Cordyceps Militaris Cultivation: Season, Process, Facilities & Raw Materials

Cordyceps militaris is a popular edible and medicinal fungus. Its cultivation plan including growing season, standard workflow, supporting facilities and substrate materials is introduced below.

Cultivation Season

Subject to its temperature preference, outdoor natural cultivation in northern areas is arranged in spring and autumn. Spring cultivation runs from March to April, and fruiting bodies mature from April to May; autumn cultivation starts in August–September, with harvest in September–October. If you adopt climate-controlled cultivation rooms, year-round production is available. One full growth cycle takes 50–60 days, and 4 batches can be completed annually without seasonal limits.

Cultivation Process

Raw material & spawn preparation → Cultivation room setup → Substrate mixing, filling and sterilization → Cooling and inoculation → Mycelium incubation management → Pigmentation & color induction management → Fruiting body growth management → Harvest → Post-harvest processing

Cultivation Facilities

The growing site needs flat ground, clean surroundings, stable water and power supply, proper ventilation and lighting, and sufficient clean water. It shall keep away from livestock farms and pollution sources. Multi-layer racks are installed inside cultivation rooms to make full use of space for culture containers. Racks are commonly made of angle steel or plastic with reasonable spacing. A regular 60 m² cultivation room is fitted with metal multi-tier racks, leaving 70 cm walkways for operation.

• Bottle cultivation rack: 5 tiers. Bottom tier 30 cm from ground, 50 cm vertical gap between tiers, 30 cm rack width for two rows of glass jars.
• Tray/basin cultivation rack: 5 tiers. Bottom tier 30 cm from ground, 40–50 cm vertical gap between tiers, 60 cm rack width for two rows of culture basins. LED lights are installed on each tier for lighting; alternatively, 25W fluorescent lamps can be mounted every 2 meters to supply light stimulation.

Raw Materials for Cultivation

High-quality, pollution-free wheat and rice are the mainstream substrates. Raw materials must be dry, fresh and free of pests. They contain comprehensive nutrients to support the whole growth cycle of Cordyceps militaris.