Mushroom dowels

[mrbadexample]

Afternoon all,

Unsure where to post, but since a mushroom is a fruiting body...

Has anyone tried growing mushrooms using the dowels you insert into logs?

I've picked up a few nice bits of oak and I thought it might be worth a go, but could use a bit of advice first.

1. Is it worth it - i.e. is it reliable?
2. Can this be done at any time of year?
3. Are there particularly reliable species to choose?
4. Where do you have to put the logs after you've fitted the dowels?
5. Can you grow more than one type of mushroom on the same log?

Any other comments?

Thanks,
MBE

[Nicos]

I did probably about 18 years ago.
Did loads of research, found the perfect place/ type of wood and size/age of log...I did exactly what they said I should do...

Absolutely nothing!
I tried oyster and Lions main if I remember correctly...even left them in situ for about 5 years and nothing happened apart from normal decaying mushrooms.
I chose a couple of varieties which would look very different to any natural( possibly toxic ones) which might grow in the same log ....

Waste of money as far as I was concerned...but give it a try...you may be wonderfully successful!

[Nicos]

Oh...and apart from 'oak' I can't remember anything else!!!!

[ameno]

These logs, when were they cut?
Mushrooms needs fairly freshly cut logs. 1 month since the tree was alive, tops. Any longer and they either dry out too much or they begin to be collonised by other, "weed" fungi.
The bark must also be intact, and ideally the logs should be in the region of 4-8 inches wide and at 18-24 inches long. If they are too wide and short then there is likely to be too much cut face, and they will dry out too quickly as a result.
You can actually use pretty nearly any hardwood logs, although certain types are preferred over others. I believe oak, ash, sweet chestnut and fruit woods are the best.

You can't grow more than one type in any given log, as they will compete with each other, and either both will die, or eventually one will dominate the other.

The logs need to be kept somewhere shady (full shade, ideally, but not in actual darkness. They will not ever fruit if they have no light at all) and damp. They will likely need rehydrating once or twice a year (you do this by immersing the whole log in water for 12 hours or so).

If you can get them to take and actually collonise the log, then they should fruit fairly reliably, once or twice a year, for some 3-5 years. However getting them established in the first place often doesn't have such a high success rate.
I would recommend buying the dowels from a specialist supplier, if you're going to do it, rather than from one of those seed suppliers who also sell mushroom dowels.

[mrbadexample]

These logs, when were they cut?

About 30th June.

I might be able to return for fresher logs if required, although that would involve cutting rather than foraging.

It does sound like a fair bit of hassle for potentially little reward, but by the same token you don't know unless you try, right?

I think this is something I should bear in mind until I get some fresher logs - a bit of planning and preparation would probably be beneficial.

Thanks both.

[ameno]

Also, they want cutting some time between around late Frebruary and perhaps the end of September. Basically, any time when the sap is either rising or up in the tree, not when the tree is going dormant or fully dormant.

[mrbadexample]

I chose a couple of varieties which would look very different to any natural( possibly toxic ones) which might grow in the same log ....

One of the main reasons I was thinking of having a go.