Question to TMP: Can we grow mushrooms in Nevada?
At the last 2 Practical Permaculture classes, we have drilled logs and put mushroom spawn plugs into the logs ( reishi for the last class in Nevada City on oak, white oyster the ChIco class because we had trash wood).Then beeswax over the hole.
Paul Stamens sez to keep them somewhere where they won't freeze (like a shed or garage) until warmer weather comes. So I think the answer is yes, for Reno.
Cathe'
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At work we had a great mushroom workshop with Cheetah Chudi (sp?) and
afterwards did a few mushroom trials. We were able to grow nice
oyster mushrooms in a large plant pot (25 gal) filled with fresh wood
chips. We put mushroom spawn on a straw substrate during the workshop
and used that. It grew lovely mushrooms. We kept it on the shady
side of a building and cut a round of cardboard to 'cap' it and keep
it dark and moist. The logs with the plugs in them are a real act of
faith...gotta keep them for a long time before anything happens.
We're still waiting. :)
Kim
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Mushroom beds are best made up of woodchip from a single tree variety which will be hard to come by in Nevada; consider make a bed made of paper products (library or RGJ) or corncobs (Rick?).
The ideal substrate is made up of wood product consisting of fine and larger particles (imperative for healthy mycelium growth) – 2 parts fine, 1 part larger (1 to 4 inches)
A good substrate can also be made of a mix of woody debris, chopped corncobs and cornstalks, stalks of garden vegetables, and berry and grape vines – make sure material is chopped up into both fine and larger pieces (imperative for healthy mycelium growth).
Pleurotus species is best adapted to grow on agricultural waste but creating a bed with this type of product requires special equipment for pasteurization or sterilization.
Oyster Mushroom will grow on straw, which is less expensive than sterilized sawdust; performs better on vertical surfaces.
email from practicalpermaculture@gmail.com
If you want to grow mushrooms for your personal use...the other alternative is finding hardwood tree trunks, maybe from an arborist or tree pruning company locally. Don't use wood that has shed its bark. Surely you don't need to buy them.
Cut them about three feet long.
Let the wood age for about 3 weeks before inoculating.
Soak them in a trash can or a trash bag for a couple of days.
Ahead of time, purchase the spawn from Cheetah or Mushroom Adventure on Hwy 70 north of Marysville http://www.mushroomadventures.com/
or Paul Stamens http://www.fungi.com/plugs/index.html(Paul has the cheapest prices of the 2, maybe Cheetah is cheaper?)
Here is what the dowels look like www.mushroomadventures.com/dowel.html
If your wood is marginal, buy Oyster Spawn, as it will grow on even toilet paper.
You need about one bag or 35-50 dowels per log. Use a 5/16" drill l bit and mark the end with permanent marker at 2" (or whatever the grower says). Drill holes about 4" apart in a diamond pattern. The more plugs you use per log, the faster the wood will be colonized with mushroom mycelium. Tap in the dowel. Cover the hole/dowel with a couple drops of bees wax. Keep the log moist. This whole process should take about 20 minutes for innoculating a log.
Hardwood to use: All Oaks, and Tan Oak; Madrone, and Manzanita; Most fruitwood; Alder, Maple, Bay, Elm
Semi-Hardwood to use: Willow; Cottonwood; Poplar; Ash
Wood not to use: Redwood, Cedar; Fir (Phoenix Oyster will grow) and Pine; Conifers ( Conifer Coral mushroom will grow); Cypress, Juniper; Eucalyptus
