25 Mitake Mushroom Plug Spawn.

Grifola frondosa, also known as hen-of-the-woods, maitake  "dancing mushroom" in Japanese, ram's head or sheep's head is a polypore mushroom that grows at the base of trees, particularly old growth oaks or maples. It is typically found in late summer to early autumn. It is native to China, Europe, and North America.

GROWING MUSHROOMS ON LOGS

Growing mushrooms on logs is a low-tech and low-maintenance way to have fresh mushrooms in your backyard for years to come. Once you have plug spawn, the process of log cultivation is actually pretty straightforward.

1. Hardwood Logs Many types of hardwood will work, including aspen, birch, poplar, oak, maple, etc. In general, avoid softwood (spruce, pine, fir) and fruit trees. Different species of trees will work better for different species of mushrooms.

2. Plug Spawn 3/8 dowel spawn works best.

3. Adequately Sized Bit Any power drill with a suitably sized wood bit. You want a TIGHT fit between the dowel and the log. 4. Hammer This is for pounding in the dowels. They will be too tight to push in by hand.

5. Paraffin Wax (or Bees Wax) Waxis needed to protect the inoculation points from drying out before the mycelium gets a chance to grow.

STEP 1: HARVEST OR GATHER LOGS

First, you'll need to find a log suitable for the mushroom species you want to grow. Good choices for mushroom logs are hardwoods like Aspen, Maple, Beech, Oak, Poplar, or Birch, and what's best for you will depend on what grows naturally in your area. Look for logs between 4-8 thick, and chop them to about 4 feet long. The logs can really be harvested anytime - although it's often recommended to chop down the log in the fall or spring, when temperatures are below freezing at night and above freezing in the day.

STEP 2: SOAK LOGS

The logs should be soaked in water for a week or so in order to become more suitable for colonization. You can do this by floating the logs in a lake or pond or by simply staking them in the yard and soaking them with a hose. You can wrap them in burlap to ensure they do not dry out too fast.

STEP 3: DRILL HOLES

Drill holes all over the log, approximately 4” apart. Some people form a “diamond” pattern, but to be honest, I don’t think that the pattern of the logs really matters - as long as there is a suitable number of holes.

Use a drill bit that is nearly the same size as your dowel so that you’ll get a nice tight fit with the mushroom plug. Holes should be about 1-¼” deep, or just deep enough to fully take in the plug. Do as best you can to clear the remaining sawdust and woodchips from the holes to make room for the plugs.

This can be time consuming, and much more comfortable if you can get some saw-horses or a table to keep the logs off the ground.

STEP 4: INOCULATE THE LOG

Inoculate the log by pounding the dowels into the holes.

They should be too tight to push in by hand but can be gently pounded in with a hammer or mallet.

This part of the process is downright satisfying to do!

STEP 5: WAX OVER PLUGS

In order to prevent the plugs from drying out, you need to cover the freshly inoculated holes with wax.

Paraffin wax or beeswax both work great. Heat the wax until it’s malleable enough to spread, and then place a fair sized glob over the hole.

Use a spreading tool so as not to burn your fingers!

Some growers also like to cover the top and bottom of the log with wax to prevent moisture loss.

 

STEP 6: WAIT FOR MUSHROOMS

Once inoculated, place the logs in a shady spot so they can colonize.

Shade cloth can work well for this, but if you have a suitable location, feel free to just lay them down in the forest. You can even dig a small hole in the ground and stand your logs up.

The important part is that they don’t get blasted with direct sunlight and stay relatively moist.

Check your logs often, and don’t be afraid to set the sprinkler on them every once in a while.

Alternatively, you can also just stack them up and cover them in burlap as they colonize.

Growing mushrooms on logs is a fun and low-maintenance way to enjoy fresh mushrooms at home. Even if you only have a small backyard, log-grown mushrooms can be a fun and fruitful addition to your urban landscape. Any hardwood loving species can be grown on logs. That includes Shiitake, Oysters, Reishi, and even Lions Mane. Although log cultivation doesn't have the same predictability as indoor grown mushrooms, the process to grow them is much more laid back and maintenance-free. It involves first inoculating hardwood logs with mushroom mycelium and then allowing the log to naturally colonize over a period of 6-9 months. When the logs are fully colonized - and the weather conditions are right - the mushrooms will emerge from the log and can be harvested and enjoyed.

The instructions are here in the description!

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PS: Mycelium is not smelling like perfume,  especially Shiitake mycelium has a specific smell and others mushrooms mycelium. Also some mushroom mycelium somethimes change the colour or mix it the colour, for instance Shiitake sometimes the mycelium is mix between white and brown colour, Pink Oyster sometimes the mycelium is mix between white and pink and others mushroom mycelium, but not everytime. Also dowels when are incubated with mycelium it's change the colour such as dark brown or black colour.

Very Important:

Amateur cultivation of mushrooms does not give a guarantee of success!!!