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Selecting The Best Trees


Type


The three types of trees most often used for production of shiitake mushrooms are white oak, red oak, and sweetgum. White oaks are the most productive and are bothered the least by invasions of foreign or weed fungi. But, white oaks require the most patience, since it usually takes 8 to 12 months from inoculation before the mushrooms first begin to fruit.


Red oak and sweetgum have softer wood and will produce mushrooms in 6 to 8 months. They also require more careful management since they are more susceptible to other fungi, bark peeling, and rapid water loss.


Shiitake mushrooms will also grow on American hophornbeam, ironwood, laurel oak, cherry, sassafras, sycamore, tulip poplar, and hickory. How well the shiitake mushrooms grow on logs from these trees depends on how much care you give the logs and how well you control moisture, temperature, and exposure to other fungi. Other types of trees can be used for growing shiitake mushrooms, but under the best of conditions, you will only harvest a few mushrooms per log.


The actual location of the growing tree is also important. The more fertile soils will produce trees with more nutrients and sugars. Trees located on rocky hillsides and in very wet sites are less nutrient rich.

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