Key points for the management of Flammulina velutipes

Many people are confused about the key points of the management of Flammulina velutipes. So today I will tell you in detail:

1. Inducing budding

1. Scrape the fungus: After the workplace is sprayed with Baibingsha or Saibai 09 and settled, open the tied ends of the fungus bag and straighten the bag mouth to remove the thick fungus film and old fungus skin on the surface of the inoculated block and the base material. Scrape the fungus to make the mushroom buds grow uniformly. The tool used can be a small rake with 3 to 4 hook teeth made of No. 8 iron wire, and the fungus film on the surface of the base material can be scratched, and the old fungus skin and seed block can be removed together. Then the material surface is slightly leveled, and clean water can be poured in immediately if conditions permit. Pour out the excess water after 12 hours; to prevent infection by miscellaneous bacteria, the hand rake should be disinfected with an alcohol cotton ball before use.

2. Cooling: Low temperature is an important condition for the formation of mushroom buds. After entering the fruiting management, the temperature should be reduced to 7-13℃. If it is lower than 7℃, the growth rate will be too slow. If the temperature is higher than 13℃, a large number of aerial hyphae will often appear on the surface of the substrate, affecting the formation of mushroom buds.

3. Humidification: The relative air humidity of the mushroom production site should be maintained between 80% and 85% to induce the formation of mushroom buds. There are many ways to increase humidity, such as ground irrigation, wall and space spraying, etc.

4. Inducing mushroom buds: After the above management, after a few days, some aerial hyphae will grow again on the surface of the substrate treated with scratching, and then fall over, and then light soy sauce-colored water drops will appear, which is a sign of the appearance of mushroom buds. Soon, beige (or white) mushroom buds will appear neatly on the surface of the substrate. The speed of mushroom buds appearance varies depending on the strain. Some need 2 to 3 days, and some need 10 to 15 days to appear. If mushroom buds do not appear for a long time, it is mostly due to the low moisture content of the substrate. At this time, you can spray 20℃ warm water on the surface of the substrate. The amount should not be too much, and the standard of water spraying should be such that there is no water accumulation.

2. Temperature

Flammulina velutipes is a low-temperature fungus, and the ideal temperature for fruiting is about 10°C. Under suitable temperature conditions, the fruiting body grows slowly, is white (light), neat, tender, and has high yield. If it exceeds 15°C, the fruiting body grows rapidly, the cap quickly opens, and the stem is short and thick, making it difficult to form an ideal commercial mushroom. In addition, under high temperature conditions, pests and diseases are prone to occur, affecting the yield. The fruiting temperature should be adjusted to 5-8°C after the buds appear after the bags are unpacked, and maintained for 3-5 days, so that the physiological maturity of the same batch of mushrooms can be kept as synchronized as possible, so that the mushrooms are neat and strong, and the nutrients in the base material can be fully absorbed and utilized.

Two points should be noted when cooling down: first, ventilation should be provided to reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide and promote the mass production of mushroom buds; second, the surface of the base material should not be too wet and should be kept relatively dry and moist to prevent frost damage. After low-temperature acclimation, the temperature required for fruiting should be restored and maintained at around 10°C to effectively promote the growth of fruiting bodies. For fruiting mushrooms supplied to supermarkets at designated locations, the temperature should be controlled at 7-9°C and not too high.

3. Humidity

During the fruiting period of Flammulina velutipes, which are generally sold fresh in the market, a relatively high humidity should be maintained. During the mushroom bud formation stage, the relative air humidity should be maintained at about 90%. When the stipe grows to 0.5 cm, the relative humidity should be controlled at about 85%, and when the stipe grows to 1 cm, the relative humidity should be controlled at about 80%. In order to increase humidity, heavy water can be sprayed on the wall and the ground, but never spray water directly on the mushroom body at the mouth of the bag. When the young mushrooms come into contact with water, spots will appear on the cap, and the base will turn yellow-brown to coffee or brown, affecting the quality of the mushrooms. Excessive moisture in the mushroom body can also cause diseases such as root rot and bacterial spot, especially when the temperature is higher than 15°C, the humidity should not be higher than 85%. If fresh mushrooms are supplied to supermarkets, large hotels or designated units, the humidity conditions should be reduced as much as possible, generally maintained between 70% and 80%, to maximize the shelf life of the product.

4. Ventilation

Theoretically, Flammulina velutipes fruiting bodies need more oxygen during their growth, so moderate ventilation must be maintained. However, our practice over the years has shown that moderate carbon dioxide concentrations will not only not affect the growth and development of its fruiting bodies, but also help improve the commodity quality of mushrooms. For example, when cultivating in a civil air defense facility 4 meters underground, except for a small amount of ventilation such as opening the door during access management, no ventilation is given at other times. Under conditions of high carbon dioxide concentrations, its fruiting bodies are neat, fresh, and light in color (yellow strains), but the color of its base deepens and even turns brown; too low carbon dioxide concentrations are not conducive to the elongation of the stipes, and the caps are prone to opening. Therefore, ventilation should be adjusted in stages according to the different development conditions of the fruiting bodies. In the bud-inducing stage and the late stage of fruiting body growth, the ventilation frequency and ventilation volume should be increased, so that more mushroom buds can be formed, the mushrooms can be neatly produced, and needle-pointed mushrooms are not easily formed. In the middle stage of fruiting body growth, the ventilation volume should be reduced, and the carbon dioxide concentration should be increased to 1% to 2%. In the later stage of fruiting body growth, ventilation should be properly controlled to further increase the accumulation of carbon dioxide, so as to obtain Flammulina velutipes with small caps, long stipes and uniform thickness. However, it should be noted that severe poor ventilation can induce diseases such as cotton rot, so it should be controlled in moderation.

5. Lighting

During the mushroom fruiting period, weak light induction can be carried out. The weak light can promote the formation of fruiting bodies, and the light from above can make the fruiting bodies grow in the direction of the light, neatly and not scattered.

6. Warning

For products that are sold over long distances or enter supermarkets, the temperature for mushroom management should be kept at 7-9°C and the air humidity should be 70%-80%. The fresh mushrooms produced under this management model have a shelf life of about 10 days, and the low moisture content and normal color further increase the value of the product.