mushroom question

[ronbre]

for those of you who grow shiitake help.

I innoculated logs with shiitake dowels this spring and there is growth on one of the logs. I photographed it and am asking if it looks like baby shiitake to you on this link
http://www.permies.com/t/19813/fungi...ake-Dec-photos
I've never grown shiitake before so I'm a little confused..they do look like the could be "cold" babies of shiitake but I just wonder if I got something else..although it is coming out around the dowels..

[kbshorts]

Not Shiitakes, it looks like something else colonized your log.

KB

[goatlady]

Absolutely NOT ----ake! plain old tree fungus that gets hard like wood eventually. ----ake's have a nice stem, individual separate shrooms, regular mushroom top shape.

[Hollowdweller]

Nope shiitake

[Jasoneakers]

Too late for you now but I've had horrible luck with the dowels. I use exclusively now the thimble caps. They are a pain in the ass to get out of the package but they work very nicely once in. I'll probably use sawdust spawn in the future but never dowels again.

And why use aspen? I would think it would not be hard enough wood for shiitakes, probably better for oysters.

J

[beaglady]

I've ended up with shiitakes on logs that also have competing fungus. I always use oak, though, and the competition is usually turkey tail or a scaly, hard white one that is shaped like turkey tail.

[ronbre]

i used aspen and ash for those..both..not just aspen..only one of my 9 logs had this growth on it

[Jasoneakers]

If that's the case then I wouldn't sweat it too hard. Beaglady is right, these other fungi appear on mine as well but we just called them bark mushrooms when I was a kid. They don't seem to penetrate into the log (but I could be wrong).

J

[ronbre]

i thought 5 mo was too early to be seeing the shiitakes anyway and also it is winter here in Michigan

[Jasoneakers]

Wait...when did you inoculate?

If June/July (five months ago?) then you were way too early, or late depending on your perspective.

But yes 5 months is way too early especially for dowels. You will get flushes in the winter possibly. I'm quite a bit south of you but I just had a fresh shiitake omelet a few nights ago. They like cooler weather to fruit.

J

[Hollowdweller]

I've always used sawdust.


My favorite is sugar maple. Doesn't last quite as long as oak but really pumps out the fruit if you soak them and let them dry between soakings.

[mnn2501]

The picture at the link from the OP is NOT ----ake

[Glacialtill]

I've had good luck with shiitake plug spawn. The more dense the wood and the tighter the bark the longer the log will produce. Aspen will produce quicker than a harder species but won't last as long. And the aspen bark will peel off faster than oak or similar hardwood.

Patience is the key. Your logs shouldn't produce until about a year after inoculation. And fruiting is dependent on a certain temperature range. Come next spring or summer, keep a close eye on them. I bet you will get shiitakes and they are unmistakeable.

That said what you have now is not shiitake.

Check out Paul Stamets and Fungi Perfecti. He's great: http://www.fungi.com/shop/grow-mushr...nd-stumps.html

[terri46355]

One thing you might want to do, is keep your logs from touching the ground. We had ----takes for 4 years, but now the logs are showing other fungi growing on them. I think that if they aren't in direct contact with the ground, you'll be more likely to keep the other fungi from growing on the logs.

[ronbre]

thanks for all the info..wonder if this strange fungii is edible?

I'll plan on seeing my edible mushrooms later in the spring..but I also did not think these were the right thing growing anyway..so I was right in questioning what it was

[Jasoneakers]

Brenda

As an avid forager I can tell you that LBM (little brown mushrooms) are off limits to most. I wouldn't chance it. Stick with the foolproof four.

You never said when you inoculated. You'll need to give it about 9 full months and then it will need to be cool and damp. You might not see any this spring. Just thought you should know. If your 9 months are up in April then you will probably have to wait until fall.

J

[ronbre]

it was around the first week In May 2012 I think, have to look it up as I marked it on my calendar