Shiitake Mushroom Production Season and Cultivation Process

1. Production Season
Choosing the cultivation season is one of the most important technical aspects of shiitake mushroom cultivation, directly affecting the yield and quality of the mushrooms and influencing economic benefits. The inoculation time is determined based on the characteristics of shiitake mushroom mycelium growth, which is intolerant of high temperatures, and the requirement for a large temperature difference during fruiting body differentiation. In China's substrate-growing areas, shiitake mushroom cultivation is mainly divided into in-season cultivation and off-season cultivation, with the specific times as follows:
* In-season cultivation: Generally, substrate is produced from the end of February to March, and the mushrooms complete their color change before the arrival of summer's high temperatures, overwintering in August to November and from April to June of the following year.

* Off-season cultivation: Generally, substrate is produced from mid-October to mid-November of the previous year, with fruiting in May to October. Producing too early results in high temperatures and a high probability of contamination; producing too late results in insufficient accumulated temperature and delayed fruiting.

2. Process Flow
* Preparation of substrate and spawn, greenhouse preparation, etc. → Mixing, bagging, sterilization → Cooling, inoculation → Mycelium growth management → Fruiting management