Mushrooms

[Crundy]

What gives? After a year and a half, my shiitake-innoculated logs have started fruiting. The problem is, something else seems to be eating them before me:



Any ideas what's scoffing my shrooms? There's no maggots in them, so it doesn't seem to be that.

[womble]

Slugs? I'm guessing.

[Crundy]

Hmm, OK I'll put some slug pellets around the logs.

[solway cropper]

Congratulations on actually getting mushrooms at all. A lot of grapes, including me, have tried in vain to grow them without success from the kits.

[Crundy]

Do you mean the white mushroom kits? Those are a bit different. With the Shiitake mushrooms you have to cut down hardwood logs during their dormant period, drill holes all over them, hammer in innoculated dowell pins, and then seal the holes with cheesewax. The mycellium then colonises the log and eventually produces mushrooms.

Problem is, it can take up to 3 years before you get any mushrooms. Some people see them in 6 months, or, like me, after a year and a half. The logs are much easier to look after than the soil kits, as you just leave them outside in the shade and make sure they don't dry out too much. Give it a go!