In June 2021, POP Orchard Intern (now Orchard Coordinator since 2023), Simone Shemshedini hosted a mushroom inoculation workshop at Philadelphia Orchard Project’s Learning Orchard as a part of POP’s First Thursdays Workshop Series. A full house of both fungi amateurs and experts came to enjoy the beauty of the orchard while sharing skills and knowledge. Simone quickly brought everyone at the workshop into the world of fungi with this highly interactive workshop. She guided us in the craft of creating oyster mushroom grow bags and inoculating logs with shiitake plugs. 

Ecological Significance

Fungi play a major role as decomposers and recyclers in a wide variety of habitats. The food web is incomplete without organisms that decompose organic matter. 

Fungi are valuable because they replenish the environment with essential elements and nutrients. By breaking down organic matter, they recycle nutrients by returning them into the soil. Many elements that are essential for biological systems are not bioavailable and fungi are able to release these elements from decaying matter. 

There are three main types of fungi– sapotrophic, mycorrhizal, and parasitic.  Parasitic fungi feed on living plants, Saprophytes feed on dead/decaying plant matter and are excellent at breaking down lignin (a substance found in wood). Parasitic fungi feed on living plants (think of shelf mushrooms growing on a living tree). Lastly, mycorrhizal fungi have a fascinating mutualistic relationship with trees. The mycelium of the fungus lives within the tree roots and helps the tree extract water and nutrients while the tree supplies the fungus with sugars. These type of fungi are pretty fascinating in that they really shaped the world we live in today because they played a large role in helping plants/trees colonize the land.

Vocabulary

Fungi: spore producing organisms in the kingdom fungi

Mushroom: fruiting bodies of the fungi that typically grow above the ground and the part we eat

Mycelium: the main body of the fungus that functions as the “roots” of the fungi, absorbing water and nutrients

Spores: the “seeds” of the fungi that allow fungi to reproduce

Mold: type of fungus that grows as a thread-like structure, that can cause food spoilage but also plays a role in the production of certain foods, beverages, and antibiotics

Substrate: the material (woodchips, straw, etc.) that the fungus live in and also breaks down

Spawn: A carrier (grain, wooden dowel, sawdust, etc.) that holds the mycelium and is used by humans to grow mushrooms

Inoculation: introducing a mushroom spawn to a planting substrate

HOW TO GROW MUSHROOMS IN GROW BAG

Materials needed:

1. Substrate (spent coffee grounds, straw, shredded paper, coconut coir)
2. Mushroom spawn (oyster mushrooms are the easiest)
3. Plastic mushroom grow bag or gallon size freezer ziplock bag

Instructions: 

1. Make sure all of the substrate is sterile. Spent coffee grounds are already sterilized (from pouring boiling water over the grounds), but shredded paper needs to be boiled for 1 hour then drained and squeezed out. Should still be moist but not dripping.
2. Put on gloves to keep things sterile. Fill bag with a scoop of spent coffee grounds, a bigger scoop of shredded paper, and a small scoop of spawn and seal bag with tape. Shake bag until fully incorporated.
3. Let your spores sprout! Place bag in a warm and dark spot. After approximately 3 weeks, mycelium (white, thread-like filaments) should be fully incorporated into substrate.
4. Let it fruit! Now it’s time to place bag in an area with indirect light. Cut a few 3 inch horizontal slits on bag for air flow and to allow mushrooms to pop out of bag. Water lightly twice daily (a water sprayer is best). In about a week, mushrooms should appear. Cut at base when ready.

Troubleshooting:

If there is mold growing in your bag, it means mold spores got in your bag. If the patch is small, you can sprinkle salt directly on the mold or scoop it out with a sterile spoon. This should kill the mold while not harming the mycelium. If there is a lot of mold, you will likely need to start over with new spawn and substrate. 

Precautions:

To prevent this from happening, make sure to wash your hands when making your bag. Keep bag moist, but don’t oversaturate it. Lastly, make sure to cut the slits after three weeks to allow for air flow. 

If there is mold growing in your bag, it means mold spores got in your bag. If the patch is small, you can sprinkle salt directly on the mold or scoop it out with a sterile spoon. This should kill the mold while not harming the mycelium. If there is a lot of mold, you will likely need to start over with new spawn and substrate. 

HOW TO GROW MUSHROOMS ON A LOG

Materials Needed:

1. Hardwood logs. Oak is the gold standard, but American Beech, Sugar Maple, and Alder are all great options. 3-4 feet long. 3-8” in diameter. No older than 2 months from time of cutting/wind fall. Winter and spring cut logs have highest success rate. 
2. Shiitake plug spawn (other types that can be grown on logs: lion’s mane and reishi)
3. 5/16” drill bit and drill
4. Hammer
5. Plug Wax (easiest), cheese wax, or beeswax. 
6. Gloves

Instructions:

1. Before inoculation, logs should be kept in shade but where they will receive rainfall/can be watered regularly. 
2. Drill 5/16” holes 1” deep in log. Drill in staggered rows: 6” in row, 2” between each row. 
3. Place plug spawn into holes and gently tap in with hammer until flush with wood.
4. Seal with wax. Plug wax does not need to be melted and can be applied easily with gloved hand or spoon. Cheese wax and beeswax need to be melted and applied while hot. 

GROWING MUSHROOMS IN MULCH

Materials:

1. Winecap or oyster grain spawn or sawdust spawn
2. Softer hardwood wood chips, like poplars and aspens, are ideal. Softwood wood chips, like pine, are usually a big no for growing mushrooms, but winecap can tolerate a little bit, but no more than 50% of the mix. Sterilized straw (not hay) also works.
3. Water

Instructions:

1. Find a 5′ x 5′ area that is in partial shade. Clear out area until there is bare soil. Winecaps like to be in contact with the soil. If there is lawn grass that’d hard to remove, laying cardboard on top and covering it with fresh soil is a solution. You can also build a raised bed with fresh soil and/or cardboard on top if that’s preferred.
2. You can soak your spawn prior to building the bed, but it’s not essential. Pour the substrate (woodchips or straw), about 1 inch in thickness. Break up your spawn and sprinkle a layer on top of substrate. Add more substrate on top, about 1 inch deep. Repeat this layering until you run out of material or have reached your desired bed height, ideally reaching 4-6 inches in thickness. Make sure the top of the bed is covered in a thicker layer of substrate to keep it moist and protected.
3. Immediately water it. Keep it moist throughout the first season and especially water the bed during dry spells.
4. If the bed was built in the spring, expect mushrooms to start popping off around two months later. If done in the fall, mushrooms won’t appear till the spring.

WHAT TO DO WITH MUSHROOM BOUNTY?

Preparing:

Brush off any substrate and dirt from mushrooms; do not immerse in water! For stubborn dirt, use a damp paper or kitchen towel.

Cooking:

1. Sauté with butter
2. Cover in breadcrumbs and fry in oil
3. Make mushroom burgers

Preserving:

Dehydrate! Lay on drying rack in area with good air circulation and let mushrooms dry for a few days. Or, consider using the oven or a dehydrator, as described here.

RESOURCES

For ordering mushroom resources: www.fieldandforest.net

For ordering mushroom resources and getting information: www.northspore.com

This blog post was written by POP Education & Outreach Coordinator Corrie Spellman-Lopez.

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