Easiest Ways to Cultivate Shiitake Logs

by James Hayley We have attempted to create the procedure easier b

The article precisely discusses the simple steps to cultivate shiitake mushroom of hardwood logs, from planting plugs to drilling holes to stacking the hardwood logs.

If you are interested in cultivating mushrooms, them it is advisable to start with harvesting shiitake mushroom on logs. The shiitake mushrooms are easiest variety to cultivate, where you don’t have to follow numerous steps for harvesting.

A single variety log

You don’t have to think about the soil nature or the substrate while growing shiitake. Also, inoculating Shiitake Logs of a single variety is more than enough for a robust harvest. It is a cakewalk in creating own mushroom logs for the cultivation. But you need to be strategically more pro-active if you have plans to cultivate more than 100 plugs or explore new logs every year.

A power drill

For a more extensive plan to cultivate mushrooms, you need to purchase a high-quality angle grinder. It helps remarkably in creating holes on the longs when you plan more than 100 plugs. A standard power drill is a great device in making holes on Shiitake Logs.

The types of logs

You need healthy hardwood logs with their bark intact. The diameter may vary from 4 inches to 6 inches. There are several trees that you can use to extract the logs, like red oak, maple, alder, etc. It is preferable to avoid evergreen hardwoods and evergreen conifers like cedar, pine, etc. The number of plugs you order is the primary factor. Usually, a 2 to 3 feet long log requires about 10 to 12 mushroom plugs.

Buying mushroom plugs online

As mentioned earlier, a power or an electric drill is an essential device in this context. The size of the drill bit will depend a lot on the specific size of the inoculated dowels. You may order mushroom plugs online. There are many companies that sell mushroom plugs on their online stores. Before deciding, you can read the customer reviews about the companies on their mushroom plug products. Keep in mind that some of the shiitake mushroom plugs are more suitable for winter months than spring days. Take a note of the climate of your habitat while ordering the shiitake variety.

Drilling holes

You need to drill holes about 2 inches deep, approximately in a diamond pattern. Make 4 or 5 rows of holes, each hole separated from other by 3 to 5 inches. Hammer one dowel per hole; it is as simple as that! Ensure that the dowel does not stick out. The last step is waxing the top of each hole with a dowel. You can use ordinary cheese-wax or even beeswax. For your convenience, you can order wax products from the same online seller who sells mushrooms.

Stacking logs

After the micro-steps of planting the plugs, you need to organize the logs by properly stacking them. They should not touch the soil to avoid contamination. Wait for 6 to 12 months for your plugs to fruit into beautiful shiitake mushrooms.

A harvest is a treat to the eyes

A bountiful harvest of the shiitake mushrooms is a treat to the eyes, as you will witness after caring for the steps to cultivate them.

Resource: https://medium.com/@darrinheiin/easiest-ways-to-cultivate-shiitake-logs-261efbed8805