What kinds of trees can be used for log cultivation of mushrooms? – Forest Farming (2024)

FAQs

What kinds of trees can be used for log cultivation of mushrooms? – Forest Farming? ›

Oaks and hard maples are the preferred wood-types for most mushroom species because they're very dense and offer plenty of nutrition for a longer, sustained fruiting period. Poplars and other soft hardwoods will colonize faster and produce mushrooms sooner but generally don't yield as much or produce for as many years.

Oaks and hard maples are the preferred wood-types for most mushroom species because they're very dense and offer plenty of nutrition for a longer, sustained fruiting period. Poplars and other soft hardwoods will colonize faster and produce mushrooms sooner but generally don't yield as much or produce for as many years.

Species: The preferred species for cultivation include sugar maple (Acer saccharum), all oak species (Quercus spp.), American beech (fa*gus grandifolia), ironwood (Carpinus caroliniana), hop hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana), and birch (Betula spp).

Shiitake mushrooms are fond of oak, sugar maple, and red maple trees in particular. White birch is often the ideal place to grow oyster mushrooms. Though mushrooms can also be grown on alder, birch, oak, maple, beech, poplar, balsam, aspen, elm, and willow.

Use hardwood logs like Alder, Ash, Birch, Bitternut, Cherry, Chestnut, Hophornbeam, Ironwood, Maple, Oak, Pecan, Sweet gum, Sycamore, Tulip Poplar, Walnut, Willow and others. They do not grow on conifers.

For mushroom cultivation, hardwood from deciduous trees, such as oak for shiitake, beech, hornbeam, maple and alder tree, is most suitable, as it provides the highest yields (for example oak gives two times higher yield than beech).

Mushroom board is one of the newest reclaimed wood varieties on the market. Mushroom board is used in commercial mushroom growing. Mushrooms grow well on softwoods like hemlock, cypress and cedar. These boards are great for growing mushrooms on because they can withstand the deterioration from soil and moisture.

Western red cedar does not form symbiotic relationships with mushroom-producing fungi as many other conifers do, so the mushrooms found nearby are limited to parasites and decomposers. Western redcedar does connect with a network with fungi however these arbuscular fungi do not produce the familiar mushroom.

Oyster Mushrooms

The fungus decomposes wood that is dead (saprophytic). It does not spread to live tissue (pathogenic). These white to yellow overlapping gilled caps stack-up along a seam of dead wood trunks and cause a white sap rot of the wood. "Hiratake" to the Japanese, who use the mushrooms in cooking.

The brightly colored sulphur shelf mushroom grows on hardwood trees like oaks and has a meaty texture and pleasing flavor when cooked.

Can you use old logs to grow mushrooms? ›

Using Logs

Logs must be relatively fresh, cut from live trees and used within several weeks to no more than several months of cutting. The best time to cut logs is while trees are dormant, either late fall or early spring.

Outdoors on Logs – Shiitake

Shiitake mushrooms grown on logs outdoors is one of the easiest mushrooms for beginners to learn the cycles of mushroom production.

Most mushrooms on standard size logs in temperate climates will take about a year to fully colonize before they fruit. This can vary between 6 months to two years. Smaller diameter logs and soft hardwoods will typically fruit sooner, though they'll have less longevity.

You can optionally seal the ends of the log as well. Then, the logs should live outdoors someplace shady, incubating until they're ready to fruit. The wonderful thing about mushroom logs is that you will get multiple years worth of gourmet mushrooms without having to re-inoculate your logs.

log usually is given about 40 - 50 plugs. The more plugs you use per log, the faster the wood will be colonized with mushroom mycelium. A large stump usually requires 100 holes arranged in a similar hexagonal fashion around the trunk and with holes on the top of the stump as well.

Forcing (for shiitake logs) requires immersing logs into cold water, usually for 12-18 hours. Logs are immersed in cold water that is about 20 F colder than the average air temp.

Usually, the mushrooms grow on the edges of wooded areas, especially around oak, elm, ash, and aspen trees. Look for dead or dying trees while you're on the hunt, too, because morels tend to grow right around the base. Another good place to check for mushrooms is in any area that's been recently disturbed.

Logs should not be stored longer into the warmer months, so spring planting is ideal. Second, planting in the spring allows more of the growing season for the mushroom to colonize the log. Once planted, most mushroom logs require a minimum of 5 months before they are capable of producing mushrooms.

Paulownia tree is by far the fastest growing hardwood tree in the world, allowing commercial returns within three years. Paulownia is native to Southeast Asia but it is used throughout the World with a number of uses from construction, to wooden surfboards, to bio-fuel.

Small-diameter wood will colonize faster, but will not produce for as many seasons as a larger log. You don't want the logs to be so large or heavy that they are difficult to use. For drilling methods, a 4-6'' diameter with a 3-4' length is ideal.