EXPERT TIPS: Chlorinated Water
Some growers may be concerned about the chlorine in their water system and its impact on shiitake spawn; most have found that city water does not affect production. However, it is possible to off-gas the water used for shocking for 24 hours to reduce any risk by simply leaving the water uncovered for 24 hours.
EXPERT OPINION: Warm Weather Forcing
“In general I force logs at all times of the year for 24 hours ... but I have read that when the weather is warmer you need shorter soaks to trigger the forcing response while in the spring and fall it takes a longer time period to trigger the same response.”
- Steve Sierigk, Hawk Meadow Farm
EXPERT OPINION: Twelve Hour Soak?
“Essentially, the greater quantity of water absorbed the better, during your forcing soak. With that being said, we were unable to see statistical differences between 12- and 24-hour soaks of the same tree species. So what does all this really mean?
“You could probably get away with a 12-hour soak, if you are using logs that take up moisture very easily, such as Carpinus sp., whereas a Red Oak or Sugar Maple, which takes water up at a slower rate than Carpinus, may need more time in the bath tub. When looking at yields, one very important predictor was total water absorption.”
-Bryan Sobel, Cornell University
EXPERT OPINION: Forcing After a Natural Flush
“If only a few mushrooms have popped out naturally, I generally will force these logs after I pick the mushrooms. Instead of a full 24-hour soak you can just do a shorter soak to keep the mycelium humming (4 to 6 hours) ... this should be enough to trigger a flush.
“If it is a significant number of mushrooms (like more than let’s say 6 to 10) I somewhat consider that a flush and wait about 7 to 8 weeks to force again.“
- Steve Sierigk, Hawk Meadow Farm
EXPERT OPINION: How Often to Shock
“I suggest trying to fruit your logs as often as possible from an economic standpoint, within the understood guidelines of the spawn regeneration/resting period. If your logs are still producing and a market still exists, you’d be maximizing your production. While the overall years of your logs may possibly diminish, you’re reducing the risk of external failures over time such as drought, pests, other fungi, etc. It’s up to the farmer to be very efficient with inoc- ulation and maintain consistent shiitake production a goal to overcome the high cost of labor and sustain operations.”
- Nick Laskovski, Dana Forest Farm
EXPERT OPINION: Culling Logs
“We cull logs based on what year they were inoculated and cull a whole year’s worth of logs at a time after the 3rd fruiting year. Unlike some growers, we do not mix new logs in with older logs. We keep each crib stack of 20-25 logs together as a group from inoculation till they are culled. We want to observe & record harvests per year and per strain to track productivity and monitor longevity. It’s hard to give up on logs, so we put the culled logs in an area out of the way for their 4th year and get a few mushrooms from them, but the following year they are used for our festival bonfires. Another thing we do differently is to keep the logs in crib stack for the incubation year and then set them in A-frame formation the next spring and do not ever put them back in crib stack. So far, room to do this has not been an issue and this method saves labor moving logs after fruiting.“
- Steve and Julie Rockcastle, Green Heron Growers
