Do you want to grow your shiitake mushrooms? Yes,
mushroom farming is that simple. Buy shiitake mushroom log kit. The traditional
method of producing this kind of mushrooms is with logs. This is an excellent way to get nutrient
dense food at home. For harvesting, you do not require extra space in gardens.
In the Japanese language, another term for shiitake mushroom is beech mushroom.
The original birth place of these mushrooms is branches of beech or oak found
in the woods of Japan.
Suitable wood types
The following wood types are used for growing these
kinds of mushrooms. Oak, beech, maple, birch, hickory, ironwood, sweet gum,
black gum, cherry, and eucalyptus are the preferred shiitake mushroom logs. You
need hardwood branches from Agrinoon with the bark intact. Avoid tree trunks
like oak, fir, cedar, pine. The number of mushroom plugs you order will depend
on the number of tree trunks you require. The wooden dowels inoculated with
mushroom spawn are called plugs. They
work their best in cold climatic conditions.
High humidity above 80% to 90 %is also needed. You should go in for branches
of around four feet so that they are very easy to handle.
Drilling
You will require some power or electric drill. The
size of the drill will depend on the size of inoculated
dowels. You should drill holes in a diamond pattern on your branches. Drill
holes about 2 inches thick. The ideal depth should be around 2 inches. The
holes should be 3-5 inches apart and in 4-5 rows. Then in every hole hammer a
dowel. Ensure that the dowel does not come out of the hole. Apply wax on the
top of each hole t seal them properly. Use cheese wax or bees wax. The next
part of the process is stacking the tree trunks. They should not touch the
soil. This is because the soil is capable of contaminating your shiitake mushroom logs. You should consider setting these branches on a rack
or some other tree trunks for them to rest.
Watering to maintain
moisture
Now is the time to be patient. Typically the waiting
period varies from six months to one year. You should apply water on the logs
on a regular basis, about two to three times a week, to maintain the moisture
level. Once the mycelium sets, the logs will start to fruit. You can also do a
force fruit of the logs. This can be done by soaking the logs completely in
water for 12 to 24 hours after every five weeks. They should produce mushrooms
for 4 to 6 years before they are replaced. Every grower is unique. Farmers need
to tweak around a bit to get amazing results.
Online purchase
Give a gift to your friends and family that keeps on
giving year after year. Gift them the shiitake log. They are one of the
mushrooms that can be cultivated easily.
You do not have to deal with soils or substrates. You can order these
mushroom logs from online companies. Just by doing a simple Google search you
can find several of these businesses along with the reviews of their products.
