We grow oyster mushrooms on stumps

Today I want to show you how I grow oyster mushrooms at home.

It's very easy and hassle free. Sow mycelium once and pick mushrooms for 3-5 years. With this method of growing, mushrooms turn out to be very fragrant - like those grown in the forest and radically differ in taste from store-bought ones.

Each of you has the opportunity to grow eco-mushrooms in a garden plot on a stump.
The first time I sowed mycelium 3 years ago - today is already the fourth spring. This spring I decided to expand my plantations and at the same time tell everyone - because I always get a lot of questions.

Coniferous wood species are NOT SUITABLE for planting oyster mushrooms. The best for planting are deciduous trees: poplar, apple, cherry, oak, alder, beech, chestnut, ash, maple, poplar, birch, aspen, walnut.
Oyster mushroom grows especially well on walnut and poplar stumps.
The harder the tree species, the longer the stump will last, and the more mushroom crops will grow on it.

The place where oyster mushrooms are planted is a very important factor.
Oyster mushroom does not like places where the sun is too bright or a large open space. Therefore, it is better to plant oyster mushrooms under the trees in the garden. For example, oyster mushrooms grow well under a spreading walnut, well, or under other trees. The trees will shade the stumps with their crowns. Remember that the oyster mushroom planting site must be open to precipitation. So you save yourself from the need to water the mushroom bed.

You can use the areas along the barns and other buildings on the north side.
Initially, I put stumps along the fence - between the building and the fence. There is a distance of about half a meter. It's enough. The main thing is not to put it under a canopy - so that the stumps will rain.
To populate the mycelium, we need hardwood stumps - the size of the trimmings can be different - from 30 to 50 cm long and from 15 to 40 cm in diameter. The main thing is that the wood is healthy and there are no signs of mold infection.

For direct planting, prepare a stump. It should be freshly cut, not old (dried). If the hemp is about a month old - place it in water for a day - so that it becomes wet. But, of course, it is better to use freshly cut stumps for breeding oyster mushrooms. Then a successful result will be guaranteed.
We take hemp, drill holes in them with a diameter of about 1-2 cm. It can be smaller, but the smaller the diameter, the more difficult it is to fill the mycelium into it. Quantity in random order 6-8 holes on the top and 4-6 holes on the side. IMPORTANT: The stump should stand vertically with the top up, i.e., as a tree grew in nature, so put the stumps, do not change direction, turning the stumps upside down.

Fall asleep mycelium. For convenience, we take a pencil (or other tamping device), fill the mycelium into the holes, tamping tightly with a pencil (stick, mortar, suitable in size) - do not worry, nothing will happen to the mycelium. Openings must be closed. You can close it in various ways - you can use plasticine, moss, adhesive tape, the most convenient way is with garden pitch. Some even close with cement. Mushrooms do not necessarily grow from these holes, they germinate inside the stump and come out anywhere.

To install the stump, we dig a small hole - about 5 centimeters deep, put the stump in the pits and sprinkle the sides with earth. This is to make the stump stand more stable and draw moisture from the ground. Grass may grow around the stump. For more moisture, you can add mowed grass around, fallen autumn leaves, etc., so that the soil stays wet longer.

Planted, watered around and all. We are waiting for the harvest.
If the summer is dry, the stumps can be watered. But do not pour water directly on the stump, the mycelium does not like direct water, only moisture. That is, you can water the stumps from a fine sprayer

This year I decided to increase the mushroom plantation.
My husband just howled at my message that I needed to "prepare" the stumps again. By the way, drilling them is oh so not easy.
When buying mycelium in a mushroom grower's society, I talked with their technologist (I gored with questions) and he suggested a less laborious way to populate stumps with mycelium.

Everything ingenious is simple.
We dig a hole - a little less than a broken bayonet - 15 centimeters, well, 20.
The width is slightly wider than the harvested hemp.

We pour a pillow at the bottom - 5 centimeters. It can be a little more - it doesn’t matter.
It can be sunflower husks, dry moss, shavings or sawdust from deciduous trees.

Plentifully water the hole with a pillow and pour mycelium on top - approximately 2 centimeters. About a handful of grain mycelium per stump.

My mycelium is populated on a grain basis (wheat). I bought this mycelium in a mushroom growers' society in our city. A pack of mycelium - 2 kg today costs 106 rubles. This pack is enough for 5-6 stumps. You can search for mycelium in an online store or search for a mushroom growing society in your area.

We put a stump on the mycelium.

We sprinkle the sides with earth (no need to tamp) and water abundantly around.

This is a general view of the place where I "planted" a stump this year - along the fence under the raspberry bushes, from above they give a shadow of the crown of large cherries.
A great place for stumps is under sprawling walnuts.

It is practically not necessary to take care of your mushroom plantation.
Nature itself will take care of a good harvest. However, if the landing was made in the wrong place, for example, too sunny, periodic watering will be necessary.

This method of growing oyster mushrooms will allow you to harvest mushrooms in the same season. Moreover, you will get mushrooms all year round - from the beginning of warm days to December (in the conditions of the south, when there are no frosts). Each stump will bear fruit until it completely breaks apart. Such a mushroom plantation can feed you 3-5 years, but the biggest harvests come in the second and third years. Mushrooms from 10 stumps are more than enough for one family - and we fry and marinate and preserve for the winter.

If stumps from cut down trees remain on your site, you can use them, but they should be sown with mycelium only in April-May, when the temperature is above zero.

Oyster mushrooms on stumps during spring planting appear in August-September, and with a protracted autumn, the crop can be harvested until December. In cold regions, for the winter, stumps are well covered with spruce branches, straw or foliage.
I don't hide anything.

Now you know how to grow oyster mushrooms on stumps.