# Mushroom Growing 2019 CHIT CHAT



## trahn008

Let's talk mushroom growing. Don't have any projects going at the time, but looking to be inspired to fire the lab back up! Happy Growing!


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## redfred

trahn008 said:


> Let's talk mushroom growing. Don't have any projects going at the time, but looking to be inspired to fire the lab back up! Happy Growing!


Hey trahn . I was wondering what you or someone else with some experience would recommend for a first timer ? What books or online info is worth a look? What type of shroom you would start with ? Or any general info that you may think would be helpful.


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## trahn008

Redfed, I learned the trade reading alot of Paul Stamets work. IMAO The bible for growers is Growing Gourmet and Medical Mushrooms by Paul Stamets. Back in the day without the net that was the way read and make mistakes and learn from them. The Shroomery.org https://www.shroomery.org/forums/postlist.php/Board/2 covers everything you ever want to talk about growing mushroom. If your looking for a easy indoor grow oyster mushrooms are a good starter, for outdoor grows plugging logs with shiitake spawn would be a good starter. If you have any questions along the way let me know. Happy Growing!


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## redfred

trahn008 said:


> Redfed, I learned the trade reading alot of Paul Stamets work. IMAO The bible for growers is Growing Gourmet and Medical Mushrooms by Paul Stamets. Back in the day without the net that was the way read and make mistakes and learn from them. The Shroomery.org https://www.shroomery.org/forums/postlist.php/Board/2 covers everything you ever want to talk about growing mushroom. If your looking for a easy indoor grow oyster mushrooms are a good starter, for outdoor grows plugging logs with shiitake spawn would be a good starter. If you have any questions along the way let me know. Happy Growing!


Trahn, thanks for the info. I received a oyster kit a year ago and had ok results with it. I’ve seen pictures of your and other shiitake logs that make me envious.. l hope to get something going this year so I’m sure I’ll have more questions and I have no doubt I can make mistakes.. thanks again..


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## obi wan morel

Totally agree with Paul stamets books and shroomrey.org I started base off his books and this is my results so far until spring


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## obi wan morel

One of my morel mushroom beds


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## trahn008

Obi, looks like your off to a good start. Do you have a low nutrient barrier around your mother patch? From my experience it's nice to control where your morels fruit. I always make my beds around a wall, water or roadway they act as my low nutrient barrier without having to make one. Happy Growing!


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## trahn008

redfred said:


> Trahn, thanks for the info. I received a oyster kit a year ago and had ok results with it. I’ve seen pictures of your and other shiitake logs that make me envious.. l hope to get something going this year so I’m sure I’ll have more questions and I have no doubt I can make mistakes.. thanks again..


 Redfred, one key for a good fruiting run is RH. One cheap easy way fruiting chamber is a clear tote bottom with holes drilled at the top of it, then use a damp sponge under the tote with your block your looking to fruit. Keep the sponge damp for the fruiting run, I've had really good results using this method. Happy Growing!


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## obi wan morel

No that is hardware wire around the bed so it will keep voles and moles entering the bed that picture is 2 weeks after I planted the spawn but it's close to a drainage ditch so it will help with the humidity


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## trahn008

My next grow plan, This past mushroom season I didn't pick one single lions mane (and I love eating them). I have a ton of different types of mushroom dried but you know how the mind works (Got to have what you don't have). So I'm going to grow some indoors. I have growen a lot of lions mane thru the years and they tend to be quite easy for me. My plan, purchase a liquid culture ( Don't have a good culture to start from anymore) Going to do a wild bird seed with the sunflower seeds removed spawn run pc bag. Once my spawn grows out going with a wood pellet fuel and wild bird seed substrate pc bag. Going to go with a low tech fruiting chamber and hoping to maybe get some pc bags outside if the weather warms up some. I'll post up pic as I go along. Happy Growing!!


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## trahn008

The start of the lions mane grow. Soaking 15lbs. wild bird seed over night for my spawn media.


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## trahn008

Three PC bags 7lbs. Making 21lbs of lions mane. Next step PCing at 15psi for 1 1/2 hr. Happy Growing!


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## trahn008

My method for getting moisture perfect on my Bird seed. I soak them overnight then simmer them on the stove just to warm the seed up. Once seed is warm I strain and lay the seed out on a flat surface so steam comes off until cooled. The seed should not stick together it should roll like marbles when moved around. Happy Growing!


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## sb

trahn008 said:


> This past mushroom season I didn't pick one single lions mane (and I love eating them)!


Hey, what's going on. Same here, next door, in central OH. No Herecium last year and it was a record rainfall for central OH.

I still have dried Herecium to powder to use in my cooked cereal and pancakes but I can see the end of it.

Thanks for sharing you grow-out of Lions Mane/Herecium.


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## trahn008

Got all bags pressure cooked. Now going liquid culture injection. I’ll post pics as MYC grows.


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## DIYDi

I bought a bag of lions mane last year and am going to make some dowels to put in a jar with some of the medium from the grow bag and hopefully get to plug some oak logs.


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## trahn008

DIYDi, I never had any luck using fresh logs with lions mane plugs. They seem to have to aged some with the bark slipped off. Happy Growing!


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## trahn008

Checked the lions mane bags today. 11 days and got some MYC growth moving thru the bird seed. Going to shake them up some to move the MYC around the bag. Happy Growing!!


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## trahn008

Is anyone else having trouble uploading photos?


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## beagleboy

trahn008 said:


> Is anyone else having trouble uploading photos?


Yes trahn, I haven't been able to upload any for a while.


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## nc_morels

trahn008 said:


> Checked the lions mane bags today. 11 days and got some MYC growth moving thru the bird seed. Going to shake them up some to move the MYC around the bag. Happy Growing!!
> View attachment 12456


Hey trahn008, do you use a glove box or flow hood for inoculating the grain with the liquid culture? I want to grow some lions mane using self-prepared grain bags and read that inoculating with grain spawn should be done under sterile conditions. Wondering if the same precautions are necessary for liquid culture?


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## trahn008

nc morels, don't need sterile conditions when going with liquid culture. I just wipe the bag where I'm injecting with alcohol and the needle. After done I put a piece of tape over the injection site. Happy Growing!


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## sb

trahn008 said:


> Is anyone else having trouble uploading photos?


I get a partial upload sometimes and then it craters. If I keep trying, it seems to go through at some point, with one exception which was where I was doing an "edit" and wanting to upload an additional pic for that post. Never worked.

I also found that I couldn't upload a pic to a "PM" or private messge. Also, couldn't paste a copied image into a private message.

Don't know if any of this is helpful. 

*Pictures are great. Thanks to all who post them*


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## sb

Just now I was able to post pictures on the "strange things in the woods" topic by doing a "copy & paste", copying in windows explorer & pasting into my post in Morels.com of my images instead of using the "upload function" in Morels.com.


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## nc_morels

trahn008 said:


> nc morels, don't need sterile conditions when going with liquid culture. I just wipe the bag where I'm injecting with alcohol and the needle. After done I put a piece of tape over the injection site. Happy Growing!


Cool, I think I may need to try this. Do you use 2 cc's (mL) per 5 pounds?


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## trahn008

Yes, 2cc per 5lbs.


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## nc_morels

trahn008 said:


> Yes, 2cc per 5lbs.


Cool, I think I am going to give this a try. Planning to fruit outside this Spring, thanks for the advice!


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## redfred

trahn008 said:


> Is anyone else having trouble uploading photos?


I hope this can be figured out. I feel like I’m in the middle of a life of a mushroom series and the projector broke... thanks for sharing..or at least trying..


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## Gibz

I am taking my first stab at growing. Last week I cut my logs and have them in the garage to dry out a little. My Shitake plugs came today and I had the Mrs. put them in the fridge. The forecast is for some single digit lows in the next several days. Am I better off just keeping the plugs and logs where I have them and being patient for a little better weather? Could I drill plug and wax the logs and leave them in the garage for a few weeks? I did not see the cold issue directly addressed in Stamet's Mycelium Running. Any thoughts?


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## sb

Gibz said:


> Am I better off just keeping the plugs and logs where I have them and being patient for a little better weather? Could I drill plug and wax the logs and leave them in the garage for a few weeks? Any thoughts?


Gibz -- two years ago I inoculated oak logs for Shiitake so late in the Fall (December) that I just put them in the basement over the winter so they would get winter months of grow time and they fruited faster as a result after going outside in the Spring. I had to sprinkle/water them weekly in the basement so they didn't dry out.

After inoculation it is going to take months of grow time before fruiting. Start now if you would like them sooner.


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## Gibz

sb said:


> Gibz -- two years ago I inoculated oak logs for Shiitake so late in the Fall (December) that I just put them in the basement over the winter so they would get winter months of grow time and they fruited faster as a result after going outside in the Spring. I had to sprinkle/water them weekly in the basement so they didn't dry out.
> 
> After inoculation it is going to take months of grow time before fruiting. Start now if you would like them sooner.


SB Thanks so much. Yep, when I started looking into this, it was definitely an exercise in patience. I believe I will clear out a corner this weekend and get the process started


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## trahn008

Yep the sooner the better. The only time you wait for plugging is if you cut your logs when the sap is still up in the tree. If you cut your logs now your good to go. Happy Growing!


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## trahn008

I also would cover them with some plastic after plugged. Don't cover them up tight just over the top so they don't dry out on you to much. The MYC likes some moisture. Happy Growing!


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## Gibz

trahn008 said:


> I also would cover them with some plastic after plugged. Don't cover them up tight just over the top so they don't dry out on you to much. The MYC likes some moisture. Happy Growing!


Excellent, thanks for the advice.


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## trahn008

From 10 days ago.


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## trahn008

From today, these are about done getting ready for the next move. Happy Growing!


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## sb

Happy grow going on there!


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## trahn008

So the next move, I have two choices.. Choice one I have three bags I could just fruit these out and have some lions mane in about 10 days. Choice two is give one bag to a friend and expand the other two bags to 10-24. Ok so my plan going into this grow was to produce some bags that I could just hang outside and just have them fruit natural. So plan two looks like the right choice due to weather conditions. The next move will be 10% birdseed and 90% wood pellet fuel bags for my fruiting run. Also going to try some log grows with some spawn. I have had trouble fruiting lions mane from logs. I have done fresh logs with plugs just like I do shitake with poor results. The problem is I think lions mane has a problem getting nutrient from fresh logs, so I'm going to try some of my older shitake logs that the shitake myc has soften up the cell structure. Happy Growing!


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## trahn008

Some notes on this grow.. If you notice the area's where the lions mane are starting to fruit in the bag. I try to get the bag as tight as possible around the myc block, any air space will cause the myc to start fruiting within the bag. You don't want this to happen because your losing those fruits because you really don't want to harvest them. When you see this happening you know it's time to expand them or fruit them. Happy Growing!


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## trahn008

Note two.. I could slow the myc growth at any point by placing the bags into a cool place (refrigerator), if I wasn't ready to expand or fruit I could buy myself a couple weeks by doing this. You can't forget about them, I've had LM fruit out the filter patch on the bags before, so timing is important with LM. Happy Growing!


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## sb

*trahn - Thanks for sharing the insight, experience and thinking about Lions Mane.*

I tried dowels into logs just once with Lions Mane and it was a complete failure. My issue is follow through.

I got some nice black Morel mycelium growing on a delaminated cardboard roll last spring but lost it because of lack of timely follow-through. At some point the mycelium started to form sclerotia in the cardboard roll and amazingly I had little contamination in this non-sterile grow technique.

What was perfect about it and why I'm going to repeat this year is that the black Morels came from the creek behind my house and just 1/2 mile away. They show up each year without fail in that spot. So, I'm going to invite them into my back yard. Ha!

So, I'm thinking there can't be a better sourcing to try getting a consistent naturalized grow in my back yard. I'm thinking of doing a trench along one fence. Maybe I can harvest the mycelium and refrigerate/freeze it till fall and do the trench just before the cold sets in.

A prior year, I tried a Chinese technique to keep the mycellium active by cutting a plug out of an apple, dropping a piece of morel cap tissue from the inside of the cap into the hole and putting the plug back, then dipping the apple in wax to seal it and then refrigerating it. Supposed to be good for 3-5 months. Well I tried it with 3 apples and it appeared to have some success. The mycellium is supposed to slowly colonize the inside of the apply. Results were inconsistent for me and I didn't do anything with the mycelium except throw it into flower beds.


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## trahn008

SB, Yes... if your looking for a home patch of morels the blacks are the ones, and picked from as close as home as possible!!! BINGO. I have done a ton of work with black morels ( I wish I hadn't lost all by pictures). Black morel myc will out run contams everytime fast runner low tek will work with this one. Do some tests this year try some tissue transfers to all kind of substrate's. Just watch your moisture levels on your substrates, with time you will get a feel for it. I have a method that works EVERYTIME and it's the same way I do all the mushrooms I grow. GRASS SEED DONE LIKE I DO THE BIRDSEED IN THE LM GROW. Cardboard will work as you have seen, but timing is very important when dealing with low nutrient sub. You can use anything really, but you always need to be thinking about morels...fast runner, big nutrient eater and nutrient storage! Happy Growing!


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## trahn008

SB, another tip with blacks, I've used PC'ed grass seed (will not germ) myc transferred into just water soaked grass seed NON PC'ed (will germ). LIVING HOST!!! Happy Growing!


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## beagleboy

trahn008 said:


> SB, Yes... if your looking for a home patch of morels the blacks are the ones, and picked from as close as home as possible!!! BINGO. I have done a ton of work with black morels ( I wish I hadn't lost all by pictures). Black morel myc will out run contams everytime fast runner low tek will work with this one. Do some tests this year try some tissue transfers to all kind of substrate's. Just watch your moisture levels on your substrates, with time you will get a feel for it. I have a method that works EVERYTIME and it's the same way I do all the mushrooms I grow. GRASS SEED DONE LIKE I DO THE BIRDSEED IN THE LM GROW. Cardboard will work as you have seen, but timing is very important when dealing with low nutrient sub. You can use anything really, but you always need to be thinking about morels...fast runner, big nutrient eater and nutrient storage! Happy Growing!


trahn , did you just lose your pictures in the last month or so. Microsoft updated my software and wiped all my pictures off my computer. I had 2 files that I lost, lesson learned, everything will be loaded on a thumb drive from now on.


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## trahn008

Beagle, I lost them about 10 years ago when I had a computer crash.


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## sb

beagleboy said:


> Microsoft updated my software and wiped all my pictures off my computer. I had 2 files that I lost, lesson learned, everything will be loaded on a thumb drive from now on.


beagleboy -- not that it'll help, but I don't use Microsoft defaults in handling my pictures. I load them manually into my own file folder set up.

27,000 pics later, and I can find any one almost always in a minute or so because they are organized first by time and then by geographic location and/or by topic in some instances -- like the Mushroom Dinner Pics.

* It is probable that you just lost the link to the files and not that they were deleted *or ovrridden (yet). They may be there but require some specialized work to get hold of them again.

I just right now Googled this: "Microsoft lost my pictures after an update 2019" The topics coming back show that *others have experienced the same and were able to reconnect to their pics.*

So, give it a try. Good luck. I also do a periodic backup. So, if I lost all computer stored pics I will still have my backup.

Another thought: Windows 10 includes some free cloud storage called One Drive at 5GB storage free. That said, my picture folder is 70GB including my mushroom pics.


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## trahn008

Next step for one of the LM blocks. Going to fruit this one out before I use this one for the spent shiitake log grow. Figured I’ll get some LM before I set up the logs for the outside grow. Happy Growing!!


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## beagleboy

sb said:


> beagleboy -- not that it'll help, but I don't use Microsoft defaults in handling my pictures. I load them manually into my own file folder set up.
> 
> 27,000 pics later, and I can find any one almost always in a minute or so because they are organized first by time and then by geographic location and/or by topic in some instances -- like the Mushroom Dinner Pics.
> 
> * It is probable that you just lost the link to the files and not that they were deleted *or ovrridden (yet). They may be there but require some specialized work to get hold of them again.
> 
> I just right now Googled this: "Microsoft lost my pictures after an update 2019" The topics coming back show that *others have experienced the same and were able to reconnect to their pics.*
> 
> So, give it a try. Good luck. I also do a periodic backup. So, if I lost all computer stored pics I will still have my backup.
> 
> Another thought: Windows 10 includes some free cloud storage called One Drive at 5GB storage free. That said, my picture folder is 70GB including my mushroom pics.


sb, thank you very much! I googled what you did and went through the different methods that some of the other people had success with and after 3 different tries finally got my pictures back. THANK YOU AGAIN!


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## sb

beagleboy -- *Yea!!! * That's so great to hear that *you got your pics back!!*
Especially glad that you chose to persevere until you succeeded, once you saw that it could be done.


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## trahn008

Did some work this week with the LM grow project. Did my spawn transfer to grow substrate open air didn’t feel like setting up my flow hood, so we’ll see how it goes. Grow substrate is 90 pellet fuel 10 birdseed. Happy Growing!


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## trahn008

The LM bags are coming along showing good MYC growth with no contamination. The spawn bag that I fruited has two nice LM starting. I’ll have to get some pictures of that growth, think I missed the pinkish color when they first start. I just might be eating LM and morels together when I fruit these other bags out. Happy Growing!


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## trahn008




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## steelernation

Oh, that's not right... 

Well done, my friend!


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## beagleboy

trahn, I have never tasted them yet. I found one last year but it was too far gone. I have read they taste like crab meat. I don't have any luck growing mushrooms ( I tried a shitake log) but with your step by step I just might try again.


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## trahn008

Beagle I don't find many of them and I'm always looking. LM are in my top three... trumpets, LM then morels. LM are not a hard one to grow, but the other two are difficult. LM taste for me when hot and slight over cooked have a pork flavor, if light cooked and cool taste like crab or lobster. Happy Growing!


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## trahn008

Part two of the LM grow. Spawned some old shiitake logs that no longer produce. Shook the spawn down inside the logs. Hope to have some fruits this fall. Happy Growing!


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## trahn008

Looks like turkey tail MYC has gotten to some of these logs. We’ll see if the TT and LM can live together on this log pile. Only time will tell. Happy Growing!


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## trahn008

Couldn’t wait any longer had to cut some for dinner!


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## trahn008

Logs starting to produce some!


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## trahn008

LM update two of the pellet fuel WBS bags being fruited in the hobo fruiting chamber. I just might be eating morels and LM together. I’ll take luck over skill anyday! Happy Growing!


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## trahn008

As promised this one will be fruited outside naturally. I place the bag on the ground (RH higher at ground level) facing SE with a wind break behind (NW wind). This one should take longer to fruit due to not controlling the temp. Time will tell! Happy Growing!


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## trahn008

Also don't think I noted that the top corners of the bags are cut open on the bags so LM can get air exchange and fruit. If you notice on the bags they are starting to fruit thru the filter patch. Happy Growing!


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## cj

Oh the things we do to try to keep our minds off of morels until prime time! There was a rainy day exactly like this last year; I literally started a 1,000 piece puzzle. LOL! Trahn, here's my first of 7 lion bags. However, I do like your approach of placing the bag right next to other mushroom logs in the "right conditions." No doubt, the morels are just beginning to pop. I think if we get just even one cool night, it's gonna prompt these as well as the shiitakes to fruit too, and it'll be on like donkey kong for a couple of weeks. Everyone to your battle stations. Brace for impact!


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## trahn008

CJ, if you get a chance post how you did your pellet fuel bulk medium. Happy Growing!


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## cj

And this batch was harvested today and went straight to a local restaurant. CRAZY! Morels will be poppin' big time soon. As for the TEK I use for Lion's Mane, Shiitake, and other wood lovers, I'd simply recommend Googling Lipa's TEK. I believe the recipe calls for 1:1 ratio of hardwood pellets to boiling water directly into PC grow bags. Then you carefully knead the pellets to basically break it into sawdust. Immediately clip the bags at the top and place into a large cooler overnight (basically a pasteurization). I make 7 bags which I then inoculate the next day with 1 standard size grow bag of spawn. That's the basic gist of it, but let Trahn or I know if you have any questions. Like I said, Google Lipa's TEK. The only thing you have to try to get right is the moisture level, but 1:1 is usually pretty close. I may have gone with just a tad more water this time, but not much. Nothing worse than too much moisture in your spawn to promote bacteria, mold, etc. Good luck!


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## trahn008

LM indoor grow lookin good so far!


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## trahn008

LM outdoor grow lookin not so good! What happened to all the rain we where getting this week! Happy Growing!


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## sb

Trahn008 -- Great stuff. Thanks for sharing.

I like to dry and powder my Lions Mane also and put some powder into my cooked cereal and pancakes whenever I make them. 

I've had no natural fruiting of my Shiitake logs yet this Spring. I may do a soak on some soon.


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## trahn008

Going to let these go and see how big they get.. Happy Growing!


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## trahn008

This one is going to be a cool one to watch. Red color in primordia formation, never saw that before! Happy Growing!


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## trahn008

Indoor


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## trahn008

Outdoor.


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## redfred

Trahn, A question if I may ,do you ever have trouble with the fruiting pulling away from the substrate to its own detriment ?


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## trahn008

redfred said:


> Trahn, A question if I may ,do you ever have trouble with the fruiting pulling away from the substrate to its own detriment ?


Redfred It has never happened to me.


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## trahn008

Looking to do some new grows this year! Follow along in the 2020 growers thread. Happy Growing!


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