|
Possum-Pie
Stranger


Registered: 12/03/20
Posts: 57
Last seen: 2 years, 9 months
|
Question about Maitake/Hen of the Woods Fruiting
#27134450 - 01/08/21 04:10 AM (3 years, 20 days ago) |
|
|
I know they are notoriously slow fruiting once placed in the fruiting chamber, but anyone know how long they generally take? I placed 3 "small" Unicorn bags in my chamber 10 days ago. The fruiting bodies were about the size of a playing card and have grown since then, but while one is putting out "hen of the woods" frills, all are small and immature. Humidity stays between 89%-97%, temp is a cool 58 F. Grow lights on 12 hrs/day. They look healthy, but just slow at maturing. I made the mistake of using Unicorn "small" bags and I won't get Maitake larger than my fist from them even when they are mature. SO... These will be small and misshapen due to the bags, but what is the best way to know when to harvest these?

Edited by Possum-Pie (01/08/21 04:13 AM)
|
Quadman
Challenged


Registered: 04/23/16
Posts: 2,529
Loc: IL
Last seen: 1 year, 3 months
|
Re: Question about Maitake/Hen of the Woods Fruiting [Re: Possum-Pie]
#27134575 - 01/08/21 06:46 AM (3 years, 20 days ago) |
|
|
Those look awesome!
--------------------
|
Possum-Pie
Stranger


Registered: 12/03/20
Posts: 57
Last seen: 2 years, 9 months
|
Re: Question about Maitake/Hen of the Woods Fruiting [Re: Quadman]
#27134916 - 01/08/21 10:51 AM (3 years, 20 days ago) |
|
|
Quote:
Quadman said:
Those look awesome!
Thanks. Started in spawn jars 12 weeks ago, grain spawn transferred to hardwood/oatbran mix bags 10 weeks ago, put in fruiting chamber 10 days ago. My entire batch of Shiitake failed to mature so I'm happy that these were a success.
Anyone have a ballpark figure as to how long they take from "brain-stage" to full open fronds? They seem to have stalled as I have seen no change in 3 days but you can see from the pictures they are not full open.
Edited by Possum-Pie (01/09/21 04:41 AM)
|
Forrester
aspiring sociopath


Registered: 02/05/13
Posts: 9,351
Loc: Northeast USA
Last seen: 24 days, 17 hours
|
Re: Question about Maitake/Hen of the Woods Fruiting [Re: Possum-Pie]
#27137990 - 01/09/21 04:07 PM (3 years, 19 days ago) |
|
|
You may have to use your best guess to see when to harvest, I don't think a lot of people on here now have gotten that far. If it's NO growth in 3 days, it could be now, but it's hard to say from pics.
You could put something to see if they're dropping a ton of spores?
-------------------- Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here. ------------------- Have some medicinal mushrooms and want to get the most out of them? Try this double extraction method.
|
Possum-Pie
Stranger


Registered: 12/03/20
Posts: 57
Last seen: 2 years, 9 months
|
Re: Question about Maitake/Hen of the Woods Fruiting [Re: Forrester]
#27138171 - 01/09/21 06:12 PM (3 years, 19 days ago) |
|
|
No spores evident yet, but I did pick the one that looks like the fronds are mature. Not as big as I'd like...but considering it was a small bag and my first attempt, I got a half pound off of the first pick and there are still "brains" left on top of the bag. I'll play it by ear I guess.
|
sendmehummus
AT Hiker


Registered: 08/03/20
Posts: 383
Loc: USA
Last seen: 2 years, 3 months
|
Re: Question about Maitake/Hen of the Woods Fruiting [Re: Possum-Pie]
#27138696 - 01/09/21 10:30 PM (3 years, 18 days ago) |
|
|
I have nothing to add to this other than saying that this is the most delicious mushroom on Earth. Fruits look great congrats on your grow!
-------------------- Be patient and keep it simple.
|
deadmandave
Slime


Registered: 02/16/10
Posts: 3,355
Loc:
Last seen: 8 hours, 8 seconds
|
Re: Question about Maitake/Hen of the Woods Fruiting [Re: sendmehummus]
#27138806 - 01/09/21 11:52 PM (3 years, 18 days ago) |
|
|
Impressive results. Where did you get your culture? I think you did a fantastic job with this species.
|
Possum-Pie
Stranger


Registered: 12/03/20
Posts: 57
Last seen: 2 years, 9 months
|
Re: Question about Maitake/Hen of the Woods Fruiting [Re: deadmandave]
#27139012 - 01/10/21 04:25 AM (3 years, 18 days ago) |
|
|
Thanks. Got the culture from LiquidFungi.com. As I said, 12 weeks total process from rye seed jar inoculation to now. I cut the largest one last night and am looking at recipes for preparing it. I'm pleased with everything except the size, but that was b/c of the small bags I'm sure. I inoculated 2 more spawn jars and am ready to start several large bags today or tomorrow. I think one trick that helps with frondosa species indoors is keeping them in sealed grow bags as long as possible. They were climbing up the side of the bags and I didn't cut open the bags until they were running out of room. They love the humidity and being slow maturing, risk drying out. I hope that by half-filling the large Unicorn bags and giving them even more room to mature before opening them that I can get some to reach larger sizes. Of course nothing rivals the huge ones found in the wild...
|
taku
° shapeshifter ∆



Registered: 12/05/20
Posts: 731
Loc: Canada
Last seen: 14 hours, 31 minutes
|
Re: Question about Maitake/Hen of the Woods Fruiting [Re: Possum-Pie]
#27139293 - 01/10/21 09:18 AM (3 years, 18 days ago) |
|
|
Do you only consume the fronds? Or also that big white stretch below them also
--------------------
|
Possum-Pie
Stranger


Registered: 12/03/20
Posts: 57
Last seen: 2 years, 9 months
|
Re: Question about Maitake/Hen of the Woods Fruiting [Re: taku]
#27139523 - 01/10/21 11:09 AM (3 years, 18 days ago) |
|
|
Quote:
taku said: Do you only consume the fronds? Or also that big white stretch below them also
You can eat it all. In fact, some people pick them before they "frond." The stem is solid flesh.
|
sendmehummus
AT Hiker


Registered: 08/03/20
Posts: 383
Loc: USA
Last seen: 2 years, 3 months
|
Re: Question about Maitake/Hen of the Woods Fruiting [Re: Possum-Pie]
#27139632 - 01/10/21 11:57 AM (3 years, 18 days ago) |
|
|
Yeah when I get mine in the wild every year you just eat the whole damn thing. Its one of the few mushrooms Ive had that has the same excellent flavor in its masses of mycelium as it does in its fruiting body or fronds.
-------------------- Be patient and keep it simple.
|
Forrester
aspiring sociopath


Registered: 02/05/13
Posts: 9,351
Loc: Northeast USA
Last seen: 24 days, 17 hours
|
Re: Question about Maitake/Hen of the Woods Fruiting [Re: Possum-Pie]
#27140125 - 01/10/21 04:14 PM (3 years, 18 days ago) |
|
|
Quote:
Possum-Pie said: I think one trick that helps with frondosa species indoors is keeping them in sealed grow bags as long as possible. They were climbing up the side of the bags and I didn't cut open the bags until they were running out of room. They love the humidity and being slow maturing, risk drying out.
Agree, and I like to go by this with any new species really.
-------------------- Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here. ------------------- Have some medicinal mushrooms and want to get the most out of them? Try this double extraction method.
|
Possum-Pie
Stranger


Registered: 12/03/20
Posts: 57
Last seen: 2 years, 9 months
|
Re: Question about Maitake/Hen of the Woods Fruiting [Re: Forrester]
#27150955 - 01/16/21 06:16 AM (3 years, 12 days ago) |
|
|
Well, I count the first attempt at Maitake indoors as a "mostly" success. I cut the first one and got about 8oz. Sliced, fried in butter, added demi glace which I made last summer and made a rue to thicken the broth. Put over rice. The second bag stalled. Not sure why humidity was kept at 97%, same as the other block, both in same conditions, but I'll need to research why the second block failed to frond. I cut and ate the brains anyway as they have the same taste as the fully fruited parts. I have a second batch which I put in large Unicorn bags rather than the small ones. Only filled the bags about 1/2 way to give more headroom as the secret seems to be letting them pin, grow, and mature in the uncut bag until they get big.
|
Blackrainbow2
Stranger


Registered: 12/16/20
Posts: 371
Loc: right behind U
Last seen: 2 years, 2 days
|
Re: Question about Maitake/Hen of the Woods Fruiting [Re: Possum-Pie]
#27158651 - 01/20/21 02:00 AM (3 years, 8 days ago) |
|
|
I just cloned a piece from the grocery store onto agar. I did both the beech mushroom and the hen of the woods and I FORGOT to label which was which one is almost filled the dish and the other is just sitting on the agar... I agree your bags look good. I like eating them a lot in omelet's they are a good one.. I hope to learn how to put them into bags and fruit them..
|
Possum-Pie
Stranger


Registered: 12/03/20
Posts: 57
Last seen: 2 years, 9 months
|
Re: Question about Maitake/Hen of the Woods Fruiting [Re: Blackrainbow2]
#27158711 - 01/20/21 03:28 AM (3 years, 8 days ago) |
|
|
Quote:
Blackrainbow2 said: I just cloned a piece from the grocery store onto agar. I did both the beech mushroom and the hen of the woods and I FORGOT to label which was which one is almost filled the dish and the other is just sitting on the agar... I agree your bags look good. I like eating them a lot in omelet's they are a good one.. I hope to learn how to put them into bags and fruit them..
The thing to remember with Hen of the Woods is to be patient. It takes a while to fully propagate the growbag and then quite a while to fruit and mature in the grow room. I didn't open any of my bags until they were climbing the sides of the bag. They take so long in the grow room (10 days or more) that you have to make sure they don't dry out.
|
Blackrainbow2
Stranger


Registered: 12/16/20
Posts: 371
Loc: right behind U
Last seen: 2 years, 2 days
|
Re: Question about Maitake/Hen of the Woods Fruiting [Re: Possum-Pie]
#27164755 - 01/23/21 02:04 AM (3 years, 5 days ago) |
|
|
yeah I maybe using jars instead of bags as I am new to it and need to learn a lot about them.. but my agar plate looks great. it's very happy on agar.. I do have a few bags but I gotta figure out how to do bags..
|
Possum-Pie
Stranger


Registered: 12/03/20
Posts: 57
Last seen: 2 years, 9 months
|
Re: Question about Maitake/Hen of the Woods Fruiting [Re: Blackrainbow2]
#27164824 - 01/23/21 04:12 AM (3 years, 5 days ago) |
|
|
Quote:
Blackrainbow2 said: yeah I maybe using jars instead of bags as I am new to it and need to learn a lot about them.. but my agar plate looks great. it's very happy on agar.. I do have a few bags but I gotta figure out how to do bags..
Transfer from Agar to sterilized grain in a jar. I put a little instant coffee and gypsum in each of my jars to change the Ph and prevent grain clumping. When jar looks fully colonized, I transfer to large Unicorn bags with 0.2 micron filters. The bags are 5 cups hardwood pellets, 1.5 cups bran, and 60% water by weight. I seal them and let them sit in room temp. When they begin fruiting in the bags, they will climb the sides of the bags looking for air. I only fill the bags 5lbs and there is plenty of headspace at the top for fruiting to begin. When they get established fruit, I cut the bag open and put in my fruiting chamber at 95% humidity. It took mine 2 weeks in the fruiting chamber.
|
Blackrainbow2
Stranger


Registered: 12/16/20
Posts: 371
Loc: right behind U
Last seen: 2 years, 2 days
|
Re: Question about Maitake/Hen of the Woods Fruiting [Re: Possum-Pie]
#27166525 - 01/24/21 02:35 AM (3 years, 4 days ago) |
|
|
thank you that is very helpful info..I have some bags..and I have almost everything else on the list except for the instant coffee and gyp.. I have wheat bran and hardwood pellets...have a really nice clean agar plate but it maybe beech mushroom.. I clones both but it look like the other clone is starting to grow also just really slow... I'll need to build some kinda fruiting chamber.. my black perl oyster are doing really well...and a friend just gave me several bags of shatake ready to fruit. lot of stuff to learn...
|
Possum-Pie
Stranger


Registered: 12/03/20
Posts: 57
Last seen: 2 years, 9 months
|
Re: Question about Maitake/Hen of the Woods Fruiting [Re: Blackrainbow2]
#27166571 - 01/24/21 03:36 AM (3 years, 4 days ago) |
|
|
Quote:
Blackrainbow2 said: thank you that is very helpful info..I have some bags..and I have almost everything else on the list except for the instant coffee and gyp.. I have wheat bran and hardwood pellets...have a really nice clean agar plate but it maybe beech mushroom.. I clones both but it look like the other clone is starting to grow also just really slow... I'll need to build some kinda fruiting chamber.. my black perl oyster are doing really well...and a friend just gave me several bags of shatake ready to fruit. lot of stuff to learn...
The instant coffee isn't critical for success...You can find debates in other threads about whether or not gypsum is really needed as well. Adding/leaving out either one won't spoil the mix...Don't wait until the last minute with the grow tent, that is what I did and I was scrambling to get something set up that worked before my mushrooms got too big in the bags. As I said before, you have to be really patient, several times I thought mine were not going to fruit, but it just took time.
|
Blackrainbow2
Stranger


Registered: 12/16/20
Posts: 371
Loc: right behind U
Last seen: 2 years, 2 days
|
Re: Question about Maitake/Hen of the Woods Fruiting [Re: Possum-Pie]
#27168321 - 01/25/21 01:11 AM (3 years, 3 days ago) |
|
|
yes I have to figure out a fruiting chamber now since I've got some bags of shiitake now that are ready to fruit.. too and I got no idea how I'm going to keep the RH up..a buddy gave me a few bags (blocks)and a big bag of yellow oysters ready to go...
|
|