You can pre-grow carnivorous oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) on logs – even now in the cold early spring

Do you love the great taste of oyster mushrooms? Of course you do! This wonderful mushroom is delicious and offers many medicinal benefits. If you managed to sow oyster mushrooms or their seedlings in December or January, you have a good chance that you will be harvesting this year. Logs are usually injected during the cold season and they remain ready until the spring. At the end of April, you may also inject stumps with roots.

Wooden logs need to be prepared

First of all, you need to have the right wooden logs. Wooden logs should come from freshly felled deciduous trees. Ash, walnut, poplar or trembling aspen are your best choices. Logs should be approximately half a meter long and 15 to 20 cm in diameter. Buy pegs injected with mycelium and insert them into holes that you have drilled in the logs. When done, put logs in plastic bags and tie them. Store at a temperature of around 15°C until spring. Make sure that there is a minimum amount of water in the bag and open each bag few times. If you injected logs during the winter, they should be turning white about now.

Photo: Zdeněk Pelda

Mycelium in pegs will grow for about 2 months

Yes, it is rather long but that is the way it is. After that you can bury the logs in your garden. The ideal place is under trees or around denser bushes to protect the logs from wind. Water as needed.

Did you know that oyster mushrooms are carnivorous?

It may sounds crazy, but yes, the oyster mushroom is a carnivorous fungus. Mycologist Jaroslav Vanča confirms and adds that mycelium of this fungus is able to catch and eat certain nematodes. It catches them in the same way as game poachers – using meshes or wire snare trap. The mycelium of oyster mushrooms has a fibre-like structure which releases toxins that paralyze the nematode. The fibres then grow into the nematode and kill it.

Preview photo: Pixabay