We are very honored to interview Mr. Hong, Rui Hong on Pin Rui Farm who imparted the techniques of mushroom cultivation to us. The interview content is as follows:

FIBC bags are left with sawdust and appear to be black after inoculation. Yet, they turn white subsequent to spawn running. At this point, they will be taken to the production department to cool down in order to stimulate production. Every mushroom farm has its own approach. Some culture for 45 days and some use liquid spawn and let them grow after 25 to 30 days. Our judgement on when to cultivate based on its hyphae. If it is covered with white hyphae, it is ready to cultivate.
The temperature to culture is set around 22 to 24 Celsius, which lets hyphae grow steadily. Aside from temperature, the level of CO2 is also of great importance. I used CO2 concentration table to self-monitor and I set the oxygen deliverance at CO2 level reaching 3500, because hyphae need CO2 to grow faster and more beautiful, and yet, if the level of oxygen goes up too high, they grow slower, which increases our cost.
There are three kinds of stimulations for mushrooms, and they are temperature, oxygen and water. If one of them is enough, they will grow. Mushrooms, just like human beings, inhale oxygen and exhale CO2, do not generate oxygen. The purpose of mushroom foaming is to keep warm and keep the constant temperature so it saves costs.
White elf mushrooms are also known as beauty white mushrooms. They look long and white. White elf mushrooms’ way of spawn running is different from that of king oyster mushrooms. It takes 3 to 5 months. The longer the better they grow. Moreover, the spores of white elf mushrooms are different from that of king oyster mushrooms. After king oyster mushrooms’ spawn running is complete, they become very white; on the other hand, for white elf mushrooms, they turn from white to a lighter color. The characteristics of different kinds of mushrooms vary. The temperature for white elf mushrooms’ cultivation is a bit higher than that of king oyster mushrooms since they are not afraid of high temperature. To save energy, we turn up the temperature by a narrow margin of 25 to 27 Celsius, but for king oyster mushrooms, 25 degrees can be dangerous for them, so it is normally around 22 to 24 degrees.
King oyster mushrooms are white and beautiful. Just as human beings, if they are healthy, they grow better. At the early growing stage, we need to give them light to stimulate growth and keep an eye on humidity because if it is not well controlled, there is a hazardous risk for them to be infected and then degenerate.
We will adjust the level of CO2 based on the status of mushrooms, so during the growing stage, I adjust the time of oxygen deliverance by the status of mushrooms, so they will grow faster and more beautiful. If the temperature is too high, king oyster mushrooms die. If they lack oxygen, their hats become pointed or flat and smooth, meaning they are dead and their bodies become soft.
If a king oyster mushroom is ready for the harvest, its rim will curl up and become flat. The one with layers not fully opened still needs room to grow. Its rim concaves inwardly, indicating its immaturity. Next, observe their hats and layers. If the layers are open and longer, with crevices, then they are ready to be harvested.