Oyster Log Kit Instructions | Northwood Mushrooms (2024)

FAQs

Oyster Log Kit Instructions | Northwood Mushrooms? ›

To inoculate the logs with spawn, you will need a tool specifically designed to inject sawdust spawn into the hole, known as an inoculator. After the holes are drilled, place the spawn into the holes, bringing the shiitake mycelium in contact with its new food source (substrate), the log.

To inoculate the logs with spawn, you will need a tool specifically designed to inject sawdust spawn into the hole, known as an inoculator. After the holes are drilled, place the spawn into the holes, bringing the shiitake mycelium in contact with its new food source (substrate), the log.

Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus)

They have a short incubation period, which means you can harvest oyster mushrooms from your logs within the fall of the same year that you inoculate them. Once established, the logs can produce mushrooms from spring to fall.

Open the box and remove the provided humidity tent, spray bottle & mushroom block. With scissors, cut a 4” slit across one side of the plastic bag, from corner to corner. Soak the block in a pot of water for 4 hours. Ensure it is totally submerged by placing something heavy on top of the block.

Our mushroom kits can yield anywhere from 800g to 1.2kg of mushrooms over 3 harvests, making the perfect gift for mushroom lovers with a quick harvest time of around 2 weeks for the first harvest.

The best time to inoculate logs is in spring, within one to two weeks after the logs have been cut. This allows the cells in the tree to die but is not long enough for the log to dry out or for other competitor fungi to become established. Logs can be inoculated with either the drilling method or the totem method.

Incubation starts with leap off, which is the moment when the mycelium initially leaps off the spawn onto the new substrate. This typically occurs around four days after inoculation.

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.

What mushrooms grow best on logs? ›

There are many mushroom varieties that grow on logs - Shiitake, Oyster, Lion's Mane, Comb Tooth, Reishi, Olive Oysterling, Nameko, Chestnut, and Turkey Tail.

Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus)

They do well on hardwoods, particularly beech. Because oyster mushrooms have a short incubation time, it is possible to harvest them from your logs in the autumn of the same year you inoculated them. The logs can produce mushrooms from spring to autumn once established.

If you are looking at storing a kit we recommend selecting a White Oyster or Lion's Mane kit as these varieties can be stored for a couple of months. Most mushroom kits will store for 3-6 months in the fridge if necessary. To store your kit, keep it in the fridge.

The highest mushroom yield was obtained with substrates composed of equal amounts of rice straw and legume waste with 5% gypsum; these yields were, however lower than those obtained without gypsum addition.

Humidity is a key factor for successful mushroom growth. Spray the area around your kit with a few pumps of water whenever you have a chance, at least 2-3 times a day. If you can see condensation underneath the plastic flaps of your X cut area this is enough water.

These kits are blocks of compressed waste from sawmills, which have been implanted with the mycelium of wood-eating fungus. (Mycelium are the fine, hairlike tendrils that are the principal part of any fungus; mushrooms are merely the fruiting parts — similar to apples on a tree.)

All parts of oyster mushrooms are edible, but you'll get the best results if you take a few minutes to prep them properly before cooking. Slice off the hard base stem.

Each grow kit usually lasts for about 2-3 harvests, but this will vary depending on the variety of grow kit you choose. Kits may produce more or less mushrooms in total before they expire and must be replaced.