Drill, Stick, Wax, Wait: 6 Uncomplicated Steps to Growing Mushrooms Outdoors
Mushrooms: they are versatile, delicious and extremely uncomplicated to grow in the garden.
We have a method for growing mushrooms that is so uncomplicated, you have no excuse not to try it. All you need is a log or tree stump, some mushrooms, and a few basic tools. And you’ll be well on your way to producing mushrooms for years to come!
The following excerpt is from Organic mushroom cultivation and mycoremediation By Customary Cotter. It has been adapted for apply on the Internet.
Growing mushrooms on stumps and logs
If you are using a plug spawn, match the depth and diameter of the holes to the plugs. If you are using a sawdust spawn, you may need a slightly larger diameter depending on the tool you are using to insert the sawdust.
People have been growing mushrooms on logs and stumps for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years. It is one of the easiest ways to grow edible and medicinal wild mushrooms such as shiitake, maitake, and oyster mushrooms. In fact, some mushrooms, such as maitake, are easier to grow outdoors in natural conditions than indoors.
The cultivation of logs and stumps in the open air is generally technologically uncomplicated, but is practiced on a vast scale. this requires a lot of initial work to install logs or stumps. For this reason, the log-grown mushroom industry has developed more rapidly in countries where labor is plentiful and inexpensive and the technologies required for indoor cultivation are circumscribed.
In general, I do not recommend growing logs and stumps outdoors for commercial enterprises. It is better suited for home and hobby cultivation or as an additional income for a petite commercial enterprise.
Stumps vs. logs: where to start
Growing mushrooms on stumps is similar to growing them on logs, although if you’re a beginner, I recommend starting with logs, since stumps can bear fruit for many years. (Once they do bear fruit, they can bear fruit for a decade or more.) You apply the same spawning techniques such as drilling and doweling or sawdust spawn.
The main difference is that you are plugging as much of the observable, debarked wood that remains above ground as possible, and you are also creating an outer ring on the upper, cut surface of the trunk. Many mushrooms, such as maitake, finch, reishi, enoki, oysters and beefsteaks, grow best in stumps rather than logs.
Growing mushrooms outdoors: a step-by-step process
Step 1 Cut the logs into lengths that are uncomplicated to handle and move. The most common lengths are 2 to 4 feet, depending on how much weight you or those helping you can carry. And aim for a diameter of 6 to 10 inches. Since you often harvest these logs, choose the size that best suits your strength and skills.
Utilize a diamond drilling pattern over the entire surface of the log’s bark. Closer spacing will speed up colonization, but I suggest spacing the holes 4 to 6 inches apart.
Step 2. You will then need to drill holes into the log at regular intervals to a depth of about 1 to 11/2 inches. Most plugs on the market require a 5/16-inch drill bit, although this may vary; simply match the drill bit to the dowels you are using. If you are using sawdust spawn, match your drill bit to the size of the packing tool you are using.
A high-speed drill attached to an angle grinder with an adapter may be worth the investment if you are grafting a vast number of logs. The higher RPM and speed make drilling logs easier compared to a regular electric drill.
Drill diamond-shaped holes around the bark-covered wood surface, spacing the holes about 4 to 6 inches apart. Drilling and spawning more holes will not produce more mushrooms, but it will speed up the colonization process for earlier fruiting. I don’t recommend placing the holes more than 6 inches apart, otherwise you will boost the risk of attracting spores of competing mushrooms. This won’t “harm” the mycelium you’ve grown, but it will reduce your yield by taking away valuable real estate from your culture.
Tap the plug gently. Watch your fingers!
Step 3 Insert the inoculum into each hole, tapping it with a hammer if using plugs, or tamping it with a dowel if using sawdust. Fill the hole until the inoculum is flush with the bark. Apply a petite amount of melted wax to the inoculum to seal the inoculum. The wax helps to keep the hole saturated, supporting the mycelium as it pushes out from the sawdust or plug into the walls of the freshly drilled holes.
Some growers also wax the ends of the logs to retain moisture, but this can also lock it in. Another option is to wax one end and not the other, which will allow moisture to drain out the unwaxed side during rainfall, overnight soaking, or when it comes into contact with damp ground.
Coat the plug with wax to retain moisture and prevent dirt and insects from entering. This gives the mycelium enough time to enter the cavity and begin colonization.
Step 4 Place the logs in a shaded area with diffused forest lightweight, or on the shaded side of a building if you are in an urban environment. Place them near a water source for uncomplicated watering and soaking when necessary.
The colonization phase can last from six to ten months, depending on the type of wood, temperature and spawning interval. Visit the logs periodically—at least once a month for the first six months. The applied wax may fade or crack and fall off, which is fine because the mycelium really only needs a few weeks of protection after spawning.
Desiccated conditions can leisurely colonization, so water the pile lightly once a week or more often to keep it saturated if it hasn’t rained. Lift a few logs to feel their weight; if they are particularly arid and feel much lighter than they did at spawning time, you can soak them in water overnight—but no longer than twenty-four hours, or the mushroom mycelium may drown.
Submerge the logs in water in a garbage can, a vast plastic bag, or a low-cost kiddie pool. Utilize other logs or bricks to weigh down the logs, keeping them completely submerged.
Another alternative is to lightly mist them over a period of a week or more to gradually allow the logs to absorb moisture. However, this option can waste water.
Step 5 About six months after inoculation, start checking the ends of the log once a week for signs of mycelium, such as white streaks on the open cut surface, which means the mycelium is nearing full colonization and will soon be capable of fruiting. Optimal humidity is now more vital than ever to ensure that the mycelium will be able to supply growing mushrooms throughout the pinning and fruiting period.
At this point, as the mycelium in the logs approaches complete colonization, the stacked logs may begin to merge.
Place the logs in a shaded area for colonization. I keep them tightly packed together to retain moisture while colonizing, then re-arrange them log cabin style outdoors when they show signs of fruiting.
Soak them in water overnight, then spread them out in the form of a “log house” or lean them against the trunks of living trees, creating a circle so that one end rests on the ground and the other rests against a tree.
Step 6. Finally, your mushrooms will begin to bear fruit. The logs will bear fruit two or three times a year, usually for as many years as they are in diameter, with an interval of several weeks between each flush.
Mushrooms may fruit near the places where you placed the spawn in the first flush, as this is an uncomplicated escape, but they can also fruit from almost anywhere on the entire bark surface.
As soon as you notice adolescent shiitake mushrooms whose bark is cracking and turning into dim brown or black bumps, spray them with a spray bottle as often as possible; preferably several times a day.
For commercial firewood production, a sprinkler system is recommended. You can also simply place the wood near your house and sprinkle it in the morning and evening as you walk by.
If your logs are in contact with the ground, check this area frequently as they may point their fruiting downwards in search of water. Once the mushrooms are ripe, it’s time to harvest!
Keep records of flushing patterns and establish a watering schedule consistent with those patterns; not only will this boost yields, but it will also improve your understanding of the mushrooms you are growing. Once the mushrooms are colonized and ready to fruit, they will be waiting for the right amount of water to aid fruit. Plan your watering so that the mushrooms have enough rest and are fully charged to benefit from the watering; this will ensure you get optimal fruiting with each flush.