How to Grow Mushrooms on Logs | Complete Inoculation Walkthrough!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.พ. 2019
- Visit our website: northspore.com/?...
Join North Spore's head mycologist, Jon Carver, as he goes through the steps of choosing and inoculating a mushroom log. Jon talks about choosing a correct tree to fell, inoculation techniques using North Spore sawdust spawn, and proper storage of inoculated logs. He demonstrates using an inoculation tool, 12mm specialized drill bit, and angle grinder adapter with shiitake spawn on oak logs.
1:07 selecting a tree for logs
3:55 finding a space for inoculation
4:36 drilling holes in your logs
5:50 angle grinder adapter demo
7:07 injecting sawdust spawn into log
8:30 waxing your injection points
10:25 where and how to store your logs outdoors
Check out the full blog article here: northspore.com/pages/grow-mus...
Mushroom Log Kits: northspore.com/collections/ou...
Log Inoculation Tools: northspore.com/collections/lo...
Sawdust Spawn: northspore.com/collections/sa...
Plug Spawn: northspore.com/collections/pl... - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
I love how you're an actual mycologist and know what you're talking about
Thanks! It's great to have a great team with hard scientific / mycological backgrounds!
This was great, thanks, I been tryin to find out about "mushroom boxes grow your own" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Ever heard of - Heenyan Mushroom Organifiction - (Have a quick look on google cant remember the place now ) ? Ive heard some decent things about it and my partner got great success with it.
here's a few suggestions to try
pick the best variety - there are many available.
grow them in the right environment - some eg oyster muchrooms like cool humid areas and can be put outdoors
(I discovered these and why they work on Gregs Mushroom Grower website )
Yes. Truthly mycologists on TH-cam are hard to find.
*North spore are the real deal. A true mushroom cultivation company. They grow many gourmet products and sell many aswell (fresh grown by them /grow @ home boxes).*
All the other TH-cam mycologists I see usually on here, are either people with a TH-camrs production team, and is all scripted. Most mycologist vids on TH-cam, are just paid actors, or some random kid in a bedroom with his 1st illegal grow kit.
For USA, I would say *NorthSpore* is one of the Holy Grails. I wish there were companies like u in UK most are extremely limited. A new farm in my city is in process of being built from the ground up (literally building it now). It's going to the the city's 1st urban mushroom farm. I'm hoping to get a job there maybe. To help them progress and for my mycology learning to progress at the same time. With luck.
What type of tree are you cutting for logs?
Oh. The people who sold me the mushrooms are going to teach me how to grow them! Sweet as!!
Damn, this is a next level guide. It's artistic while still being super informative and clarifying. Keep this up, definitely something visionary happening with you guys.
Thanks! We're trying to put significant energy into developing educational materials and cool mushroom video content. I appreciate the kind words!
can i use coconut tree log here in Asia since we don't have the type of ideal logs you have......thank you for answering....very nice presentation and codos to you guys.....
Was debating whether or not to buy Shiitake plugs from your website but had a few questions. Then found this video and everything was answered and got me more excited than I was before! This video was the defining factor for my purchase so thank you!!!
Wisdom is way more important than knowledge. Looks like you have both good job.
mushroom videos always have the best music
Thanks! Epidemic Sound is great for sourcing music for videos
Ikr
i love that intro song
Music videos have the best music
You guys are the most amazing channel in that you actually respond to and engage with your youtube audience. You have answered a couple questions of mine in the past as well. I am working on my first grow now. Hopefully it turns out!
Thank you so much for your support! Reach out anytime.
@NorthSpore How long can you keep harvesting off of the logs in ideal conditions?
Great video! It’s concise, enjoyable to watch and has all the right information in just enough detail. Thanks for taking the time to make and post this.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you, thank you! I have been wanting to do this and didn’t know how! Hugs and love from Texas!
Omg my old teacher! I dropped out of Jon’s class cause it was too hard haha, but it sparked my love for mushrooms
Wow 6 mins in, that angle grinder drill is savage! Thanks for this guide, looking forward to doing this one day!
Reach out with questions anytime!
My wife and I are SO excited to start doing this. We have a perfect woodlot for it.
I hope you were able to start your mushroom patch! If not, hope you're planning one for this year!
How it's going now you still have it??
Good luck sir
How did it go
Any updates on this?
Just bought your plug kit via Amazon. Super excited. Need to find suitable logs now…
An awesome demonstration! I’ve tried, and failed... I smell success with this method! 😊 Thank you for sharing.
Reach out with questions anytime.
Got ours in. Thanx a bunch. I didnt see your how too before i bought the spores but i still got then from north spore. We will see how they do
good luck with your project!
This video was so rad. Your tools are probably pricey but I’ll spend the money just because you put so much energy into this video. Super cool. Following.
Thanks for your support!
How do you like them?
Thank you for the video!!
I wonder how often you "irrigate" the logs and how do you know when to?
If it's been a couple weeks without rainfall give the logs a soak overnight. You don't want constant moisture or irrigation on your logs as it will weaken the bark over time. What you want is for the moisture content inside of the log to stay relatively constant. If the ends of your log start to crack or if your logs feel like they've lost a lot of weight, those are good indicators that your log should get some soak time!
I had no idea that people had mushroom farms, but this makes me very happy because I love eating mushrooms
You should give mushroom cultivation a shot, it's easier than you'd think!
Interesting video, I can see the benefits of that drill bit when growing is a big hobby or a business. Nice Opinel knife, I like the thin blade for slicing.
Wow!! Great stuff guys
Really well done video and super informative. Thank you.
You got it!
Comprehensive! Thanks!
Awesome! Thank you for this informative video!
You're welcome!
Mycology is so amazing
Yeah it is. Never ceases to amaze
this set up is GANGSTER
Thanks for your support! Fun, rewarding work happening here!
Greetings from Oklahoma. It is hard to find shiitake mushrooms in my area. Locally grown, fresh, organic shiitake's is almost unheard of. I am going to do a video review of your tools and spawn. I used to pick morels in the wild but I lived farther north back then. It will be amazing to grow them in my yard! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.
Greetings! Thanks for watching the video and reviewing the tools and spawn. I wish morels were more common in Maine.. though we've encountered them a few times here!
I just bought a place a upstate ny. I need to try it out this coming march! Great video!
Reach out with questions anytime!
Really informative 👏🏻. Awesome experience seeing this video. What kinda wax we can use ?
We used food grade paraffin wax (aka Cheese Wax). Bees wax also works. If the wax is too brittle you can add a little mineral oil to soften it up.
@@NorthSpore Thanks for sharing the details 😊
Did you write a book on mycelium? I read one a few years ago, so good. Thank you for this walk through.
We haven't written a book... yet! Thanks for watching the video and good luck with any mushroom projects you have in your future!
Hi, awesome video. Is it better to use freshly cut 'green' logs or old rotting humid logs? And do they need to be oak for shittake mushrooms ?
Fresh cut! Oak is best for shiitake, but you can sue many other things. Check this out: northspore.com/pages/grow-mushrooms-on-logs-videos
So cool man thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
Wow, that was awesome! I learnt so much! Thank you, guys. I'm almost at the end of the video. My question is, what type of wax are you using? I think this might be important... Thanks for letting us know if it matters or not. Oh and one other question: did you guys develop those specialty tools, like the drill bit and the filler tube for the sawdust inoculation?
A clear food-grade paraffin wax ideal for sealing holes in inoculated logs. We sourced the tools for our different types of spawn!
Super interesting. I'm building a food and medicine forest with a strong fungi component in York. Loving your videos. Thank you.
Thanks for your support! Reach out with any questions you have along the way!
@@NorthSpore let me know if you want to do any classes on my land. 😁
I love this video.
mush love!
Nice video! I have lyons mane and shiitake spore but oak trees are hard to come by where I live. Do you think I would have any luck with ash logs?
Nice video!
Thanks Mike!
Thanks for Sharing! I have about 250 inoculated logs. I'm located on the coast in northern California so moisture is no issue. This March will be coming up on 2 years and my stacks are going off. Shitakes are easily as big as my palms something as big as my hands. . Two Questions: You didn't mention a lag time between cutting the tree down and inoculation. Is this a myth I have come across? second question: I have always used plug spawn. Its faster in my opinion. Have you noticed a difference in output when using plug spawn vs using sawdust spawn? Thanks!
Glad I come across this video
Thanks for your support!
“i like liftin up the log, and puttin it in the crock pot” was jus thinkin about that before you did it haha
Thank you for this info!! ✌💜🌌
You're welcome!
Thanks for a really informative video 👍🏻 innoculated my first mushroom logs this year and really excited to see how they do! Question though...I've noticed some green spots on the ends of my logs, is this natural? Or is this unhealthy mould growth?
If it's green, it's probably mold. It's tough to know how that will play out for your log, but hopefully the mycelium was able to develop enough inside the log to combat that contaminant fungi!
Great video!
Just about to try this myself!
After cutting the logs how long should I wait before starting to inoculate? Can you begin immediately?
I have a number of birch on the property along with oak. Can I use any birch or should I stick with the oak for shiitakes?
Thanks
Check this out: northspore.com/pages/log-mushroom-cultivation-faq
Thanks for such an informative video! I'm going to have a kiwiberry orchard, on a T-bar trellis, which I believe will provide just enough shade if I were to put the logs in an upside-down V orientation. Question to you is in the spring there won't be much leaves on those vines and sunlight would go through the vines easily. Is that ok to still grown in that kind of area? I would have drip-irrigation lines on top and can spray the logs every so often so they retain theiroisture content.... It's the sunlight that I'm thinking about. I would be growing @ a +5,700 ft elevation, humid/cool climate. Any opinion on what setup would grow best with a T-trellis canopy above instead of the forest?
I think it would be ok as long as you monitor them for signs of drying out. You don't necessarily need to spray them unless there is a dry spell! Most temperate climates do not require watering logs as intermittent rains and atmospheric humidity do the trick.
add block plus if you hate youtube adds. nice vid thanks for sharing your knowledge with us
thanks for watching the video!
Great video folks! I have a question about your workstand/sawhorse - did it come with those L-shaped log brackets or did you make/buy these separately?
It looks like you can buy sawhorses with clamps that would be similar to this!
It’s going to be 2 weeks this Friday when I cut my logs. Do I need to soak them in water for 24 hrs before I inaculate them, just spray water on them or I don’t need to do anything before I start?
Very cool. Thank you
Thanks for watching!
Great guide, is it possible to use the leftovers from saw dust fruiting blocks as an inoculation source in a log?
You could! It might not have as high a success rate as fresh spawn, but what a great way to get the most from a block!
USDA Zones for North and Central Florida are 8b to 9a. That is where I live, anything different I should do to propagate mushrooms down here? Thank you and you folks are university level instructors.
I live in southeast Tennessee, would now be a good time to cut logs and inoculate them for growing Shiitake mushrooms?
Hi Matt, love the videos! Just subscribed to your channel. I've been foraging wild mushrooms for 3 years now and would love to start growing at home! Been farming my entire life but have no idea where to start marketing/selling some of delicious fungi!? Is it even close to selling sweet corn and tomatoes 😅. Any advice you could give might be the motivation I need to start my first grow in my home.
Thanks! sorry for my slow reply.. I'd definitely start with the easier species to cultivate. Mushroom beds are great (I made another video going over how to do that) Oyster mushrooms on straw beds or in buckets, wine caps in wood chips, and shiitakes on logs are the trinity of easy and productive species for new mushroom growers. Mushrooms are great for selling at farmer's markets or direct to your customers in CSAs. North Spore started as a mushroom farm before it pivoted into growing supplies. Give it a shot!
Thank you for sharing this. One question though, do the logs have to be oak? Or would any hardwood work?
Hi Larry, it all depends on the species of mushrooms you're trying to inoculate. Shiitake is known to work best in oak, but also can grow in Sugar Maples, Beech trees, and Birch to name a few. Some species of mushrooms have far more specific types of wood they like to grow in. Northspore.com has a whole list of mushrooms and their suitable tree species!
Hi Jon. What about central Florida. It can get between 85 and 105 during the summer here. We have oaks with many other trees on our property but no real pond or lake to throw them in. What do your recommend as far as hydration for the logs? Also, can they be grown on live standing trees or do they have to be logs? Great video! Thanks.
Plenty of people grow mushrooms on logs in Florida, the natural humidity (I imagine) will help keep the logs health. You still want to focus on having plenty of shade. You want freshly cut hardwood, not standing trees. The logs only need to be soaked if there is prolonged drought or they have gone over a year and a half without producing any mushrooms.
In this video, it looks like you're using Shiitake, do most mushrooms take to this method? Or would some varieties not be suitable. Thank you for the great video!
Thank you for the Video! Can you estimate how much you can harvest after force fruiting a log?
The rule of thumb for shiitake logs is 2lb per log per year, though I've had years with significantly more than that, and years that were a bit light. A successful flush will have large shiitakes over the majority of the log.
North Spore Thank you! 🌷
Great video! Humidity is definitely not an issue in Florida. Is there a way to sanitize logs prior to inoculation? I think some of the logs in my inventory are good, but the high humidity levels might result in a good environment for other fungi to take hold early.
Actually yes! For several species like maitake and chicken of the woods, we recommend sterilizing or pasteurizing logs first. You'd need special bags and a pressure cooker or steamer. That's pretty involved. If your wood is fresh and you're working with easier species, sanitizing shouldn't be an issue!
I live in Montana and its february now. Just had a storm that blew over trees and has given me some elm wood to try this on. Can I assume that I can inoculate them now and place in my root cellar till early spring, say may to bring them outdoors ? Love the video, very informative.
Elm is great for oyster mushrooms but not recommended for Shiitake. You can always start logs inside and bring them out after the last freeze or simply manage some insulating layers on them stacked close to the ground.
Great video, I'm in the UK and don't have the right or ability to cut down trees here but would love to use this method for small scale gardening projects. How fresh do the logs need to be? Could I source unseasoned wood that's maybe been drying for up to a year and rehydrate it? Also, can you use smaller logs?
You don't always need to cut down a full tree. Do you have services that trim boughs off trees in the UK? They are often great sources of freshly cut hardwood. Best practice is to use freshly cut wood. You *may* be ale to rehydrate and inoculate wood with success, but mushroom growing is really about removing variables, not adding them.. It may be worth giving it a shot on a small scale to see how it works but I wouldn't rely on that method. You can definitely use smaller logs, but they won't produce for as long and are more prone to drying out.
Time to try it out! Would it help by pouring boiling water on the wood then letting it cool and inserting plugs? Im ocd about all of this so the outdoor method is crazy to me but it is natural outside every day haha thanks for your help through the past years. I'm a different person now. Use to hate my life and self until you all taugh me how cultivation works and treated myself.
Wow, I'm so glad mushrooms have helped you! They've certainly been good to us. I'm excited to try a new recipe this week with some dried morels! No need to use boiling water on your logs. Just make sure the logs are as healthy and fresh as possible.
This is some fire ass content🔥🔥🔥👏👏👏
Thanks for your support!
What are the advantages to colonizing a log like this as opposed to spreading the sawdust block to more sawdust blocks.
Hi guys
What Time is best for in the UK any ideas? Many thanks 😊
Good afternoon! Thanks for the video, I really liked it. But there were questions. What is the name and where to buy the inoculator? And where to get the nozzle for cutting holes? I reviewed everything but did not find it. Thank you all the best! Regards, Ruslan
Hi Ruslan, North Spore sells all the tools for mushroom log inoculations. northspore.com/collections/tools
Let’s start DRILL-ing guys.. Grabs an angle grinder! 😂
Great video.
It's sort of a hybrid drill/anglegrinder at that point..
The tool for innoculating is basically a humungachunga single channel micropipetter, yes? Very good! Thank you so much!
Thank you! The inoculating tool is just a hollow tube with a plunger mechanism.
I often see pre-spawned mushroom logs sold in gardening centers in Japan. Today, for example, our local center had small diameter oak logs with shitake plugs. They sell them for about US $13.00. The logs, however, are of a small diameter; perhaps 2-3 inches. Hole spacing and log length are almost identical to the log you are inoculating.
What are you thoughts on these items; are they worth it?
So right now in may would not be good to cut trees for this?
Is there no video where I can see these fruit? Love this would like to see the whole process :)
Logs can take up to a year or more to start flushing so that aspect of the process was not available to film at this time! We have a lot of great log photos on our Instagram , however!
Question....some believe that a cut log should sit for a week or so before inoculation. What say you ? Thank You! ( Mushroom hobbiest in Western New York)
There are different schools of thought on this subject. It certainly won't hurt to hold off a week or two, but we've had success using freshly cut wood too!
Nice infomercial
Let us know if you have any questions!
Wow.. Best job!
Thanks! 😃
Just found your channel and totally inspired by everything I've seen so far and now mushroom obsessed! Thank you! This video in particular has some killer music! Can you share what it is?
You know something I've asked and couldn't find out. I've suggested that future videos include the music in the descriptions. Sorry!
@@NorthSpore Hey! Thanks for your reply! Oh well.... Thanks for including in going forward! Just got my mushrooms in the mail. So excited to grow them this year! Thank you for all you do.
@@NorthSpore I'm sorry I didn't think of this before! I asked Google to ID the song: Andreas Boldt "Gentle Impulsions".
This was an awesome video! I just acquired some Oak logs from a tree that fell and I had some questions if I may.. I was wondering if there are other kinds of substrate that can be used besides Shitake? Possibly.. Mitake, Lion's Mane, or Chicken of the Woods? Can thre logs be wider in diameter?Also; can you put them directly on the ground or must they be placed on a pallet? Could they be placed on top of leaves?
You can definitely make mushroom logs with other species. Check out NorthSpore.com to learn more about different species. That said, there are certain species that are better suited to commercial mushroom log production- with shiitake being right at the top of that list. Oyster varieties do really well on logs too, but need to be inoculated in different wood species such as sugar maple or poplar as oak tends to be a poor wood choice for oysters. Lions mane can be grown successfully on logs, though I wouldn't consider the harvests commercially viable though they are a great species for home gardeners. Maitake can also be grown on logs, but best practice for that species is to sterilize smaller log segments first then inoculate them with spawn in a sterile space, bag them in a filter patch bag, and allow them to incubate in the bag until they are fully colonized. After colonization the maitake log segments can be taken out of the filter patch bag and buried outdoors. Fruiting mushrooms will grow from the soil. Chicken of the woods can also be grown outdoors on logs, but isn't a commercially viable species. It takes a long time to incubate and prefers larger logs than the ones used in the video, though the process is exactly the same. Hope this helps!
@@NorthSpore Yes, it did! Thank you for your response. My logs are big bigger than yours so maybe I can try a couple more varieties at my home for food and medicinal needs.
Thanks a lot!! This is such a great and informative video, it's the second time i come back to watch. I have a question: how does wax work? Do you just leave it there and the mushrooms are then supposed to slowly grow or do you have to do something after? Thanks! I am going to try, actually I have got a nice log and shiitake micelium. After inoculating should i just leave it alone (in a humid bush-like area outside?) Thanks a lot.
The wax is just used to keep other mushroom spores or bacteria out of the log. You are drilling to inject the fresh log with spawn, then sealing it up to prevent any cross contamination. The mycelium will slowly grow throughout the entire log, when it's fully colonized mushrooms will pop from anywhere on the log, not necessarily where you injected spawn!
@@NorthSpore that is great!! Thanks a lot for the informations! I did it on one "row" of a log, so now i will procede with the rest and patiently wait 🤗🥰! Should i keep it humid? Is it useful to somehow feed the log or you just leave it to nature?
What do you do with the logs once they're finished fruiting? And how do you know they have finished fruiting?
Hi Jeremy, the cool thing about mushrooms logs is that they will fruit for many years. The rule of thumb is 1 year per inch of diameter of the log. That said, we've heard of shiitake logs fruiting for a decade. It really depends on how well they are taken care of. Damage to the outer bark or letting them dry out are death knells for logs. If they've got a couple years without flushing mushrooms they are probably done (though it's hard to make a concrete rule about this). Once they've stopped producing they'll be much lighter in weight and probably in pretty rough shape. You can treat them like camp fire wood or let them biodegrade in the woods.
SO YA KNOW... YOU MADE SUCH A SOLID VIDEO, MY MUSHROOM GUY EMAILED IT TO ME TO WATCH!
Nice! Reach out with questions anytime!
@@NorthSpore I do actually have a few. How big is too big for logs. For a garden, Knowing it may not fruit for 3-5 years. 1ftx6ft? I have 3 types. Oyster, Shit, and Wine. The garden plan is 2 kiddie pools with soil and fresh mulch with a log in each, and the front ground soil filled and herbs. I was hoping to put in some button mushrooms somehow. Opinion? Hard truth? Thanks so much. Got it at Fullerton Farms, Ontario, Canada.
(the best spot is a 12x12 concrete pad from an old hot tub. best shade/sun mix.
@@MurderBong the larger the log, the longer it will take to colonize. The average size is around 4 feet with varying diameters. Kiddie pools sound perfect for beds. Almond Agaricus is an option for button mushrooms and it loves compost and warm temperatures.
@@northspore6175 Thank You.
Nice! We want to inoculate this year, in Pa. we ordered lots of bags last year, but won’t order so many, the extra unopened ones fruited and crapped out. Should we just stick to lions mane & shiitake to start? Our old woodpile is so ready to go.
Hi there! We do only recommend growing on fresh cut healthy logs! I would suggest cutting some new ones if you are planning to inoculate this season!
Awesome! Does it make a difference, the type of tree for the log as far as results?
Yes, is does: northspore.com/pages/grow-mushrooms-on-logs-videos
Awesome!
Thanks!!
Sweet great vid. I’m trying to get into mushroom cultivation myself thanks for the info can you do one on Reishi??!
Thanks! Yeah, we're working on a ton of mushroom cultivation videos. I'll make sure we do one on cultivating reishi too! Are you interested in growing it indoors or outdoors?
North Spore I’m most likely going to be growing it outdoors on some kinda hard wood hopefully. I have a decent size barn to work with and a pond but need to figure out what type of wood is best for Reishi. Also how long does it take after inoculating before the first flush typically and how many flushes is a log good for until it’s spent?
Awesome vid! I'll be inoculating 50 odd oak logs in the coming days using North Spore's angle grinder adapter adapter and drill bits, so stoked! I have about 10 different ones including Reishi, Nameko, Enoki and am thinking to just stack them all like that come fruiting season. What do you think ?
Hi, awesome vid. How do you protect mushrooms from snails. I have a few logs and living at the forest I have hard time protecting the harvest.
Sometimes it helps to elevate them or even just move them to a different location to prevent pests. You can also use diatomaceous earth to deter pests, although it gets washed off with every watering.
Have you guys ever used gray birch for shiitake inoculation? Betula populifolia. I am surrounded by them on my property. Very few paper birch. Wanna cut my trees soon. Thks for any advise. Cheers.
They work!
hi there, I live right next to the woods and can imagine to put the logs along the back of my fence in the woods. It's end of Autumn now. A few questions : 1) can I start now and leave it out ?
2) And do I need to stack them, I have a very long fence :-D, as far as I'm concerned they can line the fence on the ground. There are however some green growing in near my fence which I actually always cut back in Spring and Autumn.
3) I guess pine tree logs won't work ? Also do the stumps need to be fresh or is it better when they a few weeks untouched?
4) how long does it take to see fruiting please?
Thanks for any help. Love the vid, really informative. Sorry about the many questions ... just trying to be thorough. Kind regards,
Happy to help! You could inoculate logs in the fall/winter if you don't experience freezing temperatures but you'll want it to be warm enough for the logs to colonize at first, and then they can be overwintered next year. Stacking them helps maintain moisture and then you could stand them up against your fence for fruiting. Pine and coniferous trees in general aren't conducive to most species but we have a great FAQ (northspore.com/pages/spawn-faq-1) that matches species with tree and difficulty. Fruiting can take up to a year or more, but it really depends on log size, environment and species as they all vary.
Hi there, wicked video thank you. I"m in Canada. Can I use Aspen logs for Shitake and Lions Mane ? also if we do not have your fancy tool how deep should the drill holes be ?
Hey there! We have a great table that matches tree type with mushroom species and difficulty level here:northspore.com/pages/spawn-faq-1 The drill bit we use is 12.5mm here:northspore.com/collections/tools/products/mushroom-log-drill-bits
VERY NICE VIDEO
wouldn't the shitaki mycelia freeze during winter?
Yes, you can be sure that up here in Maine when it's -15f, the logs are frozen solid along with al water and mycelium. The shiitakes can still survive!
@@NorthSporethanks for the response. I cannot inoculate them when it is below zero, right? Even though I have a greenhouse for them.
I haven't read anything about growing zones for these mushrooms, so I am assuming it must be fine to grow in a zone 4? Last frost here is in May. Should I keep my logs moist in my cellar (around 55 degrees to 60ish Fahrenheit ) until I can place outdoors in May? Thank You!!!!! :)
Sorry for the delay :) That sounds perfect! The mushrooms will grow when conditions present themselves if the log is colonized. Most mushrooms fruit between 60-75F.
THANKSGIVING
Thanks!
Can you use tap water for soaking the logs? A video I was watching previously recommended against it. I only have one rain water butt and I am currently soaking wood chips to ferment in that water butt. I have oak (not ideal dimensions - a lot shorter and chunkier than your logs) and that was felled around 3 weeks ago. I would like some help to make the decision between the humidity loss over that period of time and the possibility that the chlorine in the tap water might kill the mycelium when it gets in contact. What do you reckon...?
Tap water should be fine for soaking your logs. I've done it many times in my backyard with success. Definitely err on the side of hydration with tap water, not letting the log dry out.
I have a question. I'm looking to grow mushrooms for cooking. with doing a process like this (midwest climate) do I need to worry about the mushrooms shooting spores, and attacking my garden, or neighbors lawns because of wind?
No. Mushroom spores are ubiquitous anyways, nothing you do growing mushrooms should negatively effect your lawn or garden.
I got those tools and inoculated Maple logs with Oyster spawn. My first go and used up exactly 1lb and 1lb of Wax. I look like I know what I'm doing but still a bit nervous about these shipping delays. The Spawn also got stuck in costumes for quite some time, (no fault of the supplier). When I finally got it the bag was already super colonized and getting rock hard on the top. I don't know what to expect from all this. I used some dark Beeswax so I wont be able to see if its going to work either. Wish me luck!
Wishing you the best of luck with your logs! It all sounds good on our end, that your plugs were healthy and strong. Reach out with questions anytime!
This video is great! But what next? How long do you wait before trying to get them to go off? How do you care for the logs while they are producing? Possible issues, pests, other?
They can take up to a year to colonize. We suggest stacking them close but off the ground to reduce pest interference. You may have to water them if it is especially dry. We have a great FAQ here: northspore.com/pages/spawn-faq-1
Dumb question come summer time how do you persever the logs from. The heat?
you want to keep them someplace as shady and cool as possible. If there is a drought give your logs a soak overnight! The heat won't kill them, but letting them dry out will!
Can you inoculate with grain spawn? And can you inoculate in fall? If so, can logs sit over the winter for the next season for an earlier yield? Thanks!
Sawdust spawn is recommended for log inoculations. Fall is a great time to start but you might want to store them in a heated structure or under insulating tarps or blankets if your first frost is coming up.
Great video. I'm trying to grow Hemlock varnish shelf. I cut logs last winter and inoculated with spores I collected. I drilled holes and put spore laden que-tips into holes. Is there any possibility this will work. I saw no signs last year , but we had no wild reishi in my region of northern NY last year. I can't find anything on the life cycle but assumed they would spore out , invade a new host and take root and errupt a fruiting body the following year. I'm worried because I've never heard of anyone using spores to inoculate. I have in the wild and it seemed to work. Any thoughts would be appreciated, thanks
wait and see like he said it should take about a year to innoculate then give put them to fruiting conditions
Yes it takes at least a year for colonization of logs.
@@NorthSpore I had no luck with the direct spore into log innoculation. I've learned a lot since my original posting. Recently I learned you guys sell plug spawn for native reishi. Wow! That'll save me a lot of trial by error. I recently bought a dozen blocks from ya'll. My friend has a huge store in our local mall and she went in halvies on them. We're planning to set up a display and grow and show a mushroom grow. If so we'll be needing many, many more blocks. In any case I will be ordering some tsugae spawn as soon as I can line up some logs. Trying to time it with our reishi season.
Good evening and great vids. Just found you guys today. I'm curious how many growth cycles do you get and how do you know if a log is no longer worthy?
northspore.com/pages/grow-mushrooms-on-logs-videos
My area had a major storm (oregon zone 8b) can I plug logs now in winter? I should I collect the wood and wait to plug until spring?
Sorry for the delay. You can probably inoculate now!
I have the same Crockpot!
nice!
Do I have to seal the spores with wax? Is the paraffin wax that you use biodegradable? If the wax degrades do I have to reseal the spores?
Yes, you want to seal the plugs but you don't have to reseal them. Studies have shown that beeswax, paraffin and vegetable-based waxes are biodegradable.
Is there a better time of the year to start this process - new log production? Also, if you don't have a tree to fell - where can one purchase tree logs? We successfully grew mushrooms years ago from a tree that came down on anther property - and it has been 5+ years - and want to start growing some again.
We recommend talking to a local tree service. They often have logs or know of where to source them