Log growing and tree recommendations

To get the best out of your out door mushroom growing kit, you’ll have to carefully select you the perfect log - hardwood logs are the preferred wood, but fruit trees will also feed your mushrooms for several years.

We have dawn up a table below to help you source the best log for your mushrooms.

You’ll require a log from a freshly felled log, from healthy tree with its bark still intact. We recommend you avoid soft woods, yew trees and conifers.

Your log will need to still be ‘green’ and have been cut within the last 8 weeks. Any longer and there is a risk your log may have been contaminated with another type of fungus already.

What’s inside your grow at home kit:

Timber dowels in a vented grow bag.

A sponge dabber for wax application.

Soy or Bees wax

Keep in a cool place until opening, ideally below 16° or at the back of the fridge is a great place to store.  Open within 1 month of purchase.

You will need:

- A Log - up to 50cm length, and from 10cm - 20cm in diameter.

Must be fresh and felled with in the last 6-8 weeks, with no signs of damage or other fungal growth.

- A pen or tape to make a mark at 35mm on your drill bit, to ensure evenly drilled holes.

- A hammer.

- A drill with a hammer drill function - if your drill is not very powerful it may struggle to make the holes in hardwood.

- 8.5mm clean drill bit.

Once you’ve inoculated your log, it should be placed somewhere outside where it will be sheltered from harsh weathers both wind and sunshine.

Your log will enjoy being rained on regularly and needs to be located near a water source so it can be watered at least once a week.  If your log dries out, the mycelium is likely to perish, and your log will not fruit.

Common questions:

What’s the best log to use? We recommend a hard wood log. you can see the list of tree in the table below.

When will my log fruit? You can expect your log to fruit 12 - 18 months following inoculation, and for 3+ years depending on the size of your log and the type of tree it is from.

If growing Shiitake mushrooms, these can be forced to fruit once it’s fully colonised, through a process called shocking.  To do this drop your logs firmly but without causing damage and then soak them in cold water for 24 hours.

Can I store my log inside? You can store your log inside; it must be kept away from any heat sources and out of direct sunlight.  You’ll need to still water your log regularly to prevent it from drying out, do not sit your log in water or in a damp space - this is to avoid your log rotting.

Can I grow mushrooms on my Christmas tree? Nameko mushrooms growing on fir trees can be stored under a layer of leaf mulch for the first year. They’ll fruit after a frost or snowfall, so keep an eye out for your winter harvest of mushrooms.

Tree recommendations:

For other mushrooms and wood suggestions see Gourmet Woodland Mushrooms or North Spore.

Ⓒ Caley Brothers 2024