Growing Mushrooms on Logs
By Marc-Andrew Donsky
e-mail: mad@amigo.net
Cultivation V
One of the first methods developed for cultivating
mushrooms was the cultivation of Shitake mushrooms on
logs-the first written record being that of Wu Sang Kwang
of the Sung Dynasty of China (960-1127 AD). The advantage
of log cultivation is the relative ease of the method and
care of the logs, and the life span of the fruiting logs
(2-3+ yrs.). The disadvantage is the unpredictability of
the method (yield) and the length of time between
inoculation and fruiting (6-12 months).
Some mushroom species for which log cultivation
techniques are applicable include: Reishi or Ling Chi
-Ganoderma lucidum; Maitake or Hen of the Woods-Grifola
frondosa; Lion's Mane-Hericium erinaceus;
Shitake-Lentinula edodes; Chicken of the Woods-Polyporus
(Laetiporus) sulphureus; Oyster Mushrooms-Pleurotus sp.
Log cultivation involves the placement of
"plug" spawn into suitable logs. Plug spawn is
most conveniently to be found on fluted hardwood dowels.
You can produce your own plug spawn by weighing a
quantity of dowels into a mason jar; adding an equivalent
weight of water; sterilizing as with grain spawn; and
inoculating the dowels with mycelium covered agar, grain,
or sawdust. If the logs to be inoculated are a different
wood than the dowels then 1or 2 grams of the log's wood
should be placed with the dowels. Sawdust spawn can also
be use to inoculate logs; a special tool called a
"sawdust palm inoculator" can be used to
facilitate the process.
Hardwoods such as oak, cottonwood and elm are often
recommended as standard for log cultivation. Thick-barked
hardwoods are preferred over paper-bark woods such as
birch. Maple and alder are also frequently seen in the
literature. Plum wood is given mention in the cultivation
of Reishi Mushrooms. Logs should be cut to lengths of 3-4
feet, three weeks to three months prior to inoculation
(plugging). Stumps can also be used. The period of time
between cutting the logs and inoculation allows the
naturally released anti-fungal (wound compounds) terpenes
and (poly) phenols to degrade so that they do not inhibit
the colonization of the log by the mushroom mycelium.
Logs and stumps can be inoculated any time between last
and first frost. Holes, 2 inches deep, of the same
diameter as the plugs being used are drilled into the
logs, 2-4 inches apart. Stumps are inoculated around
their circumference into the sapwood (between the bark
and the heartwood). One mycelium-covered dowel per hole
is then pounded into each hole in the log or stump.
Holes can be painted with cheese wax or beeswax to
protect the mycelium during incubation. The ends of the
logs can also be painted with wax if moisture retention
is a concern. (Note: in higher temperature climates, such
as our own, the wax can melt into the dowel holes and
potentially cut of the availability of air to the
mycelium. Thus, there is a toss up between the advantages
of moisture retention/mycelium protection vs. adequate
aeration of the developing mycelium.) After the logs are
plugged, they are stacked in a suitable location in
crisscross piles called "ricks" for incubation
over the next 6-12 months. The rick stacking helps to
maintain an even moisture content/environment. The logs
can also be covered with tarp (not with plastic) to help
conserve moisture. Beds of (and insulation with) sawdust
and/or wood chips is a very effective and simple method
of environmental control. During incubation, logs should
be watered once or perhaps twice a week as required to
maintain an optimum humidity.
After 6-12 months of incubation, the logs are checked
for mycelia growth by chipping away an area of bark
around one of the plugs. If mycelia growth is evident
fruiting is initiated by soaking the logs by submerging
them in a tub or tank (or watering with a sprinkler) for
24 hours. Chlorinated water should be avoided for fruit
initiation although it is acceptable for general watering
of your logs. The logs are restacked in an arrangement
that allows fruiting from and access to all sides of the
logs. Watering is continued 2-3 times a day (2-3 times a
week for partially buried logs and stumps) or as
required- depending upon the prevailing weather
conditions. Mushrooms should begin to form two weeks
after initiation. After each flush, allow the logs 2-3
week dormancy period before reinitiating fruiting. This
cycle of fruiting and rest can be continued throughout
the growing season. Some hardwood logs have been reported
to bear fruit for upwards of 3 or more years although the
size of the crop decreases each season.
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