|
Some of these posts are very old and might contain outdated information. You may wish to search for newer posts instead.
|
RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure


Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
Last seen: 11 months, 3 days
|
Shiitake 720 strain(Aloha) on softwood sawdust 2
#13660688 - 12/20/10 12:51 PM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
This is the coldest weather strain I've ever grown. After numerous total failures with it all last summer and fall on a variety of hard and softwood substrates, I disposed of the last couple of dozen blocks into our vegetable garden area where they were exposed to up to -25F for several weeks before finally being buried in snow.
On a whim, I dug a few of these up two weeks ago and put them in the fruiting room, where they just exploded with pins and gave well over 100% BE on first flush. This is the second batch, brought in while frozen solid only six days ago. I'll grab more pictures in a few days when they're mature. I'll definitely be ramping up production of this strain next fall, since the ability to store fully colonized and browned blocks frozen until ready to use makes it a great way to extend my colonization area space.
Substrate is a mixture of mostly Douglas fir, but also some Lodgepole pine, Ponderosa pine and Western larch. Supplemented with oat bran and of course, gypsum. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
|
EvilMushroom666
Heretic




Registered: 11/18/09
Posts: 10,289
Loc: Canada
|
Re: Shiitake 720 strain(Aloha) on softwood sawdust [Re: RogerRabbit]
#13660707 - 12/20/10 12:57 PM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
Amazing
|
Tangich


Registered: 10/28/09
Posts: 8,723
|
Re: Shiitake 720 strain(Aloha) on softwood sawdust [Re: EvilMushroom666]
#13660747 - 12/20/10 01:04 PM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
 Unbelievable!  Is this marketed as a softwood strain or extreme cold weather strain? I don't think I've ever seen that kind of pinset on a shiitake block! Please post more pictures as they grow!
|
Maverick
Lover of Earwigs!




Registered: 12/18/05
Posts: 13,437
Loc: Valleys of Willamette
Last seen: 19 hours, 35 minutes
|
Re: Shiitake 720 strain(Aloha) on softwood sawdust [Re: Tangich]
#13661096 - 12/20/10 02:26 PM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
Beautiful RR! Do you think the freezing is what caused the gorgeous flushes?
|
RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure


Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
Last seen: 11 months, 3 days
|
Re: Shiitake 720 strain(Aloha) on softwood sawdust [Re: Maverick]
#13661940 - 12/20/10 05:39 PM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
Yes. This strain didn't fruit at all on any substrate until it had been frozen solid. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
|
Ozzy
TimeLord




Registered: 12/28/08
Posts: 1,067
Loc:
|
Re: Shiitake 720 strain(Aloha) on softwood sawdust [Re: RogerRabbit]
#13662025 - 12/20/10 06:03 PM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
Those are gorgeous, How big of a block are those, Lbs wise?
|
Dragonaut


Registered: 06/24/04
Posts: 6,190
|
Re: Shiitake 720 strain(Aloha) on softwood sawdust [Re: Ozzy]
#13662049 - 12/20/10 06:09 PM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
--------------------
|
waixingren


Registered: 03/14/05
Posts: 2,644
Loc: SW Florida
Last seen: 8 days, 23 hours
|
Re: Shiitake 720 strain(Aloha) on softwood sawdust [Re: RogerRabbit]
#13662715 - 12/20/10 08:46 PM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
nice find roger! That kind of convenience will be useful for sure.
--------------------
|
pepper
SawDust Block Junkie



Registered: 10/31/10
Posts: 646
Loc: British Columbia
Last seen: 2 years, 4 months
|
Re: Shiitake 720 strain(Aloha) on softwood sawdust [Re: waixingren]
#13663343 - 12/20/10 10:54 PM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
NICE... So if you could pick one strain of the Shiitake that you get from Aloha what would it be? Soft wood or the straw strain? You have said the the straw only fruits once and how many flushes do you expect out of the soft wood strain? Your back yard looks like mine at this moment. I live a little north of you and have the same weather conditions. Thanks for starting this thread and sharing the info.
--------------------
Trade list OR <-------
|
eVenom
DRIFT on toBATTLE


Registered: 08/25/07
Posts: 869
Loc: Florida
Last seen: 4 months, 13 days
|
Re: Shiitake 720 strain(Aloha) on softwood sawdust [Re: pepper]
#13664258 - 12/21/10 05:02 AM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
do you prefer to sit the blocks upside-down?
Do you notice any differences between upside-down and right-side-up?
-------------------- eVenom "Some of us like a nice buzz, while others want to climb a screaming volcano naked to meet god." RR
|
M8M
Stranger
Registered: 05/28/09
Posts: 229
Last seen: 1 day, 12 hours
|
Re: Shiitake 720 strain(Aloha) on softwood sawdust [Re: RogerRabbit]
#13664398 - 12/21/10 07:04 AM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
Quote:
RogerRabbit said: Yes. This strain didn't fruit at all on any substrate until it had been frozen solid. RR
RR, did you soak the blocks while thawing them out or after they had thawed?
|
RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure


Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
Last seen: 11 months, 3 days
|
Re: Shiitake 720 strain(Aloha) on softwood sawdust [Re: M8M]
#13664511 - 12/21/10 07:59 AM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
Quote:
eVenom said: do you prefer to sit the blocks upside-down?
With some shiitake strains, reversing the block from its colonization position is a pinning trigger, while with others it makes no difference. Additionally, if any pins are forming when the bags are stripped off, I'll try to position the blocks so they don't get smashed, which means laying them on their sides too sometimes.
Quote:
M8M said: RR, did you soak the blocks while thawing them out or after they had thawed?
No, I put enough moisture in the substrate at make-up to last through first flush. I never soak prior first flush.
I'm testing over two dozen shiitake strains looking for the best for my particular environment. This find was a complete accident. On the original flush with this strain, I was tossing out non-performing blocks into the snow, where they would be tilled into our garden next spring as soil conditioner. The second set of blocks shown above were put out in the snow while still in the filter patch bags, then after a couple of weeks were brought in and placed on the shelf for fruiting.
I've found four or five really good strains so far, with a few more still sitting in slants untested. I'll do a write-up after this year when I'm done testing them all. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
|
frankenstoen
Registered: 01/26/08
Posts: 385
|
Re: Shiitake 720 strain(Aloha) on softwood sawdust [Re: RogerRabbit]
#13665090 - 12/21/10 10:51 AM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
It would be interesting to see how this strain performs on logs of various species in the colder regions of the country.
|
lipa


Registered: 07/24/07
Posts: 2,684
|
Re: Shiitake 720 strain(Aloha) on softwood sawdust [Re: RogerRabbit]
#13665315 - 12/21/10 11:38 AM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
Very cool strain!! That's neat.
Lipa
|
RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure


Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
Last seen: 11 months, 3 days
|
Re: Shiitake 720 strain(Aloha) on softwood sawdust [Re: lipa]
#13666720 - 12/21/10 04:30 PM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
24 hours later. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
|
pepper
SawDust Block Junkie



Registered: 10/31/10
Posts: 646
Loc: British Columbia
Last seen: 2 years, 4 months
|
Re: Shiitake 720 strain(Aloha) on softwood sawdust [Re: RogerRabbit]
#13666819 - 12/21/10 04:54 PM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
I bet your so happy right now that you have a smile from cheek to cheek. Thanks for posting the updated pictures.Quote:
RogerRabbit said: Substrate is a mixture of mostly Douglas fir, but also some Lodgepole pine, Ponderosa pine and Western larch. Supplemented with oat bran and of course, gypsum. RR
So do you buy saw dust from a local mill? Drive you pickup down and get a box full? I went to the local pellet manufacture and bought a bag of Douglas Fir pellet to see how they will work. Thanks again for all the great ideas...
--------------------
Trade list OR <-------
|
RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure


Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
Last seen: 11 months, 3 days
|
Re: Shiitake 720 strain(Aloha) on softwood sawdust [Re: pepper]
#13666853 - 12/21/10 05:01 PM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
No. My neighbor cuts firewood off his own 3,000 acre ranch. He gets about a 55 gallon drum of sawdust per cord of wood, and then I trade him mushrooms for it. He usually only asks for a pound or two of shiitake twice a week all summer whenever I fill up my truck and trailer.
He cut 400 cords last summer, so one whole section of my barn is full about ten feet deep, which is more than enough sawdust to get through this winter. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
|
Maverick
Lover of Earwigs!




Registered: 12/18/05
Posts: 13,437
Loc: Valleys of Willamette
Last seen: 19 hours, 35 minutes
|
Re: Shiitake 720 strain(Aloha) on softwood sawdust [Re: RogerRabbit]
#13666967 - 12/21/10 05:25 PM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
Nice!! I'd love to find myself a good supply of sawdust. I was thinking of asking around at some of the local wood working shops for sawdust, but the problem is the types of sawdust they use.
I have a friend who works at a ski company called Moment Skis that does all wood cores... Pine and aspen. (Really awesome skis if you ever want a new pair, I'd highly recommend checking them out, they're locally made in Reno/Tahoe region). I'm going to ask him what they do with the scrapwood.
|
nexus1946
Rebel



Registered: 06/25/09
Posts: 2,315
Loc: In the moment
Last seen: 7 years, 7 months
|
Re: Shiitake 720 strain(Aloha) on softwood sawdust [Re: RogerRabbit]
#13668143 - 12/21/10 09:37 PM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
That's a nice accidental find there RR! 
Looking forward to reading your writeup.
-------------------- Gypsum/Drywall Tek The Story Of Russell The Texas (Cube) Bear
 The human race's prospects of survival were considerably better when we were defenceless against tigers than they are today when we have become defenceless against ourselves. -Arnold J. Toynbee
|
RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure


Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
Last seen: 11 months, 3 days
|
Re: Shiitake 720 strain(Aloha) on softwood sawdust [Re: pepper]
#13668660 - 12/21/10 11:10 PM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
Quote:
pepper said: I went to the local pellet manufacture and bought a bag of Douglas Fir pellet to see how they will work. Thanks again for all the great ideas...
Get some shredded Douglas fir 'beauty bark' and add it at about 10% to 15% the amount of sawdust pellets.  RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
|
|