Chicken of the Woods Plug Spawn: 300 dowels (Polyporus sulphureus): F
Polyporus sulphureus, 'Chicken of the Woods', grows on a variety of hardwoods and softwoods throughout much of North America. Stumps, rather than cut logs, are the recommended site for plugging. Producing a multi-layered, shelf-like mushroom (sometimes called wood conks), Chicken of the Woods has an easily distinguished orange mycelium. Given the right conditions, mushrooms will form in 6-12 months, the stump will begin to decompose, and mushroom crops will form for several years thereafter. Fungi Perfecti's Plug Spawn consists of mushroom mycelium growing on small, spiral-grooved birch dowels. By using the dowels to inoculate cut hardwood logs or stumps, mushroom mycelium can be encouraged to grow throughout or colonize the wood. Once the wood is fully colonized (typically 9-12 months) mushrooms will spring forth from cracks or channels in the wood. Fungi Perfecti's Plug Spawn comes with a 10-page instruction booklet. Generally, the best time of year to inoculate logs and stumps is in the Spring, after your last hard frost. However, you can inoculate your logs any time up to 2-3 weeks before consistently (i.e. 'round the clock) freezing temperatures set in for the Winter. The idea is to allow the mushroom mycelium growing on the Plug Spawn time to establish itself in its new home before it goes into dormancy over the Winter. Logs should be cut to lengths of 3-4 feet, and are best if they do not exceed 14 inches in diameter. Use a 5/16' drill bit in a high-speed drill to drill 2-inch holes no more than 4 inches apart, evenly spaced along the logs. Stumps should be inoculated along the circumference of their face, in the border between the bark and the heartwood. Insert 1 plug per hole and whack it in with a hammer. A 3-4 foot log can take 50 or more plugs, while stumps usually hold 30-50 plugs Holes can be sealed with cheese wax or beeswax to protect the mycelium while it is growing; although this step can be helpful, it is not absolutely necessary. Our Plug Spawn prefers to grow on hardwoods, with the exception of the Conifer Coral Mushroom, which grows on conifers, and the Phoenix Oyster, which grows well on firs. Most species can be grown on either logs or stumps. Non-aromatic hardwoods such as oak, poplar (cottonwood), elm, maple and similar woods are very good candidates for log cultivation. Alder is a good wood for the cultivation of Oyster and Shiitake mushrooms, but must be kept above ground because it will decompose quickly in contact with the soil. (We do not recommend using aromatic woods such as cedar or eucalyptus.) Thick-barked woods are preferable over 'paper-bark' woods such as birch, and any log that is shedding it's bark should not be used. Logs should be cut one to three months in advance of plugging. Cutting your logs in the late Winter or early Spring helps to insure that they have a high sugar content, although this is not strictly necessary. Freshly-cut logs should not be immediately inoculated; trees naturally produce