Organic Lion's Mane Mushroom Plug Spawn

hericium erinaceus

Lion's manes on logs take approximately 12 to 18 months to fully colonize the log. They will subsequently produce large mushrooms over several years. 

For more information, we recommend reading our guide: “Cultivation on logs”

How to seed logs with mycelium plug spawn?

Necessary equipment

- Log or block of wood recently cut (max 3 months). Avoid softwoods. Most hardwoods work well. Contact us if you want more specific information. Diameter of the log: between 10 and 25 cm. Length: between 50 and 150cm

- Mycelium on dowels: For a length of 1m, multiply the diameter of a log by 2.5. Example a log of 1m and 20cm wide: 20x2.5=50 dowels.

Instructions

* Wash your hands before touching the mycelium to maximize the chance of success;

* Make the holes in your log. The holes should be slightly deeper than the height of the dowel. Space the holes approximately 5 cm apart. A 1 m long log requires approximately 50 dowels;

* Insert the dowels into the holes using a hammer. The dowels must not protrude from the holes;

* Cover with wax. The wax serves to protect the mycelium from insects and diseases as well as from drying out. Failing that, you can also use paraffin, cheese wax or even green clay;

* Wait: Place your logs in a shaded place sheltered from the winds. Avoid direct contact with the ground which could bring small insects and contamination. For example, you can place them on a pallet, covered with a tarpaulin. In case of heat, pour a sprinkling of water on the logs occasionally to prevent them from drying out.

* Harvest and taste your production. A log made in good conditions can produce mushrooms for 3 to 5 years.

Wood species

We recommend beech, poplar and maple wood, but hedgehog wood will grow on most hardwood species. It also seems to give good results on walnut, while few varieties of mushrooms give good results on this species. Oak wood can also be used.

Remarks

The optimal periods for inoculating logs are fall, winter and early spring, before the sap rises.

The main enemy of this culture is drought: cover the woods with a tarpaulin or veil if necessary to maintain the humidity of the logs, especially during incubation.

We prepare our bags by weight, so there may be slight variations from the number indicated.

We seed the dowels with a mixture of grain and sawdust. It is therefore normal to have a little sawdust mixed in the dowels. This remaining sawdust can also be used as inoculum.

All our products are certified in organic farming “BE-BIO-01”.

 Our mycelia are produced in laboratory conditions, which guarantees the purity of the varieties and optimal quality.

For orders in large quantities, contact us for a quote: contact@mycosphere.be