Shiitake Log Growing Tips

[slp]

I posted this in the "Help ID these backyard 'shrooms" thread. As I thought some who might try growing Shiitake could use this information, I posted it separate here so you would not miss it.

"I would never "pasteurize the logs". This will surely reduce the log's natural resistance to other growths. This is the real charm with growing shiitake on logs. Hardly anything else can grow in the log but shiitake. That's why so many people have success with it.
You pasteurize your logs, you will invite a whole new world of contaminants,
ones that would not be there in the first place to bother you.

Colored growths on the bark are common. They are not inside the log and
will cause no problems.

I have never had much luck with Maple. To me, the best is Oak, the ones
that shed their leaves in the winter (deciduous), cut in the winter when the sap content is right just like sap in Maple trees, plugged with spawn right after cutting.
It takes about 2 years before they start producing good. I have tried all the
other ways. For me, this method works the best." slp/fmrc

[BuckarooBanzai]

I bought a bag of alder chips a few months ago and tossed them in a closet until recently. When I brought them out, I discovered that a rouge mycelia had already taken up residence.

Would you suggest attempting to pasteurize/sterilize these chips or throwing them away and starting again?

This is for reishi, not shitake, if that makes a difference.

[waylitjim]

Hey BB, for reishi, you might want to add throw the chips in a mycobag with some bran. After an hour in the PC, they'll be good as new and ready for the reishi culture. Of course a jar would work too.

[BuckarooBanzai]

The current thought is alder chips, alder sawdust, bran and a bit of poly in an impulse sealed spawn bag.

Inoculation will be a tissue LC.

[mason420]

Stephen,

I read in TMC #70 about toothpicks. I have some plug spawn leftover from innocing some logs and I want to put them to good use. I was going to get some dowel plugs from the woodworking store and use them to continue the culture, but the toothpicks sound like a better (and cheaper) idea.

Do the toothpicks need to be PC'd, I assume yes but there was no mention of it, just a 2 day soak.

And when using oatmeal, is there a need for soaking or a casing layer to initiate pinning?

I will start an oatmeal shiitake grow log in another thread.

[slp]

No pc needed on tooth picks. Never had any problems.....only some I bought that were made in China. They must use some other type of wood than oak
because the mycelium would not take. But even with these, there were no contamination.
There is no casing used on Shiitake.......slp/fmrc

[python]

nice guys..........

[slp]

I had a lot of extra bags of toothpicks that were taken with Shiitake mycelium.
I took them all out and placed them in plastic tubs. They were nice clumps.
Been watering and the brown hard cover is starting to cover them. Looks like there might be some fruit soon. This would make a nice easy way to grow Shiitake in your home. I think the toothpicks must be real clean because people are going to be putting them into their mouths. Maybe something here on why they are so clean. Maybe they are already boiled or something.
I'll let you know when or if there are any fruit..............slp/fmrc

we need more stuff for the edible section in our vaults...

archive material / edibles