Grow Demo Area

Make-a-Bag of Oyster Mushrooms on Straw to take Home!

Giant Polar White OYSTER MUSHROOM or Pleurotus ostreatus

1. Place clean STRAW bale in water for 24 hours.

2. Add cup of oak wood ashes or pH neutralizer if you like.

3. Mix one loaf of oyster mushroom spawn per bale and mix thoroughly.

4. Stuff in clear plastic bags firmly but not extremely tightly.

5. Hang bag in very shady low air flow place ~ maybe a tree or overhang.

6. In 6 weeks check for white spot with little dots or pinning. (They like 65-90 F)

7. Tear hole in these places.

8. Help shrooms grow outta these hole carefully ~ they form large clusters!

9. Shrooms will come in Flushes ~ about every 3 weeks depending on temperature.

10. Continue to tear holes over new shroom growth until bag gets weak then dump into planter, crate or wire basket. Must have holes for shrooms to grow out.

11. Watch for dryness, lightness in weight, soak in unchlorinated water. Rainwater is best.

12. Use spent straw to start new bale or as excellent compost.

For spawn and more info. http://www.fieldforest.net


Make-a-Bag of Wine Cap Mushrooms on Wood Chips to take Home!

Wine Cap Mushrooms or Stropharia rugosa-annulat

1. Have wine cap mushroom spawn or mycellium.

2. Have growing matrix or material. WOOD CHIPS, large and alittle fresh, not very rotted or existing bed with alotta wood chips.

3. Mix spawn from bag (or mycellium growth from bed) well into bag of wood chips or existing bed with wood chips about 3 inches into soil.

4. In bag method, let bag sit for several days at room temperature and then mix in with existing bed containing freshish wood chips.

5. Keep bed moist, no heavy rain for a few weeks so cover for heavy rain at first. Never let bed completely dry out.

6. Likes to come up around existing plant's damp areas. Likes shade and around 50F.

7. Will grow in straw but like oak chips best. Doesn't like pine.

8. Check http://www.fieldforest.net/ for spawn and more information.


Plug-a-Log with Shiitake Mushroom Spawn to take Home!

1. Place plugged log in shade.

2. Keep moist to where log ends don't dry and split. About 2 hours per week or 15 minutes a day in dry times.

3. Let log set and mycelium grow for 6 to 9 months. It is ok to cover or wrap log to prevent moisture loss.

4. Soak log in non-clorinated water for 24 hours and be ready for 1st cold snap.

5. Log should sprout mushrooms (flush) within 3 days to week from soaking.

6. Keep log moist while mushrooms grow ~ 3 days depending on weather temperature.

7. Cut mushrooms with knife when caps still have a little curl on the tip ends and before caps go straight out. Definately before shrooms get a cup in the middle. Can cut as buttons.

8. Shiitakes dry well on paper in non-moist areas or just in a paper bag in the refrigerator. No plastic bags! Fresh freeze well, pickle well and keep well canned or made into sauces.

9. Log will resprout or flush again in about 6 weeks. They love to flush right after cold snaps!

10. It is possible to ice down your logs for 24 hours and "force" them to flush in warm weather.


Avery Owen ~ Grow Area Leader



Cordyceps growing out of Florida Mosquito cartoon by Carmen Thompson, 2019 Adult Art Contest Winner

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