Hericium mushrooms are not only delicious, but also show the efficacy of curing stomach illness. And, they are a kind of rare edible and medicinal mushroom that gains popularity by consumers in China. In order to realize successful cultivation of Hericium mushroom, it is necessary to know about its biological characteristics which refer to the external environment required during the fruiting period of Hericium mushroom.

1. Temperature: The ideal temperature during the fruiting period of Hericium mushroom is 12-20 degrees Celsius. When the temperature is higher than 25 degrees Celsius, malformed mushrooms will occur.

2. Light intensity: 300 to 600 lux of scattered light is required during the fruiting period of Hericium mushroom. Too-strong light could inhibit the growth of sporocarps while too-weak light easily results in malformed mushrooms.

3. Humidity: During the fruiting period of Hericium mushroom, it is proper to control the humidity at 75%-90%. A mist of water should be sprayed and be sure not to spray it directly on tiny buds, or it will cause water stain which brings to a halt to growth of mushroom. When you find that the sporocarps of Hericium mushroom appear yellow and withering, it refers to too-high humidity. In addition, it is noteworthy that normal mushroom bodies present white and fresh, and should be properly recognized.

4. Air: Hericium mushroom is a kind of aerobic fungus and it is sensitive to carbon dioxide. During the growth period, coralloid malformed mushrooms are easy to occur under poor ventilation, anoxic and high humidity. What’s more, be sure to harvest mushrooms in due course, premature harvest could affect the yield while too-late picking also exerts impacts on mushrooms’ flavor and quality.