags 33cm long, with one end tied tightly with a rubber band (cut from an inner tube). After one of the above formula materials is mixed evenly, it is put into the bag. Where conditions permit, a bagging machine may also be used for bagging. During bagging, strive to achieve uniform tightness, and after bagging, tie the other end. After filling an appropriate number of bags, place them in a normal-pressure sterilization pot for sterilization. The sterilization time is 10~12 hours; it is best to burn during the day and let them sit overnight before removing them from the pot. After removal, when the bag temperature drops to about 30°C, inoculation can be carried out.

The inoculated bags can be placed in a culture room for mycelial culture. During mycelial culture, when the temperature exceeds 28°C and the humidity exceeds 65%, ventilation should be provided to dissipate heat and lower the temperature. During mycelial growth, attention should be paid to shading and aeration. After about 40 days, the mycelium can fill the bags.

5. Strengthen management and harvest in a timely manner

Bags full of mycelium can be transferred into the cultivation room. The bags may be stacked, and the stacking height should preferably be 8~10 layers without collapsing. After fruiting bodies appear at the bag opening, cut off the rubber band to let them fruit. During this period, it is essential to maintain suitable temperature, humidity, and light and to control the amount of ventilation. The indoor temperature should be maintained at 26°C~28°C, the relative air humidity should be maintained at 85%~95%, and scattered light is preferable. Lingzhi is very sensitive to carbon dioxide, and poor ventilation can produce deformities. When the edge of the cap no longer grows and brownish-red spores are produced, it can be harvested. When harvesting, it is best to cut with a knife, so that new fruiting bodies can quickly grow again on the original base. After the second flush matures, harvest again and let it grow again, and let it grow again and harvest again. After harvesting two flushes, the bags may also be removed and buried in soil to make up for insufficient water in the bags. As long as the temperature is suitable, three harvests can be obtained. Under normal circumstances, 100 kg of dry material can yield 8~10 kg of lingzhi over three harvests. Harvested lingzhi should be dried promptly.