Sparassis crispa factor entities are clustered together, and it is named after the shape of a giant hydrangea. The cap is 10-14 cm in diameter, nearly white cream, off-white to dirty yellow. Many flat band-like branches grow on the stipe, and the ends of the branches form many tortuous petals, which are more or less twisted or wavy and staggered with each other. Flake-like fleshy, ginkgo-like or flat-shaped petals, thin, brittle when tender. The fresh product has the smell of fennel. After drying or drying, the volume is significantly reduced, the color of the petals becomes darker, and the texture is hard and brittle. The stipe is 3 to 4 cm long, 2.5 to 3.0 cm thick, grayish white.
1. Temperature
Sparassis crispa is a mesophilic fungus, the growth temperature of mycelium is 10-28 ℃, and the optimum temperature is 20-23 ℃. When the temperature is below 10 ℃ and above 30 ℃, it stops growing and dies after 15 hours. The formation temperature of primordium is 20-22℃, and the optimum temperature is 17-19℃. When the temperature is lower than 12℃, it is difficult to differentiate. The fruiting body development temperature is 15-22 ℃, and the growth is normal at 18-20 ℃, the mushroom body is hypertrophic, the yield is high, and the quality is excellent; the growth is stopped below 10 ℃. When the temperature exceeds 26 °C, the fruiting body is easy to wither and die, and it is also infected with bacterial soft rot, even if the primordium appears, it is easy to die.
2. Moisture
The water content of the Sparassis crispa culture material should be controlled at 60% to 65%. The relative humidity of indoor air was kept below 70% during the growth stage of mycelium. The requirement of primordium formation stage is increased to 80% to 85%, if it exceeds 90%, it is not good for fruiting. The relative humidity of the air during the growth period of the fruit body should be adjusted to 85% to 90%. Before mushroom picking, the humidity should be controlled at 75% to 80%, and the low moisture content will help to prevent the occurrence of diseases, improve the quality and prolong the shelf life of the products.
3. Lighting
The mycelial growth stage does not require light. During the growth and development of fruiting bodies, a certain amount of scattered light is required to ensure the normal shape and good color of Sparassis crispa. The mushroom-growing stage requires 800-1000 lux of light per day, which is the most light-requiring variety of all mushrooms, so Sparassis crispa is also known as the "sunshine mushroom".
4. Air
Mycelial growth stage requires less oxygen. The formation of primordium and the development of fruiting bodies require sufficient fresh air, and the carbon dioxide concentration in the mushroom house is controlled at 600-1000 mg/kg. If it exceeds the standard, the growth will be poor. In the growing stage, if the ventilation is poor, the indoor oxygen is insufficient, the growth is extremely slow, and it will also cause rot in case of high temperature and high humidity.
5. pH
Sparassis crispa should be grown under acidic conditions, the pH of the culture material should be controlled at 3.5 to 7.0, and the optimum pH should be 4.0 to 5.0.