Mushrooms

[MintyHerbert]

We put some chicken in the wood and lion mane plugs into oak logs that fell int he storms after Christmas, nothing is showing yet.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Not meaning to be pedantic but don't you mean RAWL plug - I remember finding a box of the old fibre rawlplugs in my grandfather's tool chest, in a neat cardboard box, together with the mandrel/drill to make the holes (no hammer drills in those days, just a hammer and a drill!

I corrected it in the nanosecond between you quoting me and hitting reply.....don't you call me a pedant

 

[Loxley]

We put some chicken in the wood and lion mane plugs into oak logs that fell int he storms after Christmas, nothing is showing yet.

It may take a while for them to get going, oak it quite resistant to fungi so that may slow it down too. Keep the logs damp and eventually the fungi should gain the upper hand.

 

[Loxley]

Looked into these abit myself, I was reading the plugs need handling with marigolds, deed logs/ cords should be soaked and the ends could be dipped in wax to stop them drying out.
They also can take a long time to get going 6 - 18 months, I'm sure starting them off at a good temp helps??

I think success is probably more likely with freshly felled timber than rehydrated although that is still better than dry timber.

I started with a couple of freshly cut sycamore logs approximately 6" across and 3' long, drilled holes all over at about 6" spacings and hammered plugs into them all. We didn't bother with wax we just buried the logs in the leaf mold pile for the first few months to keep them damp, when we got them out there was lots of white michorizal growth and we've just put them in a full shade flower bed. We got a small crop in the late summer and hopefully we'll get more this year.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I think success is probably more likely with freshly felled timber than rehydrated although that is still better than dry timber.

I recall that's what the recommendation was when I was researching the subject some years ago. I think the type of timber was important too -avoid things like willow, alder, conifers etc.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I might start with burying some of these in the compost heap, then

 

[pargyle]

It's OK Philip...I think you do marvellously well in spite of your dyslexia. We understood what you meant

I think that should be diislexiia shouldn't it ?

 

[pargyle]

Not meaning to be pedantic but don't you mean RAWL plug - I remember finding a box of the old fibre rawlplugs in my grandfather's tool chest, in a neat cardboard box, together with the mandrel/drill to make the holes (no hammer drills in those days, just a hammer and a drill!

I've still got some of those and the mandrel to make the hole ... they weren't very big and clouting them with a hammer usually ended up with hammered fingers !

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I've still got some of those and the mandrel to make the hole ... they weren't very big and clouting them with a hammer usually ended up with hammered fingers !

Have a thought for my father then who many years ago was given the task of fitting all the rainwater downpipes for a whole new estate of council houses using one!!

 

[pargyle]

Have a thought for my father then who many years ago was given the task of fitting all the rainwater downpipes for a whole new estate of council houses using one!!

Did he have ANY fingers left at the end ....?

Before the fibre rawl plugs I used to make softwood timber plugs for my builder grandfather .. He gave me an old butchers meat cleaver and a pile of sticks and I was shown how to cleave them down the grain, starting the cut off, then banging them on an old oak stump and then chop them into short lengths to fill his 'spills' box. I could have only been about 8 or 9 at the time - it's a wonder I've got any fingers left !

 

[CLB]

I was given a mushroom kit for Christmas one year. It was quite expensive to buy (giver left garden centre price on) and very little came of it. The first mushroom appeared, but you can't make much with one mushroom, so I thought I'd wait a day or two for more. They never came.

 

[Moobee]

We have these that grow naturally in our garden on old logs. Wood Ear mushrooms I believe. Think they’re edible??

 

[pargyle]

We have these that grow naturally in our garden on old logs. Wood Ear mushrooms I believe. Think they’re edible??
View attachment 30396

All mushrooms are edible .... but some of them only ONCE !