In which the Mycelium Runs
Mar. 30th, 2007 12:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
helen99So one of the things we were planning to do for our Permaculture garden this spring was an Espresso Oyster Mushroom Patch and a Reishi Mushroom Patch. Normally I would rely on Rialian to do this, since he loves growing mushrooms. But most of the planting season he'll be away, so it's up to me. Yep, I am venturing into mushroomery.
Yesterday the two spawn packages arrived in a box. Today I went and got a 5-gallon bucket of coffee grounds from Starbucks for the Espresso Oysters -- they throw their grounds out every day, so they are relatively fresh and free of extraneous mycelia. Anyway, here is the procedure for Espresso Oysters:
Espresso Oysters
1. Procure a 5-gallon bucket (doesn't have to have a lid).
2. Drill 5 holes in the bottom for drainage.
3. Go to local coffee shop with another (no holes) bucket and ask them to fill 'er up.
4. Use half the bucket to mulch your plants and such. Put the other half in the bucket with holes in it.
5. Break up the coffee grounds so they're fluffy
6. Add enough water so all the grounds are damp and mix it up. Add more water until it's pretty damp (not muddy, more like a walk in the woods after a gentle spring rain).
7. Break up the spawn with clean hands and mix into the coffee brounds thoroughly, then compress by hand so there aren't air spaces between the grounds.
8. Here I sprayed it down with more water to make sure it's moist enough - not saturated, just damp.
9. Cover the top with the perforated plastic humidity tent that comes with the package.
10. Place in a shady location where it will get some indirect light and air.
I put it in the kitchen by the window. Luckily I'd donated my crock pot to Summer since she was in a hotel with no kitchen, so I had room to move other stuff away from the window and put the bucket there. The window doesn't get that much light but it does get some during the day. Hopefully this works! If it does, we'll have a huge flush of oyster mushrooms in a month or two.
Thus the first patch was initiated.
The other box in the same shipment contained our Reishi mushroom patch (Ganoderma Lucidum, the Mushroom of Immortality). That's right, folks, I now have "The Mushroom of Immortality" growing in my home. This should be good. Here is the description.
Reishi Mushroom Patch.
Ganoderma Lucidum, known as Reishi (ray-shee) by the Japanese and Ling Chi by the Chinese, is a conk forming mushroom found growing on logs and stumps in temperate zones throughout the world. It comes in a variety of colors: red, yellow, purple and black (the strain we have provided for you is deep red in color) with a varnished looking upper surface and a light, porous underside that is velvety to the touch.
Reishi has long been sought after for its beneficial properties. Reishi is perhaps the most well renowned of all the medicinal fungi, represented in Asian art for thousands of years. Reputed to have many health stimulating properties, Western studies are increasingly authenticating what Eastern cultures have known for thousands of years; that this mushroom stimulates the body's immune system, relieves arthritis and facilitates respiration. Once grown, this mushroom is broken up, powdered, and steeped in simple teas. Its flavor is strong, distinctive, and pleasant to most people.
So, Fruiting (Initiating the crop):
The block of sawdust and wood chips that composes your Reishi Mushroom Patch is fully colonized by a special strain of this noble fungus. To induce it to fruit, simply place it in an area that receives no direct sunlight (some light is required: if there is enough light to read these directions, there is enough light for your Reishi patch), 60-80 degrees F. Unfold the bag so it stands upright. Make an X shaped cut in the white filter patch with a knife and bend open the flaps. Then place the humidity tent included with your Patch over the bag. As long as there is a visible tear in the patch, the exchange of air will signal the mycelium that this is a good location to begin producing a mushroom. Depending on the whims of the mushroom, either a knob-like growth will develop from the cut filter patch, or antler like fingers may develop from the top surface.
When these are visible (my note - they already are), carefully cut the bag horizontally directly below the top seal, leaving at least two inches of side walls. These side walls will collect condensation. (Done).
Mist the developing mushrooms through this opening twice a day using water that is neither chlorinated nor distilled. (Done for tonight)
Spring, well, or rain water work best, though boiled tap water may also be used. Your reishi will continue to grow slowly, steadily, with the tips of the antlers typically whitish in color. Once grown beyond the cut filter patch, flat saucer-shaped caps may emerge. (Ok, this does not make sense. I thought it said to cut the bag horizontally below the top seal. Why would it go for the filter patch now that it has the entire top of the bag to grow out of? or did I mess up?)
Not all antlers will produce caps. A white zone along the outer edge of the mushroom cap or antler is a rare sign of present and future growth. If this band of white becomes dry, dingy or waxy looking, it is an indication that the Patch is too dry. Increase your watering by about 30 percent. When the antler tips or cap edge lose that white color, becoming chestnut reddish brown and do not reappear in one week's time, then, in most cases, this indicates that the time for harvest has come. Mature mushrooms will also be indicated by a dusting of reddish brown spores on the surface of the cap. Your job is to encourage the full development of the antler like knobs into the most robust saucer shaped conks possible.
So... that's my first attempt. I'm not sure about the Reishi, but I have high hopes for the oyster patch - they're very easy to grow.
Next I have a plant coming in from Edible landscaping. I ordered several plants from them last month, and am not sure which one is supposed to arrive on Monday - I only know one is supposed to arrive then. It will be a surprise! I can put the leftover coffee grounds in the compost and use some of the compost when I plant whatever it is.
So anyway, that's our permaculture garden so far. Aside from the mushrooms we want to put in mostly perennial trees and bushes that don't need much maintenance, love water, and can grow in the shade. On the sunnier, drier side of the house we are going to put in some maypops, some hearty kiwis, tomatoes, and cucumbers. In the straw beds that Rialian prepped this winter, I'll be putting in some Arugula plus other stuff which I have in my outline. One of the things I want to figure out how to do is some nice-looking trellising without spending a whole lot... Suggestions welcome.
Yesterday the two spawn packages arrived in a box. Today I went and got a 5-gallon bucket of coffee grounds from Starbucks for the Espresso Oysters -- they throw their grounds out every day, so they are relatively fresh and free of extraneous mycelia. Anyway, here is the procedure for Espresso Oysters:
Espresso Oysters
1. Procure a 5-gallon bucket (doesn't have to have a lid).
2. Drill 5 holes in the bottom for drainage.
3. Go to local coffee shop with another (no holes) bucket and ask them to fill 'er up.
4. Use half the bucket to mulch your plants and such. Put the other half in the bucket with holes in it.
5. Break up the coffee grounds so they're fluffy
6. Add enough water so all the grounds are damp and mix it up. Add more water until it's pretty damp (not muddy, more like a walk in the woods after a gentle spring rain).
7. Break up the spawn with clean hands and mix into the coffee brounds thoroughly, then compress by hand so there aren't air spaces between the grounds.
8. Here I sprayed it down with more water to make sure it's moist enough - not saturated, just damp.
9. Cover the top with the perforated plastic humidity tent that comes with the package.
10. Place in a shady location where it will get some indirect light and air.
I put it in the kitchen by the window. Luckily I'd donated my crock pot to Summer since she was in a hotel with no kitchen, so I had room to move other stuff away from the window and put the bucket there. The window doesn't get that much light but it does get some during the day. Hopefully this works! If it does, we'll have a huge flush of oyster mushrooms in a month or two.
Thus the first patch was initiated.
The other box in the same shipment contained our Reishi mushroom patch (Ganoderma Lucidum, the Mushroom of Immortality). That's right, folks, I now have "The Mushroom of Immortality" growing in my home. This should be good. Here is the description.
Reishi Mushroom Patch.
Ganoderma Lucidum, known as Reishi (ray-shee) by the Japanese and Ling Chi by the Chinese, is a conk forming mushroom found growing on logs and stumps in temperate zones throughout the world. It comes in a variety of colors: red, yellow, purple and black (the strain we have provided for you is deep red in color) with a varnished looking upper surface and a light, porous underside that is velvety to the touch.
Reishi has long been sought after for its beneficial properties. Reishi is perhaps the most well renowned of all the medicinal fungi, represented in Asian art for thousands of years. Reputed to have many health stimulating properties, Western studies are increasingly authenticating what Eastern cultures have known for thousands of years; that this mushroom stimulates the body's immune system, relieves arthritis and facilitates respiration. Once grown, this mushroom is broken up, powdered, and steeped in simple teas. Its flavor is strong, distinctive, and pleasant to most people.
So, Fruiting (Initiating the crop):
The block of sawdust and wood chips that composes your Reishi Mushroom Patch is fully colonized by a special strain of this noble fungus. To induce it to fruit, simply place it in an area that receives no direct sunlight (some light is required: if there is enough light to read these directions, there is enough light for your Reishi patch), 60-80 degrees F. Unfold the bag so it stands upright. Make an X shaped cut in the white filter patch with a knife and bend open the flaps. Then place the humidity tent included with your Patch over the bag. As long as there is a visible tear in the patch, the exchange of air will signal the mycelium that this is a good location to begin producing a mushroom. Depending on the whims of the mushroom, either a knob-like growth will develop from the cut filter patch, or antler like fingers may develop from the top surface.
When these are visible (my note - they already are), carefully cut the bag horizontally directly below the top seal, leaving at least two inches of side walls. These side walls will collect condensation. (Done).
Mist the developing mushrooms through this opening twice a day using water that is neither chlorinated nor distilled. (Done for tonight)
Spring, well, or rain water work best, though boiled tap water may also be used. Your reishi will continue to grow slowly, steadily, with the tips of the antlers typically whitish in color. Once grown beyond the cut filter patch, flat saucer-shaped caps may emerge. (Ok, this does not make sense. I thought it said to cut the bag horizontally below the top seal. Why would it go for the filter patch now that it has the entire top of the bag to grow out of? or did I mess up?)
Not all antlers will produce caps. A white zone along the outer edge of the mushroom cap or antler is a rare sign of present and future growth. If this band of white becomes dry, dingy or waxy looking, it is an indication that the Patch is too dry. Increase your watering by about 30 percent. When the antler tips or cap edge lose that white color, becoming chestnut reddish brown and do not reappear in one week's time, then, in most cases, this indicates that the time for harvest has come. Mature mushrooms will also be indicated by a dusting of reddish brown spores on the surface of the cap. Your job is to encourage the full development of the antler like knobs into the most robust saucer shaped conks possible.
So... that's my first attempt. I'm not sure about the Reishi, but I have high hopes for the oyster patch - they're very easy to grow.
Next I have a plant coming in from Edible landscaping. I ordered several plants from them last month, and am not sure which one is supposed to arrive on Monday - I only know one is supposed to arrive then. It will be a surprise! I can put the leftover coffee grounds in the compost and use some of the compost when I plant whatever it is.
So anyway, that's our permaculture garden so far. Aside from the mushrooms we want to put in mostly perennial trees and bushes that don't need much maintenance, love water, and can grow in the shade. On the sunnier, drier side of the house we are going to put in some maypops, some hearty kiwis, tomatoes, and cucumbers. In the straw beds that Rialian prepped this winter, I'll be putting in some Arugula plus other stuff which I have in my outline. One of the things I want to figure out how to do is some nice-looking trellising without spending a whole lot... Suggestions welcome.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-30 02:06 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-30 06:17 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-30 02:13 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-30 02:34 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-30 07:03 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-30 06:58 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-30 05:12 pm (UTC)plants & seeds coming to us ~7-10 days.
excited.
some prep work being done tomorrow morn.
we will order mushrooms soon too.
but thinking of placing them outside in shade...our house=v small.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-30 05:54 pm (UTC)There's snow in Denver, by the way. 4 inches...
(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-30 06:08 pm (UTC)miss you, hope to see you some time soonish.