Mushrooms

[Ladyleo191]

I'm going to a Shitake mushroom class the end of this month! 

I've been wanting to try my hand at them for several years, but never got around to it. If I get some going, I'm going to add them to my county Grower's Certificate so maybe I can sell some.

Anyone have any tips?

[Walt B]

Never grown mushrooms, but a good portion of my career I felt like one: kept in the dark and fed, well, you know. 

Walt

[Perry]

I gave beeswax to a friend that went out onto his land, drilled holes in old logs, lined them with the beeswax, and somehow grew mushrooms that way. Don't know what kind they were though? 

[Slowmodem]

Never grown mushrooms, but a good portion of my career I felt like one: kept in the dark and fed, well, you know. 

Walt

ROFL  That's what I was going to say!

[Ziffa]

I think they use the beeswax to seal the holes they have put the starter plugs in. 

The only tip i know is get good fresh cut hardwood.  If it is more than a day or two old, competing spores can innoculate it and compete with the spores of the mushrooms you are trying to grow. 

And don't lie the logs on the ground.  Keep them upright or on a rack off of the ground.

that's all i got.  We got around 5 mushrooms from the logs a friend gave me, but I think the wood was old when she innoculated and I think they got invaded by another fungus.  I think it took almost a year and a half before they fruited.  but also I just threw them in the back of the house where it is shady and forgot about them.  So they didn't get the best of care. 



oh - we also grew a BUNCH of oyster mushrooms from a bag of hay.  We bought thyehe bag pre-innoculated, but I want to try it myself.  I don't think it's hard.  They grew like crazy and inside so it was easier to look after them.


Good luck and tell us how you do!  I want to try again someday.  Have fun at the class!  Tell us what you learn!

love,
ziffa

[brooksbeefarm]

Hey Perry, don't try that with plastic . unless you are growing combs. Jack

[Bakersdozen]

I tried my hand at mushrooms this fall-Oysters.  I got the inoculated plugs from a local mushroom grower.  I came across a tree crew cutting down an oak and asked them for a few logs.  Those nice guys loaded it for me!  We'll see next spring/summer or the next if it worked. 
Ziffa was correct in giving advice.  Use fresh cut wood, the harder the better.  Don't use cedar or pine.  Drill the holes just big enough to accommodate the plugs and then seal with bees wax or paraffin.  The smaller in diameter the log is the sooner you will get mushrooms.  So if you would like a succession of mushrooms over numerous years, use varying diameters of logs, but not under 4 inches.  Hang, stand on end, prop them up on a fence, but don't lay down the logs.  You want lots of air flow.