I've just seen in a Sutton's catalogue, wooden plugs which have been
impregnated with mushroom spores.
It says to drill holes in freshly cut logs (not pine) and insert the plugs.

Just so happens that I'm partway through butchering a cherry tree so have a
supply of logs.
The plugs are nearly £12 for 60. I don't mind parting with the £12 if I get
a good crop but may need counselling if I don't.

Any experiences or advice?

mark

On Mon, 7 Dec 2009 18:27:28 -0000, "mark"
wrote:

I've just seen in a Sutton's catalogue, wooden plugs which have been
impregnated with mushroom spores.
It says to drill holes in freshly cut logs (not pine) and insert the plugs.

Just so happens that I'm partway through butchering a cherry tree so have a
supply of logs.
The plugs are nearly £12 for 60. I don't mind parting with the £12 if I get
a good crop but may need counselling if I don't.

Any experiences or advice?

mark


Years ago I grew some mushrooms on old fence stumps but I have never
used fresh logs. So far as I know the logs must be at least a month
old. That is to get rid of the natural antifungals in the wood. The
stumps I had success with were quite ancient. The process seems to be
easier these days because of the readily available plugs.

Steve

--
Neural Planner Software Ltd www.NPSL1.com

Neural network applications, help and support.

mark wrote:
I've just seen in a Sutton's catalogue, wooden plugs which have been
impregnated with mushroom spores.
It says to drill holes in freshly cut logs (not pine) and insert the plugs.

Just so happens that I'm partway through butchering a cherry tree so have a
supply of logs.
The plugs are nearly £12 for 60. I don't mind parting with the £12 if I get
a good crop but may need counselling if I don't.

Any experiences or advice?

mark


Yes. Get some slightly-seasoned oak, chestnut or holly, and I'll take
the cherry off your hands - preferably if there's five feet or more of
it left in one chunk...

--
Rusty

mark wrote:
I've just seen in a Sutton's catalogue, wooden plugs which have been
impregnated with mushroom spores.
It says to drill holes in freshly cut logs (not pine) and insert the
plugs.
Just so happens that I'm partway through butchering a cherry tree so
have a supply of logs.
The plugs are nearly £12 for 60. I don't mind parting with the £12 if
I get a good crop but may need counselling if I don't.

Any experiences or advice?

mark

Saw something about this recently on television. IIRC, they won't crop for a
couple of years, and the logs need to be dead. After inserting the plugs
into drilled holes, seal with wax. HTH
--
https://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/

Pete C
London UK

"Rusty Hinge" wrote in message
...
mark wrote:
I've just seen in a Sutton's catalogue, wooden plugs which have been
impregnated with mushroom spores.
It says to drill holes in freshly cut logs (not pine) and insert the
plugs.

Just so happens that I'm partway through butchering a cherry tree so have
a supply of logs.
The plugs are nearly £12 for 60. I don't mind parting with the £12 if I
get a good crop but may need counselling if I don't.

Any experiences or advice?

mark


Yes. Get some slightly-seasoned oak, chestnut or holly, and I'll take the
cherry off your hands - preferably if there's five feet or more of it left
in one chunk...


It's a triple trunked cherry, about 30 foot tall, I've cut it down to about
12-15 feet high so far.
It was due to be next winter's woodburner fuel. That's what I've got so it
will have to do.

mark

"Pete C" wrote in message
...


mark wrote:
I've just seen in a Sutton's catalogue, wooden plugs which have been
impregnated with mushroom spores.
It says to drill holes in freshly cut logs (not pine) and insert the
plugs.
Just so happens that I'm partway through butchering a cherry tree so
have a supply of logs.
The plugs are nearly £12 for 60. I don't mind parting with the £12 if
I get a good crop but may need counselling if I don't.

Any experiences or advice?

mark

Saw something about this recently on television. IIRC, they won't crop for
a couple of years, and the logs need to be dead. After inserting the plugs
into drilled holes, seal with wax. HTH
--




This is what I saw, but in the catalogue:
http://www.suttons.co.uk/Shop/Vegeta...paign=webgains

It says full cultural instructions supplied. Would be nice to see them
first!

mark

mark writes
I've just seen in a Sutton's catalogue, wooden plugs which have been
impregnated with mushroom spores.
It says to drill holes in freshly cut logs (not pine) and insert the plugs.

Just so happens that I'm partway through butchering a cherry tree so have a
supply of logs.
The plugs are nearly £12 for 60. I don't mind parting with the £12 if I get
a good crop but may need counselling if I don't.

Any experiences or advice?

I think you can get smaller quantities from other suppliers - then you
may be risking £5 rather than £12.

I'm not sure cherry is the best wood to use - I haven't seen many fungi
on wild cherries.

I tried the plugs once without success, but my failure rather than
theirs.
--
Kay

mark wrote:
"Rusty Hinge" wrote in message
...
mark wrote:
I've just seen in a Sutton's catalogue, wooden plugs which have been
impregnated with mushroom spores.
It says to drill holes in freshly cut logs (not pine) and insert the
plugs.

Just so happens that I'm partway through butchering a cherry tree so have
a supply of logs.
The plugs are nearly £12 for 60. I don't mind parting with the £12 if I
get a good crop but may need counselling if I don't.

Any experiences or advice?

mark


Yes. Get some slightly-seasoned oak, chestnut or holly, and I'll take the
cherry off your hands - preferably if there's five feet or more of it left
in one chunk...


It's a triple trunked cherry, about 30 foot tall, I've cut it down to about
12-15 feet high so far.
It was due to be next winter's woodburner fuel. That's what I've got so it
will have to do.

mark


I'm looking for about five feet of cherry, preferably with a bend at the
thicker end to restore (make a stock for) a New England plains rifle -
nice (percussion) twist barrel, octagonal, with a flared muzzle - much
too nice to keep just as a pile of metal bits innit.

If something could be arranged, I've a mountain of firewood to exchange...

--
Rusty

K wrote:
mark writes
I've just seen in a Sutton's catalogue, wooden plugs which have been
impregnated with mushroom spores.
It says to drill holes in freshly cut logs (not pine) and insert the
plugs.

Just so happens that I'm partway through butchering a cherry tree so
have a
supply of logs.
The plugs are nearly £12 for 60. I don't mind parting with the £12 if
I get
a good crop but may need counselling if I don't.

Any experiences or advice?

I think you can get smaller quantities from other suppliers - then you
may be risking £5 rather than £12.

I'm not sure cherry is the best wood to use - I haven't seen many fungi
on wild cherries.

I tried the plugs once without success, but my failure rather than theirs.

You'd do just as well by finding a sawmill which cuts hardwoods and
making bricks/composite logs with beech sawdust. Try oak too, you can
then grow shiitake.

Oysters prefer beech and IIRC, quercus and chestnut - there's a clone
growing locally on a poorly holly tree. /goes and gets book down/ yup.
Prefers beech.

--
Rusty

"Rusty Hinge" wrote in message
...
mark wrote:
"Rusty Hinge" wrote in message
...
mark wrote:
I've just seen in a Sutton's catalogue, wooden plugs which have been
impregnated with mushroom spores.
It says to drill holes in freshly cut logs (not pine) and insert the
plugs.

Just so happens that I'm partway through butchering a cherry tree so
have a supply of logs.
The plugs are nearly £12 for 60. I don't mind parting with the £12 if I
get a good crop but may need counselling if I don't.

Any experiences or advice?

mark


Yes. Get some slightly-seasoned oak, chestnut or holly, and I'll take
the cherry off your hands - preferably if there's five feet or more of
it left in one chunk...


It's a triple trunked cherry, about 30 foot tall, I've cut it down to
about 12-15 feet high so far.
It was due to be next winter's woodburner fuel. That's what I've got so
it will have to do.

mark
I'm looking for about five feet of cherry, preferably with a bend at the
thicker end to restore (make a stock for) a New England plains rifle -
nice (percussion) twist barrel, octagonal, with a flared muzzle - much too
nice to keep just as a pile of metal bits innit.

If something could be arranged, I've a mountain of firewood to exchange...

--

email me off list

mark

"mark" wrote ...
I've just seen in a Sutton's catalogue, wooden plugs which have been
impregnated with mushroom spores.
It says to drill holes in freshly cut logs (not pine) and insert the
plugs.

Just so happens that I'm partway through butchering a cherry tree so have
a supply of logs.
The plugs are nearly £12 for 60. I don't mind parting with the £12 if I
get a good crop but may need counselling if I don't.

Any experiences or advice?

I started off a number of logs last year. You need fresh logs so they are
not already infected with another fungus. Whilst you may cover them with
plastic to seal in the moisture for the first 6 months or so, as soon as you
uncover them, once you notice the ends of the logs turning black, you also
need somewhere damp for them to stay, especially for the year to 18 months
before they start to crop, and that is crucial.
Hope you have better, or quicker, luck than me.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

Another angle is to collect loads of elder logs and twigs and make a
heap of them.

If you're lucky, they will already be infected with Jew's ear, a
smallish red-brown earlike bracket fungus. This is tasty freas, but has
the added benefit that it is readily dried, and when rehydrated, is
indistinguishable from fresh specimens.

I tend to grind it (coffee grinder does a good job) and add it to
casseroles, etc, where it flavours and thickens.

--
Rusty