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key growing information
Mushrooms from Plug Spawn | Key Growing Information
How to grow mushrooms from plug spawn on logs and stumps: site, spawn storage, colonization times, tree species, drilling and plugging, moisture, fruiting, harvest, pests and safe eating.
By Hensley’s Seed Co.
Mushrooms from Plug Spawn | Key Growing Information
CULTURE:
Plug spawn is for growing mushrooms outdoors on logs or stumps. Mushrooms need plenty of moisture, so put your logs where they're easy to reach and check, shaded at least part of the day all year, and ideally close to water. Different climates may call for adjusted methods, and some options are covered below.
SPAWN STORAGE:
Mushrooms grow from mycelium, a mass of white threads; on plug spawn this fuzz can look like mold, but it's healthy growth. Fresh spawn works best, but if you must wait, refrigerate it for up to 6 months. Keep the bag closed until the day you inoculate.
DAYS TO MATURITY:
Time to first fruiting depends on the tree and mushroom species, conditions and log size. Mushrooms appear only after the mycelium has fully grown through the wood, called colonization. Small logs colonize faster than big ones, and stumps can take longer still. See each species for typical colonization times, or as a rough guide, allow at least a year where winters are cold and at least 3 seasons in mild regions.
LOG SELECTION:
Certain trees suit certain mushrooms better. Our chart, Suitability of Tree Species for Growing Mushrooms on Logs for details. Healthy trees with sound bark can be cut any time of year except in spring, from bud swell until the leaves are fully out, when the tree is putting its energy into new growth. The best time is the month before buds swell. Cut logs at least 3" across into the lengths you want, and inoculate within a week or two of cutting unless you can keep them frozen and moist, for example under snow in a northern winter. STUMP GROWING: Freshly cut stumps of a suitable tree can also be inoculated with plug spawn, and they can keep producing far longer than logs. Follow the log method, with two extra steps: first girdle the stump by stripping a ring of outer bark around its base so it doesn't sprout suckers, and when inoculating, drill holes in the cut top of the stump as well.
INOCULATION:
With an 8.5 mm bit, drill holes 1" deep every 4–6" along rows 2–3" apart, offsetting the rows in a diamond pattern down the log. Push a plug into each hole and tap it in with a hammer until it's level with the bark. Brush or dab melted wax over each plug to keep the log from drying out and to keep contaminants out. In dry climates, wax the cut ends too.
COLONIZATION:
Until fruiting, keep logs near the ground but not touching it, and stack them closely so too much airflow doesn't dry them out.
FRUITING:
Once logs are fully colonized, which sometimes shows as mycelium on the cut ends, rearrange them for better airflow and easier picking. The first fruiting happens on its own. After that, for more regular harvests, you can "force fruit" logs by soaking them in cold water for no more than 24 hours, which works best with shiitake but can be tried with other mushrooms. Leave about 8 weeks between flushes when forcing. HARVEST: Clusters grow fast near maturity, so check them often. Twist or cut them off the log at the base. Pick oysters and shiitake just before the caps flatten, while the edges still curl under; pick Lion's Mane when its spines are ¼–½" long and before they yellow. Overripe mushrooms bruise easily and don't keep as long.
PRODUCTION WINDOW:
How many flushes a log gives depends mostly on its species and size: the wider the log, the longer it produces, and stumps, being wider still, can produce much longer. In the North, a handy rule is one year of production per inch of log diameter; in mild areas with a longer growing season, expect less. PESTS AND DISEASE: Mold can grow on plugs damaged in shipping or on mushrooms stored too long; never eat moldy mushrooms. Spreading diatomaceous earth around the base of logs helps against slugs. Animals are usually a minor problem and rarely take the whole crop, and row cover such as Agribon-15 helps keep them off. Picking young also tends to mean less pest damage.CAUTION: Always cook mushrooms thoroughly. When trying a species for the first time, eat only a little to check for allergies. Logs kept outdoors are more likely to be colonized by other fungi, so be sure of a mushroom's identity before eating it, as it could be a local wild species.
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