|
Shroomery - Magic Mushrooms Demystified
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The mushrooms can be harvested at any time by cutting or twisting the stem off of the log. However, mushrooms are best if harvested shortly after the gills are exposed (Figure 14).
Figure 14. Shiitake mushrooms
store better if harvested shortly after the veil breaks and the gills are
exposed. Gills are fully exposed on the left and the veil has not broken
on the right. |
|
![]()
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Figure 4. Drill down the length of the log. | ![]() |
![]() |
Figure 5. Close-up of the drilling pattern of a log. |
Inoculate the logs immediately after the holes are drilled. The inoculation tool will fill the holes to the bark level with sawdust spawn (Figure 6). Use a hammer to securely insert dowels into the drilled holes. Spawn can be placed in the holes by hand if you do not have an inoculation tool. This method is time consuming and exposes the spawn to more contaminants.
| Figure 6. Inoculation of log with inoculation tool and sawdust spawn. | ![]() |
Once a log has been inoculated, it should fruit for 2 to 3 years. Reinoculation is not necessary because the mycelium grows throughout the log, like roots in soil. The mushroom develops when the mycelium has accumulated sufficient nutrients and the temperature and moisture requirements are met.
Waxing The Logs
The inoculation sites and the ends of the logs are generally coated with wax. This reduces moisture loss and keeps the spawn or dowels securely in the hole. Logs kept in an indoor, humid (90 percent humidity) environment, will not need their ends waxed. If you use foam plugs to secure the spawn or dowels in the holes and do not want to use wax to seal the log ends, keep the logs in a humid environment or mist the logs daily during warm and hot weather.
Immediately after inoculation, seal sites with wax or place foam plugs in the holes.
![]() |
Figure 7. Baste inoculation sites with hot wax. |
Monitoring Moisture
To determine if your logs are losing too much water, weigh at least one average size log immediately after inoculation:
1. Mark that log with paint or a tag.
2. Weigh the log, and record the weight.
3. Reweigh the marked log(s) every week. To determine weight loss, use this formula:
((Original log weight - Current log weight)/ (Original log weight)) x 100 = % moisture lost.
If your answer is greater than 10 percent, you will need to mist or water your logs more often. As the mycelium grows and uses up the nutrients, the log will naturally lose weight.
To reestablish a new "base weight" or to replace the "original log weight after inoculation," you will have to reweigh your log every 6 months. To obtain a new "original log weight:"
1. Soak the log for 48 hours.
2. Remove it from the water and allow it to drain for 24 hours.
3. Weigh the log. This weight will be your new base weight.
Many shiitake gardeners learn to "feel" the moisture in their logs just by picking them up. If they seem light, then they know they have not applied enough water.
Unless you are going to fruit your logs, it is best not to soak the logs to
restore moisture. Soaking the logs at the wrong time can cause a break in the
mycelium growth cycle and prolong the time from inoculation to fruiting or
between fruitings.
Keeping The Logs Moist
You can use lawn sprinklers, misters, or a greenhouse mist system to keep the
logs moist. Logs should be given a fine mist from 8 or 9 in the morning until 6
or 7 in the evening during the heat of the summer. If you are using a lawn
sprinkler, watering this long will cause the bark to fall off of the logs. Lawn
sprinklers can be turned on for about 4 to 5 hours in the heat of the day. There
is no need to water or mist your logs if they are outdoors and it is raining.
During spring and fall, when the temperatures are below 80 degrees F, you can
water less often. If you plan to fruit logs in the winter, water them
weekly.
The Waiting Period
Once a log is inoculated, mycelia (root-like structures) must become organized and grow to take up nutrients and carbohydrates (sugars). Like roots, mycelia need plenty of moisture and a compatible temperature. Place logs in a warm, 65 to 80 degrees F location in the garage or basement during the winter months.
Weigh your control log every few weeks. If it loses more than 10 percent of its weight, sprinkle or mist all of the logs for several hours each day until the original weight is restored.
Beginning in March, outdoor logs will need to be moved to a shady location and kept moist. Many gardeners cover their logs with burlap to keep in the moisture.
Stacking Logs
Logs can be stacked several ways during this time. The most important factors are good aeration, moisture, and temperature. If logs are leaned against a tree or "A-frame" stacked, they will tend to lose moisture rapidly (Figure 8).
| Figure 8. Logs stacked against a shade tree. Typical of an A-frame stack. | ![]() |
"Lean-to" or "criss-cross" are the best methods of stacking for mycelium run (Figures 9 and 10). If logs are stacked like firewood, they receive little aeration and the mycelium in the bark knits the logs together.
![]() |
Figure 9. The lean-to stack is one of the best methods of stacking logs during mycelium run. |
| Figure 10. The criss-cross stack is also one of the best methods of stacking logs during mycelium run. | ![]() |
When you unstack them at a later time, it causes the bark to pull off of the logs. This causes bare spots on the log where moisture loss can occur. Weed fungi contamination at these sites is also a problem.
Logs will begin to show signs of mycelia run or mushroom activity in about 3 months. The inoculation sites will turn whitish first, and then the logs will have white "V-shaped" markings on the outer one-third of the ends of the log (Figure 11). Fruiting will generally not begin for 6 to 12 months after inoculation, depending on the type of wood and the strain of shiitake mushroom you used.
![]() |
Figure 11. Logs will begin to show signs of mycelia run or mushroom activity in about three months. Notice the three white V-shapes on the end of the log. |
Wide Range Strains
If you keep your logs outside, the natural fruiting seasons are spring and fall. The weather changes then, and there is plenty of moisture. Soak the logs with wide range strains in March and September for 24 to 48 hours. I have used the bathtub and a large trash can for soaking. If the log does not completely fit in the trash can, soak it for 24 hours and then turn it end-for-end and soak another 24 hours. Then lean them against a tree or fence.
Warm Season Strains
Outdoor logs inoculated with warm season strains can be fruited in June or July by soaking them in very cold water and keeping the log moist or misted until pins appear.
Cool Season Strains
Logs with cool season strains should be brought indoors during cooler months, to a warm location for 1 to 2 weeks and then soaked for 48 hours. After soaking, locate these logs where air temperatures will remain above 40 degrees F at all times. Fruiting will be slower in winter, but the mushroom quality is excellent.
Pinning & Fruiting
When the logs begin to fruit, you will first see a small whitish knob emerging from the inoculation sites. These little knobs or "pins" (primordia) will develop into mushrooms, if the log and air temperature and moisture are right.
Provide heavy shade at this time or newly formed mushrooms will dry out. Do
not spray or wet mushrooms while they are developing. This will cause soft
mushrooms that will not store well. If mushrooms get wet from rain, eat them
right away or dry them. If your logs are indoors, and you can control the
temperature, you will be able to fruit your logs more frequently by soaking them
every 10 to 12 weeks.
Preinoculated logs are available from some commercial producers and a few mail order companies. Prices range from $18.00 to $45.00 for a log 4 to 6 inches in diameter and 18 to 24 inches long. The logs are ready to fruit and even come with directions and a soaking container. You will be able to fruit these logs every 10 to 12 weeks for about 2 to 3 years.
For the less patient gardener, sawdust block kits cost $15.00 to $30.00 each and must be ordered from a shiitake spawn vendor (Figure 12). They are made from hardwood sawdust, grains, and other additives necessary for mycelia growth.
| Figure 12. The white sawdust block (right) is about 2 months from fruiting, while the brown block (left) can now be removed from the bag and fruited. | ![]() |
The ingredients are placed in a heat resistant bag and are then autoclaved (which is similar to pressure cooking). After the ingredients cool, shiitake spawn is added to the bag mixture and the bag is sealed. Each bag has a small breathing patch for air exchange. As mycelia grow, the sawdust mixture turns white. When the entire mixture is coated white, this is called a "white block." A white block is not ready to fruit.
During the next 2 months, the white block will gradually turn into a "brown block." The brown coating is a hardened shell that helps prevent moisture loss and contamination. When the block is completely brown, you can remove it from the bag and it will usually fruit without soaking. In most cases, you can buy the blocks at either stage.
After the block is removed from the plastic bag, keep it in a humid location, where it is exposed to outdoor or fluorescent light. Fruiting should begin within a few days. After all of the mushrooms are harvested, the block will enter a resting state. Sawdust blocks will need some daily misting or a humid environment. You will be able to fruit them again in 3 to 4 weeks by soaking for 12 to 24 hours. Blocks will rarely fruit more than five times.
Often, blocks become contaminated and can only be fruited a few times. You can harvest up to 1 to 2 pounds of shiitake mushrooms from each block. The first two harvests will produce more mushrooms than later harvests (Figure 13).
![]() |
Figure 13. You can harvest several pounds of shiitake mushrooms from a sawdust block. |
The mushrooms can be harvested at any time by cutting or twisting the stem off of the log. However, mushrooms are best if harvested shortly after the gills are exposed (Figure 14).
| Figure 14. Shiitake mushrooms store better if harvested shortly after the veil breaks and the gills are exposed. Gills are fully exposed on the left and the veil has not broken on the right. | ![]() |
If you store your fresh mushrooms in the refrigerator in vegetable bags, they will last up to a month If you refrigerate them in paper bags they will eventually dry.
You can then keep them frozen or remove them from the freezer and store them in a dry location.
To rehydrate shiitake mushrooms, soak them in water or a seasoned liquid or
broth for at least 30 minutes. Shiitake mushrooms absorb flavors of seasonings.
They taste best when cooked with onion, leek, or garlic. They are excellent in
sauces, stews, or rice, and with eggs or steak.
Some sources of the supplies and materials mentioned are listed below with the following designations: Sawdust blocks (S); Inoculated logs (L); Tools and Supplies (T). There are also various WEB sites that list suppliers.
Field and Forest Products (S), (T) N3296 Kozuzek Rd. Peshtigo, WI 54157 (715) 582-4997 Fungi Perfecti (S), (T) P. O. Box 7634 Olympia, WA 98507 (800) 780-9126 Fungus Among Us (S) P.O. Box 352 Snohomish, WA 98291 (360) 568-3403 Lost Creek Mushroom Farm (L) P.O. Box 520 Perkins, OK 74059-0520 (800) 792-0053 Mushroompeople (T) P. O. Box 220 Summertown, TN 38483 (800) 692-6329
Copyright 1997-2008 Mind Media. Some rights reserved.
Generated in 0.071 seconds spending 0.002 seconds on 2 queries.