CHECK YOUR MUSHROOM LOGS!
Mary Lou Blohm
Mushroom Mary here. I just went out to check on my shiitake mushroom logs and have attached a picture of a few logs that are beginning to bear fruit. To those of you who inoculated logs and took them home from our October 2021 workshop: it’s time to check your logs!
The two photos below will give you an idea of what’s going on with my mushroom logs.
The first photo shows the log as it was, outdoors, where it had been all winter. (If you look closely you’ll see nine mushrooms in various stages of growth.) I brought the log inside and placed it in a pan of water near my ferns. I have a humidifier running there, so the log got lots of moisture overnight. In the second photo, you’ll see what the log looked like the next day—just one day later! The mushroom growth is quite marked. (I brought the log in as an experiment; you don’t have to bring yours inside. I have enjoyed watching the mushrooms grow. Children might enjoy watching the logs, too.)
If you have shiitake logs, now is the time to tend them and encourage them to grow. You can do this in three simple steps:
1) Water the logs well. Moisture is key right now. If you can soak the bark that is best.
2) Give them a knock with a mallet on each end. 3) Cover the logs on cold days. Logs will retain more moisture and heat from the ground if covered. I use my garden tarp and make sure I take it off in the daytime if it's a warm day, above 50 degrees.
Do not despair if your logs do not fruit now. Keep an eye on them. Next week the temperatures might be hovering around 70 with lots of rain, perfect conditions for fruiting.
This happens quickly!
If you’d like to try your hand at growing shiitake mushrooms, inoculated mushroom logs will be available for sale at the Headwaters Master Gardeners annual Spring Plant Sale scheduled for May 5-7, 9am -4pm, at the Victory Home Greenhouse in Tallulah Falls, GA.
Happy harvesting!
