Friday, March 27, 2020

Growing Shiitake on Willow logs? Field & Forest mycologists say no, but Mr. Vikas Banyal has done it ONLY on Willows - other trees failed!

Northern MN has asked people from the Twin Cities to not drive up north so as not to spread the Coronavirus. So Minnesota is now on a two week "Shelter In" order until the virus is done spreading. The goal is to cut down on the rate of spreading so as to hopefully stop the spreading in two weeks. So I will not be going up north to do inoculation nor checking if the logs have fruited. But it is still quite cold up north and there needs to be 60 degrees weather for a week for a harvest. So I should be fine for not missing the first EcoEcho shiitake harvest.
PROOF that Shiitake grows on Willow Logs!!
Shiitake Plugs. The logs that will produce the highest yields of shiitake are deciduous oaks, chestnut and ironwood. Many other species will produce yields that are still satisfactory though not quite as high, such as live oak, sweetgum, bitternut hickory, alder, ash, eucalyptus, aspen, hard maples (sugar and black), black willow, yellow birch and river birch.
 https://gmushrooms.org/product/shiitake-100-each-plugs/

 The best logs to use for growing Shiitake mushrooms are oak, chinkapin; tanoak, hornbeams, alder, aspen, poplar, cottonwood, beech, birch, chestnut, hickory, maple, sweetgum, tupelo, willow and they only need to be about 2 feet long.
https://www.localharvest.org/blog/48630/entry/how_to_grow_shiitake_and

So people have LISTED Willow but since "Field and Forest" said NO to Willow - because it breaks down too fast - then I did not think Willow was possible to use.
 . Species Forest Fungi  has used successfully include all the Eucalyptus we've tried and various Oaks. Others use Poplars, Willows, Alder, Birch, Wattles….there is a big list in Stamet's book, Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms, 2000, 48 – 49.
I did inoculate ONE willow tree by accident last year - and was waiting to see the results. I have LOTS of willow trees on the five acres. So if I can inoculate Willows - that will SAVE the EcoEcho Forest Cultivation operation!
  I had shoots coming off of my willow shiitake, and velvet shank logs for up to 6 months after innoculation. Would anyone with experience expect this to mean the fungi will not be growing, due to the antifungal enzymes present in living logs? The logs have been out for 9 months, and no fruiting yet. I remain hopeful.
https://permies.com/t/93477/Growing-mushrooms-Willow

No actually the mycologists at Field & Forest have stated that in fact it's not "enzymes" but really just WATER levels in the logs.... the water needs to go down to 40% level for inoculation of the mycelium spawn....

https://www.freshplaza.com/article/2117217/india-new-method-for-growing-shiitake-mushroom/

So Finally - here was my big discovery - someone with PROVEN success growing Shiitake on Willow Logs!!
 A farmer, Mr. Vikas Banyal, from Solan district, Himachal Pradesh, has further refined the growing technology by using willow wood as a substrate. He is the first farmer in the country to use willow tree wood as a substrate to grow Shiitake variety. According to Mr. Vikas this method gives a better and greater yield.
 The farmer started his search for the same through several literatures and got in touch with Dr. Y. S. Parmar of the University of Horticulture and Forestry in his region. The University was quite impressed by his dedication and perseverance and supplied him about 100 willow logs initially.

Explaining the procedure the entrepreneur says, “willow logs of 40 inch length and three to four inch diameter are ideal. Holes are drilled into the logs and spawns (in the form of bullets) are inserted into the holes and sealed with wax. The logs are kept in the open under shade. Fruiting of Shiitake starts in just three months and continues for four to five years. The technique is cost effective and also consumes less time.”
 https://vikasmushroomfarm.com/

2008  By attending different conferences, workshops and seminars Mr. Benal came to know about Shitake (Lentinula edodes) mushroom. He tried to cultivate this mushroom on saw dust of unknown  tree species, but did not get desirable results.
 2011 Continued  conducting various trials for Shiitake mushroom cultivation but could not get desirable results.
 2013 Successfully cultivated shitake mushroom on saw dust of willow trees.  Mr. Vikas Benal is the first person in the country to use willow trees as a substrate to grow Shiitake, for this the scientific community has also appreciated him. Also started cultivating shitake mushroom on natural wood logs.

 20 Minute News interview of his mushroom farm 2016 - will it show the Willow Logs?


 this is a BETTER news video - 2019

Just shows the Shiitake growing on Willow Sawdust - hey if they can grow on Willow Sawdust then they can grow on Willow logs!!

third news vid

YES at 9:17 there is a photo of Vikas growing Shiitake on Willow logs !!!! SCORE!!





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