Material Selection for Shiitake Mushroom Logging Production

For hardwood sawdust, choose sawdust from hardwoods such as oak. Its hard texture and high lignin content are ideal for shiitake mushroom mycelial growth, resulting in high-quality and high-yield mushrooms. Avoid using too much softwood sawdust, such as poplar or willow sawdust, as this can lead to insufficient fruiting, low yield, and easy rotting of the logs. Also, avoid using pine or cypress sawdust as much as possible. The shiitake mushroom cultivation cycle is over 200 days. Besides using sawdust from hardwood species, the size of the sawdust particles is also closely related to the yield. Larger sawdust particles have better air permeability and faster mycelial growth, but the cultivation logs (bags) are more prone to crumbling and breaking. Conversely, finer sawdust has poor air permeability, slower mycelial growth, and is more susceptible to contamination. Typically, slices are 0.1-0.2 cm thick, and 0.5 cm or 1.2 cm long or wide. The best sawdust mix is ​​coarse to fine, with a ratio of coarse (0.8-1.2cm) to fine (0.3-0.5cm) particles of 7:3.

Use pure wheat bran, adding 15%-20% of it. Avoid using inferior bran mixed with straw powder or containing unknown minerals. The bran should be fresh and free of mold.

The gypsum should contain at least 90% calcium sulfate. Both raw and calcined gypsum can be used, with calcined gypsum being the most common. The gypsum should pass through an 80-100 mesh sieve, be white, and shimmer in sunlight. Some gypsum is pinkish-gray and dull; this may indicate adulteration and should be avoided.