Stacking and Fermentation of Button Mushroom Culture Material
Culture materials generally use secondary fermentation, also known as pre-fermentation and post-fermentation. The pre-fermentation is carried out outside the shed, and the post-fermentation is carried out in a sterilized shed. The pre-fermentation takes about 20 days, and the post-fermentation takes 5-7 days. The whole process takes approximately 22-28 days.
1. Pre-moistening of culture material straw
Straw pre-moistening in the stockyard. Generally, when the straw is soaked, a layer of plastic film is spread on the ground in a stockpile prepared in advance, the size of which is determined according to the planting amount. When stacking, fold the straw handles, the grass tips are facing each other, and the grass roots are slightly tilted outward. When watering, the water flows down along the grass roots and soaks all the straw. Water once a day and repeat three times to fully absorb enough water. Build a pile while fishing. After the pile is built, water the top of the pile every day. If there is water overflowing at the bottom of the pile, it will basically absorb enough water in 3 to 4 days.
2. Build a pile
The material pile is required to be 2 meters wide and 1.5 meters high. The length can be determined according to the amount of planting. When building the pile, erect a wooden stick with a diameter of about 10 cm and a length of more than 1.5 cm every one meter. After the pile is built and pulled out, a ventilation hole will naturally be formed to increase oxygen in the material, which is beneficial to the reproduction of microorganisms and uniform fermentation.
When stacking materials, first spread a layer of straw (about 25 cm thick), and then spread a layer of ingredients while spreading. The ingredients should be spread evenly, and the ingredients should be stacked one layer at a time in this way until the height is 1.5 meters, and the top should be covered with ingredients.
When stacking, each layer should be watered, so that the bottom layer should be watered less and the upper layer should be watered more. It is advisable to have water overflowing around the pile the next day. When building a pile, attention should be paid to making the surrounding edges of the pile as steep as possible. The width of the bottom and top of the pile should be about the same, so that the temperature inside the pile can be maintained well. Material piles cannot be stacked in a triangular or nearly triangular trapezoid shape because this is not conducive to heat preservation.
3. Turning the pile (fermentation)
When turning the pile, the innermost and outermost layers of the pile should be turned to the middle, and the materials in the middle should be turned to the inside and outer layers. Each time the pile is turned over, the fertilizers and other auxiliary materials that should be added should be added in the required order. If the material is too dry, water it appropriately; cover it with plastic film on rainy days to prevent it from raining, and then remove the plastic film after sunny days.
Under normal circumstances, the material pile begins to heat up the next day after the pile is built, and the material temperature rises to above 70°C on approximately the third day. After about 2 days, the temperature of the material begins to drop. At this time, turn the pile for the first time. Sprinkle the remaining ingredients in while turning the pile, and spread evenly. After the pile is rebuilt, when the temperature of the material rises above 70°C, keep it for 2 days and then turn the pile for the second time. The method of turning the pile is the same each time. Generally, the pile is turned three times. Check the pH of the material every time you turn the pile. If it is too acidic, sprinkle an appropriate amount of lime powder with watering to keep the pH value at around 8. The fermented material is light brown in color, has no odor or ammonia smell, is soft in texture, has lost its toughness, but is elastic.
4. Post-fermentation (also called second fermentation)
The fermented materials are moved into the shed while they are still hot and piled up three levels. Use steam to heat the fermentation. When the temperature of the material rises to 60°C, keep it for 6 hours to further kill bacteria and pests. Then, let the material temperature drop to 52°C for 4 days to promote the growth and reproduction of microorganisms. Ventilate twice a day for 15 minutes each time. If the material is dry, you can spray lime water according to the pH of the material. After that, start spreading the material. The thickness of the material should be 25-30 cm. When spreading the material, pat it firmly.
The post-fermented material should be brown-red with a large amount of white powdery actinomycetes and a sweet bread smell. The water content is about 60% to 62%. If you hold it with your hands, there will be water lines between your fingers. You can hold it into a ball and shake it to disperse. The pH value is around 7.5.