Short Game
Veteran Member
I did 16 five foot alder trunk wood logs four years ago. This year I have done 23 four foot alder limb wood logs. Of course there will be no mushrooms from these until next year. I'm not finished yet, as I have another batch of spawn ordered.
Still getting a few mushrooms from the old logs. The new ones should last years longer, as the wood is so much denser, and the bark and sapwood on limbs is so much thicker (important). If you live where there is oak, that's about the best.
My old logs, this year:
Pressure washing the moss and lichens off, careful not to harm the bark:
Logs in the que:
My inoculation station (wax pot on hot plate behind):
The sawdust spawn:
The drilling (lots of holes--six inches apart lengthways, rows staggered three inches apart) There is a poly-pipe stop wired onto the drill bit to limit the hole to one inch of depth That twist drill takes a lot of pushing. I have a special drill bit coming that has a lead screw to pull it into the log:
Drill a row, fill a row, wax over a row (I made the tool, but you can buy one for about $30):
The wax goes on between 250 and 300 degrees:
Some finished logs:
It's a lot of work at the outset, but years of yummy shiitakes down the line.
Still getting a few mushrooms from the old logs. The new ones should last years longer, as the wood is so much denser, and the bark and sapwood on limbs is so much thicker (important). If you live where there is oak, that's about the best.
My old logs, this year:
Pressure washing the moss and lichens off, careful not to harm the bark:
Logs in the que:
My inoculation station (wax pot on hot plate behind):
The sawdust spawn:
The drilling (lots of holes--six inches apart lengthways, rows staggered three inches apart) There is a poly-pipe stop wired onto the drill bit to limit the hole to one inch of depth That twist drill takes a lot of pushing. I have a special drill bit coming that has a lead screw to pull it into the log:
Drill a row, fill a row, wax over a row (I made the tool, but you can buy one for about $30):
The wax goes on between 250 and 300 degrees:
Some finished logs:
It's a lot of work at the outset, but years of yummy shiitakes down the line.
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