Mushroom Log – How to Prepare a Mushroom Log
Mushroom log is a straightforward and low upkeep approach to domesticate mushrooms for newbies, with minimal gear necessities – just a few dowels or plugs and someplace safe to retailer them!
Mushrooms which were grown on logs usually produce fruit throughout spring and autumn; nevertheless, you may induce them to begin producing earlier by “surprising” them.
Inoculation
Inoculation of mushroom logs entails utilizing viable mushroom spawn, or mycelium, to begin colonization throughout the wooden. Once sterilized and unfold over log surfaces with wax sealant for defense from contamination and solar publicity, logs are then saved shadily till prepared for manufacturing; after they start producing mushrooms they “flush”, or sprout small mushrooms all alongside their size – prepared for harvest a number of years after inoculation has taken place.
Oyster mushrooms are perfect for rising on logs due to their brief incubation interval and progress greatest on hardwoods like beech. Oyster mushroom logs ought to ideally be inoculated throughout spring after the chance of frost has handed, or late summer time or fall for harvests occurring from fall into winter.
Logs ought to first be cleared of any moss or lichen to take away contaminants that would inhibit mycelium progress. Holes ought to then be drilled on their surfaces in a zigzag sample, drilling extra holes the place facet branches may kind in addition to the place there may very well be bark injury, and plug spawn ought to then be added into every gap (Figure 1). Finally, inoculation spots have to be sealed utilizing natural meals grade wax to defend them towards contamination.
Before the shiitake mushrooms start to kind, they want to be “shocked” by submerging logs in chilly water for not less than a week so as to simulate monsoon circumstances of their native habitat and stimulate mycelial progress. To obtain this outcome.
Once a shiitake mushroom is prepared to produce fruit, it should achieve this in “flushes.” You might first discover small protuberances referred to as pins on its periphery; these pins will ultimately remodel into scrumptious mushrooms which might be harvested as ceaselessly as daily till your log has been depleted of progress potential.
Waxing
Mushroom logs supply a wonderful methodology for cultivating mushrooms at home, however earlier than starting manufacturing of your personal crop of mushrooms it is important that the logs are ready correctly. First it is best to inoculate them with mushroom spawn (out there from varied corporations or you might buy dowel plugs to inoculate your self), earlier than waxing the logs so they’re protected towards bugs and different probably damaging organisms.
Once your logs have been inoculated and soaked for not less than a month, waxing them is advisable so as to seal in moisture and stop bugs from laying eggs on them – this can hold them wholesome whereas rising yield of fungi manufacturing.
Once your logs are soaked, it is important that the mushroom spawn has absolutely colonized all floor areas. This usually occurs inside one yr in case you are cultivating oyster or shiitake mushrooms; two years if cultivating lion’s mane mushrooms. Fruiting refers to when mycelium kinds and begins producing mushrooms – usually throughout spring or fall relying on the species of mushroom you are cultivating.
As it’s important that the logs be positioned in an atmosphere free from direct daylight and robust winds, this can give them the very best likelihood to flourish with out being affected by harsh climate circumstances.
For optimum spore safety, logs must be put into a cradle, cardboard field or plastic bag to defend them from air and airborne contaminants earlier than you place the logs inside – this may also defend from bugs that may discover their approach inside and hurt their spawn. Ultimately this could defend their spawn from bugs that may feed off of it too!
Soaking
While your mushroom spawn is incubating (a course of which can take between 6-24 months relying on species, temperature of atmosphere and log dimension), it kinds a layer of mycelium beneath its floor. When this mycelium has reached a sure dimension it acknowledges that its meals supply has run dry; when this occurs it wants to bloom or “flush”, producing mushrooms on the surface of the log which we devour as meals.
Once a flush has occurred, the log must be put aside for one to three months so the mushrooms have time to absolutely develop, whereas additionally offering your log with the prospect to soak up moisture once more. After this time has elapsed, extra mushroom cultivation may happen (supplied the climate permits).
Once your log is prepared to bear its second fruiting cycle, it must be submerged in a single day in chilly water (both from a rain barrel or pond), throughout a interval of calm climate. Soaking helps the mycelium break down cellulose and different supplies inside it so it could possibly obtain its new flush of mycelium and kind new mushrooms caps! When your log has undergone this therapy efficiently, small pin-like bumps ought to seem on its bark that are future mushroom caps!
Mushrooms thrive in moist circumstances, but might be very delicate to temperature variations. Mycelium from shiitake mushrooms grows rapidly throughout this part; if temperatures develop into too heat for it, its mycelia will cease increasing altogether and even die – due to this fact it’s vital that logs be monitored carefully throughout this era and their temperature managed correctly – notably close to heater retailers or wooden stoves the place warmth construct-up may happen.
Outdoor growers can belief nature to take its course; spores will fly at their correct instances and fruiting will happen naturally on sure bushes. To speed up this pure course of, we advise surprising or soaking logs each 30 days; submersion entails submerging the log in chilly water in a single day in order to simulate pure monsoon circumstances that your mushroom logs may expertise of their native habitats.
Force Fruiting
Once you’ve got adopted all of the care directions on your mushroom log, offering it with an inch of water every week and elevating it six-inches off the bottom to keep away from rot, it nonetheless hasn’t produced. Perhaps due to chilly local weather or “heat vary” spawn, however regardless it may be irritating watching your log sit idle with out producing mushrooms (or two!). But worry not: there’s a straightforward approach to bounce-begin fruition: “pressured fruiting.” This entails rising temperature and moisture content material for an elevated time frame earlier than sending an alarm sign again down your log if one thing goes amiss: enhance temperature/moisture content material by rising temperature/moisture content material by rising temperature/moisture content material quickly by rising temperature/moisture content material whereas rising temperature/moisture content material over a brief period till fruition happens; extra generally identified by its acronym).
Logs which were uncovered to shock and moisture will produce an preliminary bloom of mushrooms, generally a number of good ones, earlier than being left alone for 8-12 weeks to enable their mycelium to extract vitamins from the wooden and put together the following crop of mycelia to bloom 2-4 instances yearly all through their lifecycle.
An experiment was carried out in central Missouri utilizing totally different forcing temperatures and strains of Lentinula edodes shiitake logs as forcing water. Results demonstrated that pressured fruiting elevated yield by dashing up mushroom progress on logs whereas utilizing chilled forcing water boosted it additional.
As quickly as you see indicators of mushroom bud pinning (mushroom buds), rapidly rehydrate the log. Return it to its stack atmosphere both indoors or outdoor utilizing a fruiting blanket to restrict rain and wind whereas concurrently stabilizing temperatures and localizing humidity round it. These porous artificial blankets maintain water whereas nonetheless allowing airflow via them.
If you’re cultivating a heat-vary pressure, place the log in a shady location away from direct daylight and canopy it with the blanket till caps begin showing. When caps seem, spritz twice day by day with 10/1 water/bleach resolution to hold spores moistened – this can stop untimely decomposition of fungus and decrease yield.