Thank you for the thoughtful comment and great questions.
Growing shiitake mushrooms is typically done via inoculating logs with "spawn". The "spawn" consists of either hard wood dowels (little cylindrical pieces of wood that are typically used for fastening sections of furniture together) or bags of sawdust that are colonized with the fungal mycelium of the species of mushroom intended to be grown. These myceliated dowels or bunches of sawdust are then pressed into drilled holes in the logs and subsequently sealed with bees wax (to prevent insects, animals or potential competing fungal spores from contaminating the spawn/logs).
Using pulverized dried mushrooms would likely not result in successful colonization/inoculation of a hard wood log because even if the powder contained viable spores (from mature fungal fruiting bodies, aka mushrooms) spores have a lower likelihood of taking hold in a substrate than mycelium does.
I am not sure about Shiitake cultivation in southern Texas, but I will ask some friends (that are fellow alumni from an advanced permaculture class I took) that live down south if they have any more specific info on that.
By my estimation, I would say that if you have access to a large natural source of water nearby (like a pond or river) and have a shed or other enclosed space where you could do some DIY humidity control I am sure you could create a microclimate and initiate "forced fruiting" (simulating spring/fall rain conditions where Shiitake usually produce mushrooms in the wild via dunking the inoculated logs in water for 24 hours) to be able to grow them where you are at. Alternatively, you could grow them on small log sections or bags of enriched sawdust that you grow inside.
Also, there are a number of species that may be easier than Shiitake to grow at home (and in a wide range of climates) that also offer a long list of medicinal benefits and nutrient-dense food (such as oyster mushrooms, which have such aggressive and adaptable mycelium, you can grow them using repurposed spent coffee grounds in jars and/or cardboard boxes etc).
Here are some links to more info about cultivating Shiitake mushrooms and other fungi which you may find useful:
Thank you so much for your kind words about my comments on the Corbett Report website. It makes my day to know my efforts to provide viable, actionable, and scalable solutions to the challenges we face in that community are appreciated.
Self publishing a book is a challenging path for someone like myself (someone that is better working with plants, mushrooms and soil than computers/shipping logistics) but I know that any patience and unexpected costs required of me will be well worth it in the end. I look forward to sharing the labor of love that is my book with the world and I will post an announcement on here when it is finally in print.
I look forward to hearing what you think when you read it :)
Thank you for the thoughtful comment and great questions.
Growing shiitake mushrooms is typically done via inoculating logs with "spawn". The "spawn" consists of either hard wood dowels (little cylindrical pieces of wood that are typically used for fastening sections of furniture together) or bags of sawdust that are colonized with the fungal mycelium of the species of mushroom intended to be grown. These myceliated dowels or bunches of sawdust are then pressed into drilled holes in the logs and subsequently sealed with bees wax (to prevent insects, animals or potential competing fungal spores from contaminating the spawn/logs).
Using pulverized dried mushrooms would likely not result in successful colonization/inoculation of a hard wood log because even if the powder contained viable spores (from mature fungal fruiting bodies, aka mushrooms) spores have a lower likelihood of taking hold in a substrate than mycelium does.
I am not sure about Shiitake cultivation in southern Texas, but I will ask some friends (that are fellow alumni from an advanced permaculture class I took) that live down south if they have any more specific info on that.
By my estimation, I would say that if you have access to a large natural source of water nearby (like a pond or river) and have a shed or other enclosed space where you could do some DIY humidity control I am sure you could create a microclimate and initiate "forced fruiting" (simulating spring/fall rain conditions where Shiitake usually produce mushrooms in the wild via dunking the inoculated logs in water for 24 hours) to be able to grow them where you are at. Alternatively, you could grow them on small log sections or bags of enriched sawdust that you grow inside.
Also, there are a number of species that may be easier than Shiitake to grow at home (and in a wide range of climates) that also offer a long list of medicinal benefits and nutrient-dense food (such as oyster mushrooms, which have such aggressive and adaptable mycelium, you can grow them using repurposed spent coffee grounds in jars and/or cardboard boxes etc).
Here are some links to more info about cultivating Shiitake mushrooms and other fungi which you may find useful:
- https://northspore.com/blogs/the-black-trumpet/growing-edible-mushrooms-in-texas-recycling-and-gardening
- https://www.texasgardener.com/grow-gourmet-mushrooms/
- https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/growing-shiitake-mushrooms-zmaz86jfzglo/
- https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/cultivating-oyster-mushrooms-on-spent-coffee-grounds-ze0z1905zwoo/
Thank you so much for your kind words about my comments on the Corbett Report website. It makes my day to know my efforts to provide viable, actionable, and scalable solutions to the challenges we face in that community are appreciated.
Self publishing a book is a challenging path for someone like myself (someone that is better working with plants, mushrooms and soil than computers/shipping logistics) but I know that any patience and unexpected costs required of me will be well worth it in the end. I look forward to sharing the labor of love that is my book with the world and I will post an announcement on here when it is finally in print.
I look forward to hearing what you think when you read it :)
You are most welcome. I hope you are doing well and have had a chance to experiment with some Fungi cultivation since we connected last.