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Aramush
Nollie
Registered: 07/19/13
Posts: 27
Last seen: 9 years, 5 months
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Azurescens outdoor grow - some advice/opinions
#20492021 - 08/29/14 06:54 AM (9 years, 6 months ago) |
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Hi,
So, I've spent the last year and a half establishing an outdoor bed of P. Azurescens in my garden and am reaching the end of my second winter still with no fruits. I introduced the mycelium to the garden in the form of already colonized wood chips which i'd allowed to colonize in burlap sacks. This was done last spring (southern hemisphere). I didn't have any fruits last winter but was not too worried as i though it might take a while for the mycelium to establish itself properly before fruiting. During summer I added more wood chips and expanded the beds - right now i have about 12+ square meters of colonized wood chips in the lawn and garden beds. The mycelium is extremely strong, literally covering the whole area and growing beyond the wood chips and up the stems of the grass - its even growing up the sides of a broken teracotta pot in one of the beds. The areas with thick wood chips are bound together into a thick mycelial mat which is difficult to pull apart if i try.
So no problems with the growth of the mycelium.
There are (in my mind) several possible reasons for the lack of fruiting:
1. Climate. Its possible that it does not get cold enough for Azurescens here. The average minimum temp in winter is 7 celsius - It will get down to 4 or 5 sometimes but not for long. As far as I understand though, the cultivation requirements of Azurescens are pretty similar to that of Cyanascens, which i have grown here.
2. Wood. I started the patch on oak and poplar chips but have since added a mix of various gum chips - its difficult to get most of the deciduous tree woods around here as they are not that common. Its possible that Azurescens don't fruit off gum. Again though, i have to give the example of the cyanascens patch - grown happily on only gum chips. Also judging by the state of the mycelium in the garden the Azures are very happy on the gum. Also i have grown Shiitake off gum so i expect Azures shouldn't have a problem with it.
3. Bad strain. This is probably the most likely possibility. They guy i got the strain from said he'd had problems getting it to fruit. Then again he was growing on straw outdoors in an area with no grass (something i think is a big help when it comes to creating healthy mycelial patches) so i didn't think too much of it. Now i'm thinking that might be the case. So if this is the case, basically i'm screwed. There is no way i could remove that culture from my garden - it is too widespread and has formed an association with the grass in my lawn - pretty much growing everywhere up the grass shoots. So starting a new patch would be really tricky without this strain taking over. The only possibility worth considering is that - correct me if i'm wrong - stronger strains of a species will - when they meet - take over the mycelial network of a weaker strain of the same species. So if i could find a strain of Azurescens that i know does fruit - possibly one that i know fruits in a similar climate and introduce it to my beds in a large enough amount it might take over from the (possibly) not fruiting strain. I know its a long shot but i'm just trying to figure out a solution as to what to do with the massive mass of mycelium i have in my garden which is pretty much pointless right now.
I'd welcome your thoughts and suggestions on this matter.
Also anyone who has experience successfully growing azures outdoors in a similar climate - or at least has fruited them at a time of year in which you have similar temps, would you please let me know so i can rule out the climate option.
Thanks!
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azur
God of Fuck
Registered: 04/21/12
Posts: 28,103
Loc: Daid
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Re: Azurescens outdoor grow - some advice/opinions [Re: Aramush]
#20492219 - 08/29/14 08:24 AM (9 years, 6 months ago) |
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Hey. Not sure where you are in the southern hemisphere, but where they grow naturally they don't start fruiting until late September/early October. If you've successfully grown Cyanascens where you are, no reason Azurescens shouldn't grow. It does sometimes take awhile to get a bed established. Once it is established though, it should fruit for a few years. You want to stay with the hard woods. Oak, alder, ash, birch, etc. Gum is not a good choice. You don't want wood with a high oil content. Can't say anything about if your strain is bad or not. Sounds like you pretty much know what you are doing. And i feel like you'll start getting fruits in 5-6 weeks. Please keep us updated
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Aramush
Nollie
Registered: 07/19/13
Posts: 27
Last seen: 9 years, 5 months
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Re: Azurescens outdoor grow - some advice/opinions [Re: azur]
#20500325 - 08/31/14 01:48 AM (9 years, 6 months ago) |
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Sho, I hope you're right - the cyans fruit all through winter here - probably starting in about June and fruiting through to end of september - thats pretty much our winter. September/October would be autumn in the north right? So that would equate to may/june here. Unless you mean they start at the end of winter? I know gum isn't really ideal but having seen the cyans fruit off it, i'm fairly sure its not the problem. And ya, its tricky to get the hardwoods you mentioned here...
Thanks for the thoughts - will definitely let you know if some fruits start popping up, will also try put up some pics of the mycelium - its worth seeing just by itself...
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psylosymonreturns
aka Gym Sporrison
Registered: 10/16/09
Posts: 13,948
Loc: Mos Eisley,
Last seen: 3 years, 7 months
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Re: Azurescens outdoor grow - some advice/opinions [Re: Aramush]
#20500346 - 08/31/14 02:02 AM (9 years, 6 months ago) |
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That's so not true, wood lovers don't just like hard woods, they like conifer as well.if you got cyans to fruit from gum, P azures are even more vigorous . Seems to me your patch is too large, you should have held back from feeding them this year and kept it smaller. If it doesn't fruit this year don't feed it next year.
So you are having a similar problem I having up north growing the southern species like P sub, P wereroa,and P subsectioides. Not sure if they are going to fruit but I have a lot of good established mycelium. But I imagine when things are totally perfect I see no reason why we both shouldn't get fruits. If you've got cyans to work then everything else has to work too eventually.
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Aramush
Nollie
Registered: 07/19/13
Posts: 27
Last seen: 9 years, 5 months
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Ya, i read recently that they like conifers - somewhat surprising but good to know nonetheless.
Why do you think it less likely to fruit if the patch is too big?
As it is it spans a few different sections of my lawn, some parts wetter and shadier and others warmer and with better drainage so its got a few different environments to choose from to get optimal fruiting conditions. I guess there's a chance that the mycelium hasn't properly digested the chips properly though most of the chips have been fully colonized for at least three months - some for well over a year now.
I don't expect I'll get fruits this year as the weather is already getting warmer - i guess i'll keep holding thumbs for next winter...
Thanks, I hope your patches start producing soon!
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