Organic Blue Oyster Mushroom - Plug Spawn

Oyster mushroom

It is also known as the winter oyster mushroom, as this is the time of year when it naturally bears fruit.

For more information, we recommend reading our guide: "Growing on logs"

How do you inoculate logs with plug spawn ?

The best times to inoculate logs are in the fall, winter, and early spring, before the sap begins to flow.

Our commitment to quality:

We produce our mycelium in laboratory conditions, which ensures the purity of the strains and optimal quality.

We produce our mycelium using 100% organic methods, and all our products are certified "BE-BIO-01, Agriculture Belgique" by CERTISYS.

Required equipment

• A log or piece of wood that has been recently cut (no more than 3 months old). Avoid softwoods. Most hardwoods are suitable. Contact us if you would like more specific information. Log diameter: between 10 and 25 cm. Length: between 50 and 150 cm.
• Mycelium on dowels: For a length of 1 m, multiply the diameter of a log by 2.5. Example: A log that is 1 m long and 20 cm wide requires 20 × 2.5 = 50 dowels.
• Drill and drill bit 8–9 mm
• Hammer
• Optional: vegetable wax, beeswax, paraffin, or green clay to cover the holes.

Instructions

* Store your ankles in the refrigerator until you're ready to use them (for up to 3 months);

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

* Drill holes in your log using the drill. The holes should be slightly deeper than the height of the plug. Space the holes about 10 cm apart. A 1-meter-long log requires about 50 dowels;

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

* Cover with wax. The wax protects the mycelium from insects and diseases, as well as from drying out. If you don’t have wax, you can also use paraffin, cheese wax, or green clay;

* Wait: Place your logs in a shaded area sheltered from the wind. Avoid direct contact with the ground, which could attract small insects and cause contamination. For example, you can place them on a pallet covered with a tarp. If it gets hot, occasionally pour a watering can of water over the logs to prevent them from drying out. During this initial incubation phase, the logs can be stacked. After 3 to 6 months, you can space them out and bury one-third of them in the ground so they can absorb moisture from the soil. Oyster mushrooms typically appear in late fall and early spring.

* Harvest and enjoy your crop. A log prepared under the right conditions can produce mushrooms for 3 to 5 years. The mycelium can be stored in the refrigerator for 1 month or longer before use.  

For more information, we recommend reading our guide: "Growing on logs"

Notes

The best times to inoculate logs are in the fall, winter, and early spring, before the sap begins to rise.

The main enemy of this cultivation is drought: cover the logs with a tarp or a cover if necessary to maintain moisture, especially during incubation.

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

We inoculate the logs with a mixture of spores and sawdust. It is therefore normal to find some sawdust mixed in with the logs. This remaining sawdust can also serve as inoculum.