PBS Nature - 'What Plants Talk About'

Video: Full Episode

Video: Full Episode

As announced in class last week...this episode was amazing! It reveals a whole new dimension to plant 'behavior' and touches on so many of the subjects we've talked about in class.

Fence Demolition

Here is one of the last shots 

of our deer friendly fencing  in our vegetable garden behind 

the Guilford County

 Extension Office.

A few EMGVs came out to help take apart the old
 fence in preparation for  our 8 foot impenetrable deer fence.

The fence is down the new 8 foot tall  fence will be up shortly.
The deer will have to find some new gardens for munching

Each post hole is filled with water because of this year's
wet spring. 

Shitake Mushroom Inoculation: Part 2

Project's Total Time: 6 Hours

Logs Inoculated: 27

Shiitake Mushrooms Harvested to Date: 0

Several EMGVs put forth a tremendous amount of effort to inoculate 27 dense hardwood logs with shiitake spawn. The logs weighed a considerable amount, the wax was scolding hot, and the drilling was arduous. Yet the EMGVs toiled for over 6 hours with the optimism that one day, maybe in 6 months, shiitake mushrooms will grow. Not only was the day a learning experience for all, but it was also a wonderful chance to get to know one another better. 

Once again, for further information please read: Producing Shiitake Mushrooms:A Guide for Small-Scale Outdoor Cultivation on Logs. It is also posted on the right sidebar menu.

FYI: Shiitake translated from Japanese means “mushroom of the shii (oak tree).” In other words, use oak logs as a growing substrate for shiitake mushroom cultivation.

The whole gang is hard at work on multiple
 steps of the cultivation process.

Two of our expert EMGVs are drilling using the
 8.5mm Soft Steel Screwtip Bit With Stop
 Collar from Field and Forest Products.  
One of the tables eventually broke during
 the day from the heavy logs.

Here was our other drilling station.

Two of our EMGVs worked on
inoculating the logs using the
 Thumb Style Brass Inoculator. It's also helpful to have one person
 moving the log while the other
 inoculates. 

Here is an up close shot of the
 inoculation. It is critical to make
 sure each hole gets spawn, which
 is easier said then done. 

Here is our waxing station. Placing wax over each
 hole and anywhere the wood is exposed
prevents the wood from drying out, other
 mushrooms colonizing the logs, and prolongs
 the mushroom producing life of each log.

We used an old $2 skillet purchased
 from a thrift shop to heat the cheese
 wax. Using  natural fiber brushes
  is important because they will not
 melt like their synthetic counterparts.

The logs were stacked in a log cabin
 fashion. Elm logs, which were not
 inoculated, were used for the base.
 . 

We ended up with 27 inoculated logs.
If all goes well, the logs should produce
shiitake mushrooms for 3-4 years.

Here are a few of our EMGVs
 next to our new stack of inoculated
 logs.

Here is our only casualty of 
the day. Lesson: One Heavy
 Log + Another Heavy Log = 
A Broken Table.

The cost of Shiitake Mushrooms adds up!
 (Note: Shiitake is spelled incorrectly in the picture.) 

Wetting the logs weekly during dry periods should be the only maintenance we need to do for shiitake mushroom cultivation. 

Once again, if you still have questions, please refer to  NC State's publication:  Producing Shiitake Mushrooms:A Guide for Small-Scale Outdoor Cultivation on Logs 

Shiitakes Mushroom Inoculation: Part 1

Here are a few essentials for inoculating

 mushrooms.

1. Shiitakes Mushroom Spawn

2. 8.5mm soft steel screw tip bit w/stop collar

3. Thumb Style Brass Inoculator

We ordered our supplies from

 http://www.fieldforest.net/

We used the West Wind Shiitakes Strain.

                                         Here is a review from Field and Forest:

“West Wind™ features a fast spawn run, large, thick, first flush mushrooms, and heavy yields, making it a great strain choice for new growers. West Wind™ is also slightly more drought tolerant than other WR strains, and shows a slight preference for red oak over white oak. [It]Fruits naturally in the spring and fall.”

One of our EMGVs graciously contributed
 white oak, willow oak, sweet gum, and elm
 logs for this project. One bag of mushroom spawn
 inoculates around 25 logs.
(We grabbed a few extra logs!)

Cheese wax is used to cover the mushroom spawn in each 

appropriate hole.Smearing wax over exposed wood

 reduces decay and drying out: including both ends. 

For further information please read: Producing Shiitake Mushrooms: A Guide for Small-Scale Outdoor Cultivation on Logs. It is also posted on the right sidebar menu.