Monkey head mushroom not only owns delicious taste, but also holds the efficacy of curing stomach illness and is a kind of rare edible and medicinal mushroom. In order to successfully cultivate Monkey head mushroom, it will be essential to firstly know about its biological characteristics, meaning the external environment needed during the fruiting period of Monkey head mushroom. The followings are four main directions:
1. Temperature: During the fruiting period of Monkey head mushroom, the ideal temperature range is 12-20 degrees. When the temperature gets higher than 25 degrees, misshapen mushrooms or those with long stipes may appear.
2. Light intensity: 300 to 600 lux of scattered light is needed during the fruiting period of Monkey head mushroom. Too strong light tends to inhibit the growth of sporocarps while too weak light easily leads to misshapen mushrooms.
3. Humidity: During the fruiting period of Monkey head mushroom, it is suggested to control the humidity to a range of 75%-90%. Vaporous water could be sprayed and it is improper to spray directly on tiny buds or it will cause water stain, bringing to a halt to the growth and cause misshapen mushrooms. When people find that the sporocarps of Monkey head mushroom appear yellow and withering, it indicates too high humidity. In addition, normal mushroom bodies usually present white and fresh.
4. Air: Monkey head mushroom is a kind of aerobic fungus and is sensitive to carbon dioxide. During its growth period, coralloid misshapen mushrooms are easy to be observed under the negative conditions of poor ventilation, oxygen-lack and high humidity. What’s more, people could also pick mushrooms in due course, too early picking usually affect the yield while too late picking goes against flavor and quality.