Methods of intensive and extensive cultivation of shiitake. In its homeland, Japan, shiitake is considered one of the most valuable mushrooms. Its healing properties and excellent taste have long been noted there. A long time ago, it was grown on Japanese plantations that grew around areas where shii trees grew, where its spores were carried by self-sowing.
Gradually, the places where the mushroom settled were furnished with log houses of the same type, and the borders of the plantations were protected by a high fence. Thin, fresh trunks, one and a half meters long, were placed crosswise, fixing the vertical position with the help of support on a raised horizontal leg. Over time, fungal spores were carried by winds from neighboring logs with ripened shiitakes. Caring for such plantations came down to timely harvesting and periodic replacement of fruit-bearing logs with new, fresh logs.
Over time, the fame of shiitake has spread far beyond Japan. Of course, modern methods of growing this mushroom have become significantly improved. The methods of intensive cultivation of shiitake used today can achieve effective results, but require a more thorough approach.
In the conditions of the middle zone, shiitake can be grown both in artificial conditions and in an open environment. At the same time, in addition to the traditional log house, it is possible to use various substrate blocks of your own or purchased ready-made from manufacturers.
Growing shiitake in log houses
Thanks to a specific enzyme that decomposes tannins (tannase), shiitake has a significant advantage over other types of mushrooms when developing wood. To grow it in the Russian climate, oak logs, as well as other local tree species, are mainly used.
Log houses are prepared in late autumn (a month after leaf fall) or early spring before the weather warms up and the buds open. During this period, the maximum amount of carbohydrates available to the fungus accumulates in the wood. In addition, the bark is attached tightly enough, which minimizes the risk of infection by mold fungi.
In autumn, oak can be cut down when its foliage turns reddish. It is advisable to select trunks with a diameter of 10 to 25 cm. After this, the prepared log houses should lie for about a month and a half, after which they are sawed into meter-long logs.
Sowing shiitake spores into wood (inoculation) is carried out using grain mycelium. To do this, you need to drill 20 mm holes along the side surfaces of the chocks, 6-8 cm deep with an interval of 6 cm.
With clean hands, grain mycelium is stuffed into them and compacted so that it is recessed by 1 cm relative to the surface. The mycelium consumption will be at least 0.2 kg/1 linear m. To prevent the mycelium from spilling out, cover the infected areas with wood shavings and cover them with garden varnish or seal them with tape.
An alternative to this method of infecting wood is to use wooden wedges or wood chips contaminated with mycelium. To do this, they must first be kept in a substrate with developing fungal mycelium, or use a commercial ready-made option.
To introduce infected wood fragments into chocks, deep splits are made along them in a fan-shaped manner, reaching almost to the center. You can prevent infection of the inoculation site by tying the log house with plastic film.
Growing shiitake on substrate
The yield of shiitake on substrate blocks is significantly higher compared to the results of growing on logs. You can purchase ready-made substrate mixtures or prepare them yourself.
First substrate option. To prepare the substrate, you need to mix chopped straw, sawdust from deciduous trees (preferably oak, hornbeam) and rice bran in equal parts. Then starch, corn and soy flour are added to the mixture in a volume of 0.5% by weight of the substrate. To soften these components, slaked lime (0.5%) and water (70%) are added.
Second substrate option. Wheat straw, chopped into pieces 5 cm long, is kept in water for several days. After this, 10% gypsum (based on the weight of dry straw) and bird feather flour (3%) are added to it. The mixed mixture is poured with water (80%).
The soaked components of the substrate absorb a sufficient amount of water within 5 minutes, adding about 30% of the original weight. Excess water is drained through a colander, and the remainder is carefully squeezed out by hand.
The prepared substrate is packaged in polyethylene rectangular bags (25x40 cm). Each of them can hold approximately 1.5 kg of moistened substrate mixture.
Before tying the top of the bags, you need to prepare padding polyester plugs. To do this, the synthetic winterizer is cut into strips measuring 40x7 cm and rolled into tight rolls, fixing their condition with a winding of thread. These plugs are inserted into the neck of the bags and then tied with twine.
At the next stage of preparing substrate blocks, they must be pasteurized to destroy fungal mold spores. To do this, the bags with the substrate are placed in a lidded boiling pot with boiling water and boiled for 2-3 hours. In this case, it is necessary to maintain a constant volume of water so that its level is just below the place where the neck is ligated. Then the substrate is removed and left to cool for a day. To be on the safe side, it is recommended to repeat this procedure the next day.
When the substrate has completely cooled down to ambient temperature (25°C), the neck of the bag is untied and about 20 g of grain mycelium is added per block weighing 2.5 kg.
After this, the padding polyester roll is reinserted into the neck of the bag and tightened with a rope. To maintain normal air exchange, holes of 5 mm in diameter are cut on the sides of plastic bags at intervals of 3 cm.
Method of intensive cultivation of shiitake
The most effective results from growing shiitake can be achieved by keeping infected substrate blocks in greenhouse conditions. This method is more labor-intensive and expensive, but also more reliable.
To incubate shiitake mycelium, infected substrate blocks in bags are placed in boxes and transferred to the greenhouse. Here they should be kept at a constant temperature of 15-17°C and regular ventilation. Creating such optimal conditions allows you to avoid souring and overheating of the substrate. The light mode at this stage is not so important. The duration and intensity of illumination does not affect the development of the substrate by mycelium.
After 2 months, the mushroom mycelium will begin to protrude on the surface of the substrate, forming white spots. And by this time the substrate itself will turn into a monolithic mass (block). Now is the time to remove the substrate blocks from the boxes in which they were previously located, moisten them and place them on the racks.
From this moment on, the greenhouse regime is set to a temperature of 18°C and a humidity of 90%. Now illumination plays an extremely significant role. Normal development of fruiting bodies occurs when daylight hours are more than 12 hours. To do this, it is necessary to turn on additional lighting with fluorescent lamps with an intensity of 120 lux.
In addition, you must not forget about regular air exchange and arrange regular ventilation or turn on ventilation. This is necessary to get rid of the gases released by the mycelium, the accumulation of which leads to inhibition of the development of fruiting bodies.
After the formation of fungal primordia, the humidity of the environment is reduced to 80%. In more humid conditions, the stems of the mushrooms become very elongated, and the caps remain underdeveloped and small.
The temperature conditions for further cultivation of shiitake in a greenhouse depend on the specific race of the mushroom. For example, the cold-loving race develops well at 18C. In conditions of elevated temperatures, fruiting deteriorates significantly, as does the quality of the mushrooms themselves. Their caps become thin, brittle, and their taste deteriorates.
Under greenhouse growing conditions, the shiitake mushroom bears fruit in waves. The first harvest is the most abundant. It accounts for up to 70% of the weight of the total harvest. The second wave of the harvest reaches only a quarter of the previous one. Coming in a few months, the last harvest wave will be represented by literally a few units of fruiting bodies. Without waiting for final ripening, as soon as the caps become convex, you can cut off all the mushrooms at the base of the stem.
When using this method of effectively cultivating shiitake, the average yield is about 20% by weight of the wet substrate.
Growing shiitake in the garden
Shiitake mushroom is quite adapted to the open climatic conditions of the middle zone. It is successfully grown in garden plots during warm seasons.
On the log house
Logs infected with fungal mycelium through drilled holes are immediately installed in a permanent fruiting place. The duration of incubation can be from 1 to 3 years, and the lifespan of shiitake on log houses is 5-8 years.
The material prepared in this way is laid on the ground, covered with a layer of peat or straw and covered with plastic film. The log houses are periodically moistened. When the daytime air warms up to 25°C, the mycelium begins to germinate.
In the fall, logs mastered by mycelium are brought into a cool, dark basement for winter storage. In the spring they are returned to their original places. With the onset of warmth, active formation of fruiting bodies begins. Wave fruiting will last until mid-autumn, but the most abundant and high-quality shiitake crop is harvested in the spring.
At the end of the third year of fruiting, the logs are moved to a dry, dark room, where they are laid out in stacks. After keeping them for two months, they are watered abundantly and again taken out into an open, illuminated environment for fruiting.
This method is quite simple, but its effectiveness depends significantly on the season, weather conditions and other external factors. The maximum yield of shiitake when grown in log houses in open conditions does not exceed 15% of the weight of the wood.
On substrate blocks
Substrate blocks prepared over the winter, infected with shiitake mycelium, will bear fruit in open conditions from the beginning of April to the end of October. Dense blocks can be moved, changing the growing area, watered, immersed in water in between harvest waves. Collected mushrooms can be frozen and dried, significantly increasing shelf life.
The principle of installing substrate blocks for growing shiitake in open conditions differs from the technique described earlier. In this case, before installation, the substrate blocks are removed from plastic bags and washed under running cold water. After this, they are immediately placed in a permanent place directly on the ground.
For growing mushrooms, it is advisable to choose a shaded place. When caring for substrate blocks, daily watering is necessary, especially after the formation of fruiting bodies.
In the hot, dry season, to stimulate the development of mycelium, plastic caps (inverted, untied packaging bags) are placed over the blocks. When the first mushrooms appear, they are removed and the substrate is abundantly moistened.
To simplify the pasteurization procedure for self-prepared blocks for growing shiitake in open conditions, this process can be done locally. To do this, use a 200 liter metal barrel placed on a fire. It is filled ¼ with water, above the level of which the grate is securely fixed (for example, on bricks). Substrate blocks are laid out on it in several tiers. Then the barrel is covered with a lid and the fire is lit. Thus, the substrate is steamed in a water bath for 6 hours.
When picking mushrooms, first cut off their caps and then remove the remaining “stumps”. If, after the final harvest of the first harvest wave, the weight of a substrate block with a volume of 2.5 liters is less than 0.8 kg, it needs to be soaked for several days until its weight increases to 2 kg.
The operational life of the substrate block is up to 6 waves of fruiting. Then it begins to crumble and fruiting stops.
On a summer cottage it is becoming increasingly popular for a number of understandable reasons. This is an opportunity to organize a family business, and an area of practical application of one’s hobbies, and an activity that allows one to preserve natural resources. One of the promising areas for creating mushroom farms is growing shiitake at home. Today, two methods of artificial reproduction of the culture of this fungus are used, intensive and extensive.
The use of intensive technology makes it possible to obtain environmentally friendly products regardless of weather conditions and changing seasons: all the conditions necessary and mandatory for effective production are provided and strictly controlled by the mushroom grower himself.
The growing process must go through the following stages sequentially.
Substrate preparation
To grow shiitake at home using the intensive method, it is necessary to use multicomponent substrates, the basis of which is certainly sawdust from deciduous trees, preferably hardwood. To increase nutritional properties and improve physical performance, grain, bran, food and agricultural waste, and calcined mineral additives are added. The options for the qualitative composition of the nutrient medium where the mycelium of shiitake mushrooms will develop are varied, but in any case, growing on a substrate containing at least 2-5% oak or beech sawdust will have a positive effect on the future harvest.
The substrate is packaged in polypropylene bags equipped with gas exchange filters, and then sterilized under pressure. A milder disinfection option is also possible - pasteurization for 8 to 12 hours with hot water.
Sterilization is mandatory to increase the resistance of shiitake mycelium to the effects of competing microorganisms and eliminate the possibility of mold development.
Introduction of mycelium
The heat-treated substrate is cooled to a temperature of 20-30 ° C. This is done either in an autoclave using a cotton filter installed at the air inlet, or by passing air through a filter in a special box. Then the substrate is evenly laid out in 3-5 kg pieces in plastic bags. In this case, preliminary treatment of their internal surface with an antiseptic is necessary. Only after this is inoculation carried out: either grain or sawdust mycelium is added there.
Grain mycelium is individual grains of millet or wheat overgrown with mycelium. It crushes well, is evenly distributed throughout the volume of the substrate, and the grain itself feeds the mycelium. The sowing rate for such mycelium is 2% of the volume of the substrate.
Sawdust mycelium is grown on a mixture of sawdust and bran. The mycelium develops quite quickly in the environment to which it is already adapted. It should be applied in an amount of 5-7% of the volume.
At the end of inoculation, the bags are immediately sealed.
Incubation
The optimal temperature at which mycelium grows is 25°C. Overheating of packages (blocks) is unacceptable: at 28-30°C and above, the shiitake mycelium weakens. There are no humidity requirements: throughout the entire period, which lasts 20-40 days, the inoculated substrate is kept in sealed bags. The blocks must be illuminated for 6-8 hours a day at an intensity of 50-100 lux to stimulate the appearance of embryos of fruiting bodies.
During incubation, the mycelium goes through the following stages:
- colonization (“white block” - the color of the package, indicating complete colonization) with the absorption of nutrients from the substrate;
- ripening when the packet enters the “brown block” phase, which means it is ready to bear fruit.
Throughout the incubation period, the bags should be handled with extreme caution, avoiding their rupture and contact with cutting surfaces. It is best to store them individually on shelves, or stagger them on top of each other in 2-3 rows.
Fruiting
With the onset of the “brown block” phase, bags with mycelium are placed in a separate fruiting chamber, where a certain microclimate must be maintained. In this case, the following parameters must be maintained:
- air temperature 14-20°C;
- humidity 80-95% at the initial moment, 50-70% at the collection stage;
- illumination intensity 100-200 lux for at least 8-12 hours;
- CO 2 content in the air is not higher than 0.2%.
The cycle itself consists of the following stages:
- induction of fruit formation;
- fruit formation;
- fruiting;
- rest period.
There may be several periods (waves) of fruiting throughout the year. For each of them, the microclimate is formed individually.
For the first wave, induction is carried out in the fruiting chamber, where blocks from the incubation box are moved. Provide the following conditions:
- the substrate temperature must be reduced to 14-18°C;
- CO 2 level should be from 1000 to 2000 ppm;
- stimulation with lighting with an intensity of 100-200 lux for 8-12 hours.
To carry out induction for the second and subsequent waves, the blocks are soaked for 12-48 hours in water at a temperature of 10 to 16 ° C, ensuring an increase in substrate humidity to 75-80%. If necessary, the water is disinfected; before and after soaking the blocks, the containers must be disinfected. Old and new blocks are induced separately from each other, after which they are dried for several days. Fruit formation begins when the substrate moisture level drops to 65%.
Harvesting
It is best to collect shiitakes at the stage of “technical ripeness”, not quite ripe: their taste at this moment is much better.
4-6 hours before the start of collection, air humidity must be reduced to 60% so that the cuticle of the caps becomes rigid. This increases the shelf life of collected mushrooms. Remove shiitakes in such a way that the stems do not remain in the substrate, attracting pests or activating the formation of mold. At the end of the harvest, the mycelium should accumulate nutrients for the next fruiting period. To speed up this process, the air temperature must be increased to 20-25°C.
Intensive cultivation of shiitake mushrooms at home is financially expensive, technically difficult, and requires sufficiently spacious and specially equipped isolated premises. Another difficulty is the fact that almost all stages of cultivation require maintaining the sterility of premises, instruments, and personnel clothing.
Another method that allows you to grow these mushrooms on your own is more accessible and quite effective.
Extensive cultivation method
The principle of extensive technology for growing shiitake at home is to create an environment for the growth of the mushroom that is as similar as possible to the natural one.
The introduction of mycelium is done using freshly cut fragments of tree trunks. For this, oak, beech, chestnut, hornbeam, and birch are usually chosen. Preparations are made during the period of the highest concentration of sugars in tree sap: after the leaves have dropped and before the sap begins to flow. Pay attention to the absence of signs of damage by xylotrophs and pests. The trunks are sawn into logs from 1 to 1.5 m long and 10–20 cm in diameter, kept in open space for 1 to 3 months, then inoculated.
Taking into account the climatic conditions of the area where shiitake is grown, it is advisable to inoculate with the appropriate strains.
- Heat-loving (summer) fruits well in a humid, warm climate from May to September at temperatures from 14 to 27°C.
- For cold-loving plants (autumn-spring), the optimal temperature will be from 7 to 16°C. The strain bears fruit from March to May and from September to November. The mushrooms are of good quality, although they develop rather slowly.
- The mycelium of all-season strains grows quickly in wood, fruiting occurs in a wide temperature range from 10 to 25°C from May to November. In enclosed spaces with the ability to control the microclimate, the use of this strain allows you to obtain a year-round harvest.
The inoculation process itself is carried out as follows. In seasoned chocks, holes are made in the floor with a diameter of 2 cm to a depth of 1.5 cm, placing them in a checkerboard pattern. Shiitake grain mycelium is placed in them and filled with wax. The logs sowed in this way are stacked in shaded areas on cleared areas.
The incubation period (time of mycelium growth in wood) depends on the volume of seeded material, the quality of the mycelium, temperature, air humidity and lasts from 6 to 18 months. The optimal air temperature for germination is 24-28°C with a humidity of 70-90%. In the middle zone and southern regions, the mycelium tolerates wintering well: it is enough to cover the logs with straw or move them to the basement.
After complete germination of the mycelium, fruit formation is stimulated. To do this, the logs are soaked in water for 24-72 hours, then placed vertically or at an angle in a shaded area, but not in complete darkness. The first rudiments of fruiting bodies appear after 7-10 days.
The fruiting period of shiitake usually occurs twice a year. At the end of each wave of fruiting (during the dormant period), to maintain stable environmental parameters, the chocks are covered with breathable material. Depending on the size of the chocks, the yield lasts from two to five years. The average number of mushrooms collected using this growing method from 1 m² of wood over the total time ranges from 200 to 250 kg.
This is how shiitake, the imperial mushroom, has been grown for a long time, but has not yet been fully studied, modest in appearance, but possessing an exquisite taste and, due to the totality of its qualities, deserving the close interest of an enthusiastic person.
Currently, the deteriorating environmental situation and frequent poisoning by wild mushrooms have led to a surge in the popularity of cultivated mushrooms. Unpretentious to care for, oyster mushrooms and champignons have flooded the market and slightly displaced meat on the tables. Several years ago, exotic shiitake mushrooms appeared in our latitudes - they came to us from the Far East, where they have long been successfully grown on an industrial scale.
Statistically, shiitake is the most cultivated edible mushroom in the world. It tastes like champignons and porcini mushrooms. The high nutritional value, pleasant taste, as well as the discovered healing properties of shiitake determine its popularity in the cuisines of different nations of the world. In Japan and China, these mushrooms have traditionally been grown for two millennia on fallen trunks and stumps of “shii” trees (analogous to our oak) and other deciduous trees. With the development of cultivation technology on sterile sawdust, it became possible to grow shiitake at home.
Ways to grow shiitake
Shiitake mushrooms are saprotrophic mushrooms that grow naturally on dying wood; under cultivation conditions they resemble oyster mushrooms. A distinctive feature compared to other cultivated mushrooms is the rather long ripening of shiitake mycelium and low competitiveness compared to colonies of bacteria and mold. Experienced shiitake growers claim that if sterile planting conditions are observed, as well as cultivation technology, obtaining mushroom fruiting bodies is quite simple.
There are two main methods for growing shiitake:
- extensive - the natural growth of the fungus on wood is copied on specially prepared trunk trimmings, which are forcibly infected with mycelium. This method is suitable for regions with a humid climate. The longest period of fruiting occurs in the second year of mushroom development of wood raw materials. More than two-thirds of the world's shiitake production is grown using this technology;
- intensive – the basis for the growth of mushrooms is wood chips and sawdust from deciduous trees, as well as cereal straw. To increase the nutritional value of the substrate, grain, bran, hay, and mineral additives (chalk or gypsum) are added to it. The substrate is thoroughly sterilized or pasteurized - and seed mycelium is added to it, which colonizes the blocks and after a while begins to bear fruit.
Intensive Shiitake Cultivation
Intensive (industrial) cultivation of shiitake is carried out on substrates consisting of 60-90% sawdust from deciduous wood with a diameter of 2-3 mm. Sawdust from oak, maple, beech, birch and other hardwoods are suitable for this purpose. In addition, the substrate may include wood chips (it increases the looseness of its structure), as well as dry and clean cereal straw and hay, crushed to a size of 1-2 cm.
To accelerate the colonization of mycelium and improve fruiting, grain, bran, legume flour, tea leaves and beer production waste, as well as chalk or gypsum to optimize acidity, are used as nutritional supplements. The resulting mixture is moistened with clean water, bringing the substrate humidity level to 60-65%.
It is important to note that too small a diameter of sawdust impedes the gas exchange of the substrate; an excess of nutrients creates an environment favorable for the development of microorganisms that compete with shiitake, often displacing mushrooms. Therefore, for optimal development of mushroom mycelium, preliminary sterilization or pasteurization of the substrate is required, packaged in plastic or polypropylene bags with a volume of 1-6 liters with special biofilters for gas exchange. After heat treatment and cooling, the substrate mixture is inoculated (seeded) with mushroom mycelium, which in a warm place gradually colonizes the substrate, turning it into a dense block - within about 1.5-2.5 months. Next, the mushroom blocks are removed from the film or container and placed for fruiting in a cool room with high humidity.
How to Grow Shiitake Mushrooms
The method of growing mushrooms on wood trimmings is more labor-intensive. It is suitable for the humid Asian climate, as opposed to the local continental one. The extensive method of cultivating mushrooms is more expensive compared to the intensive method. Planting mycelium is easier to organize on substrates composed of sawdust, wood chips and straw. You can stock up on such a nutritious substratum without any special material costs. The most suitable is dry, clean oat or barley straw, golden in color, without visible signs of rotting. To grow shiitake at home, you will need a room in which you can maintain a certain temperature and humidity, and intense lighting. You also need to prepare bags made of thick polyethylene or agril (non-woven material for covering beds). Experienced mushroom growers recommend packaging mushroom blocks of approximately 2.5 kg. The first harvest of shiitake can be obtained in 60-70 days.
Preparing mushroom blocks
Before sowing mushroom mycelium, mandatory sterilization or pasteurization of the substrate is required in order to destroy various microorganisms in it, which otherwise could multiply and seriously compete with shiitake mushrooms. For sterilization, you will need a barrel into which straw is tightly compacted and boiling water is poured into it. The barrel is placed over a fire to heat for several hours, after which the straw is laid out in a clean container and left to cool, and then packed into bags, laying the substrate and mycelium in layers (at the rate of 2-7% shiitake mycelium by weight of the substrate), trying distribute the mushroom material evenly.
Seed mycelium is produced in two types:
- sawdust - it is grown on a sawdust-bran mixture, it is specially adapted to the appropriate substrate. The sowing rate of such mushroom mycelium is 5-7%;
- grain - is a scattering of grain overgrown with mycelium, which is also a nutrient medium. The sowing rate for such mycelium is 2%.
If you did not purchase special bags with porous filters along with the mycelium, then in ordinary plastic bags you need to make side holes a few centimeters in diameter through which the gas exchange of mushroom blocks will take place. After filling with substrate with mycelium, the bags must be closed on top with a cotton plug or sealed (in the case of bags with micron filters). The blocks prepared in this way are placed indoors at a height of at least 20 cm from the floor, since the germinating mycelium actively releases carbon dioxide, which goes down.
Forcing mushroom fruiting bodies
During the incubation period, it is necessary to maintain the temperature in the room within 25 ° C - this temperature is considered optimal for the germination of mycelium. At temperatures above 28-30 °C, there is a possibility of damage to the substrate by competitive microorganisms (mainly Trichoderma and Neurospora - green and orange mold). A change in the color of the substrate block to white will indicate the germination of the mycelium, and nodules and swellings of various shapes will begin to appear. The brown color of the block indicates the beginning of ripening and early fruiting of mushrooms.
The mushroom blocks are removed from the bags and placed in cold water for two days and then returned. Two weeks after such a procedure, shiitake fruiting bodies usually appear, which will grow into full-fledged mushrooms within another half month. To start fruiting, shiitake requires high air humidity (80-95%) and poor ventilation, which maintains a high level of carbon dioxide. During the mushroom picking period, humidity is reduced to 50-70%. Shiitake bears fruit in waves; on one mushroom block you can expect two or three harvests of fruit.
Shiitake mushrooms - photo
How to grow shiitake mushrooms - video
Since the development of home gardening, people began to cultivate many plants. In the beds and gardens you can find outlandish bushes, trees and fruit crops, which 30-50 years ago grew only in forests and swamps. Recently, you can often find home mushroom farms. Gardeners began to grow honey mushrooms and shiitakes in gardens or on balconies.
- Shiitake mushrooms are widely used in cooking. Per 100 grams of weight of this product there are only 34 kcal. Therefore, it can be classified as dietary food. Mushrooms have a slightly spicy, pleasant taste and are similar in structure to meat. They are included in a large number of recipes, such as soups, omelettes, sandwiches, salads and so on. They can be eaten raw, and the mushrooms will have their own unique taste. When cooking, some nuances are lost, but a pleasant spiciness and aroma remain.
- Mushrooms are also used for medicinal purposes. Due to their unique composition, they are often used in the treatment of cancer. Although research in this area is still ongoing, the positive effects have been noted by many doctors. They are also recommended for use in other serious diseases.
- Shiitake mushrooms are used in the cosmetics industry. Based on them, various creams, masks and lotions are prepared, which are aimed at increasing the elasticity and firmness of the skin. Also, these drugs nourish the skin, improve complexion, restore water balance, and rejuvenate cells.
No harmful properties of these mushrooms have been identified. Doctors do not recommend using them during pregnancy and for those people who suffer from bronchial asthma. Otherwise, they have a beneficial effect.
Shiitake mushrooms have been studied by world laboratories and the results exceeded all expectations. This product contains a large number of substances and microelements that not only have a beneficial effect on the body, but can also cure some complex diseases.
In China, he is considered the emperor of all mushrooms.
It helps in the treatment of viral diseases, reduces the amount of cholesterol in the blood and increases blood circulation. Due to the content of large amounts of amino acids, vitamins and hormones, it helps reduce cancerous tumors. These mushrooms can be used for diabetes, stomach diseases, allergies and other diseases. At the same time, your health status will improve significantly.
Growing shiitake mushrooms at home is not difficult. The necessary materials can be purchased in specialized stores, and the whole process is so simple that even a novice gardener can handle it with ease. As a result, you can get environmentally friendly, healthy and tasty products.
More information can be found in the video.
The shiitake mushroom (aka shiitake) comes from eastern countries; the Chinese and Japanese value it no less than the healing ginseng root, due to its high content of nutrients.
The cultivation of shiitake mushrooms under artificial conditions began in those parts, and gradually the technology “migrated” to us; the mushroom is grown both for amateur and commercial purposes. Shiitake is not capricious and, subject to certain conditions, gives good yields; it is one of the most aromatic, tasty and rich in composition of mushrooms.
About shiitake
In the wild, the shiitake mushroom actively grows in the foothills of Japan, Korea, and China. He does not like lowlands, excessive heat and frost. It is practically not found in Europe and hot countries, and in Russia it can only be found in some regions of Siberia and the Far East.
Shiitake belongs to the group of saprophytes, that is, it feeds on the organic matter of the wood on which it grows. Gradually, the stumps with mycelium are destroyed.
Externally, it is an ordinary medium-sized cap mushroom. The diameters of the caps vary from 5 to 20 cm in diameter, the legs of the fruit are thin. The cap has a patterned coloring similar to a turtle shell and ranges from cream to dark brown.
The mushroom is fleshy, very aromatic, and contains a large amount of microelements and vitamins.
Growing shiitake mushrooms at home gives good results; the mushroom is unpretentious if placed in the right environment.
Due to the fact that shiitake prefers high mountain areas, sea air and a temperate climate, it is very difficult to grow it in nature (in gardens, on plots) in our area. For artificial propagation, you will have to allocate a separate room: a basement, a barn, a hangar, in which it will be necessary to create special conditions. Some people manage to grow shiitake right in their apartment, on the balcony.
Technology for growing shiitake mushrooms at home
The best way to grow shiitake mushrooms in artificial conditions is to use bags and substrate. The blocks are placed in a prepared room and the conditions for fruit propagation are observed.
Preparing the premises
To breed shiitake indoors, it is necessary to create good ventilation, lighting of at least 100 lux and an air temperature control system. Mushrooms love warmth during the day and coolness at night. The optimal daytime temperature for them is +15-18ºC, at night – +10 ºC. During the sowing period and until fruiting, the temperature is raised to +25 ºC. Air humidity is maintained within 70-80%. A drip irrigation system is recommended for watering.
The room must be clean, completely disinfected; for the convenience of placing myceliums, it is better to use racks with shelves.
Shiitake mycelium
Since the mushroom grows only in a certain region of our country, it is not possible to collect its mycelium independently in the wild. The easiest way to buy seed material is in a store or at an enterprise engaged in industrial cultivation of shiitake.
The seller is obliged to indicate on the packaging the date the mycelium was harvested, the shelf life and the conditions necessary for maintaining the material.
Substrate preparation
For the substrate, you can use sawdust from trees mixed with dry leaves, hay, and sunflower husks.
The material must be sterilized to destroy all harmful microorganisms. To do this, the mixture is placed in water and boiled for about two hours, then cooled and squeezed.
Packets also need to be processed. The easiest way is to rinse them in a chlorine solution. The substrate is placed in bags in its raw form, alternating layers with mycelium (each block should contain no more than 8% mycelium). The edge of the bag is tied with a rope.
Then the mushroom blocks are laid out on shelves at a short distance from each other. Each bag is cut with a clean, sterilized knife or blade (up to 20 holes on each block).
All work should be carried out with gloves and in the most sterile conditions so that harmful microbes do not enter the mycelium.
Incubation period
Growing shiitake mushrooms largely depends on proper incubation conditions, which last on average about three weeks. All this time, the temperature in the room is maintained no higher than +25 ºC and humidity is about 80%. The room is not ventilated or illuminated at this time.
As soon as the first fruits appear, the air temperature should be lowered to +18 ºC during the day and lowered even more at night. The room begins to be ventilated, the mushrooms are irrigated daily and the humidity is maintained at about 70%. Mushrooms also need light every day, for at least 5-6 hours.
Myceliums actively bear fruit for a month. The fruits are collected in the usual way - by cutting off the stems. After the first harvest, the blocks continue to be cared for; after 30-40 days, a second wave of harvest can be expected.
Each mycelium can bear fruit for 5-7 years. But periodically they need to be given rest, plunging into “hibernation”. To do this, reduce the temperature in the room and stop active watering. After a month, care is resumed and a new harvest is expected.
You can try growing shiitakes outdoors in your yard. To do this you will need stumps or bars. If there are no stumps on your site, then find blocks of coniferous or deciduous trees and dig them into the ground.
Planting is best done in May, then in the fall there is a chance of getting the first harvest. The stumps should be moistened 2-3 weeks before planting the mushrooms, but not too much, by filling them with water. At the time of seedling, the wood moisture content should be about 50%.
Indentations are made in the wood using a drill or hacksaw. Shiitake mycelium is placed in the holes. The top of the stump is covered with wet sawdust. Stumps (bars) should be kept moist, but not more than 40%. When the mycelium begins to bear fruit, they need to be watered more often.
Such myceliums can take root only in those regions where there are short, not too frosty winters and moderate summers. In other areas, greenhouses will need to be created for the bars.
Now you know that growing shiitake mushrooms is not such a complicated process, unlike, for example, growing boletus or truffles. Shiitake does not create a symbiosis with trees, and has a flexible nature, so its cultivation is becoming increasingly popular. In addition, it is also a very tasty, juicy mushroom from which amazing dishes are obtained.