Inoculate hardwood logs for multi-year outdoor harvests

Lion's mane grows naturally on dead and dying hardwood trees. Inoculating logs with plug spawn mimics this process and produces harvests for 3-6 years with almost no ongoing work.

Steps

1. Select logs: Use freshly-cut hardwood — oak, maple, or beech are ideal. Logs should be 4-8 inches in diameter and 3-4 feet long. Cut within the last 2-4 weeks so the wood's natural anti-fungal compounds have faded but competing fungi haven't yet established.
2. Drill and plug: Drill 5/16-inch holes 1.5 inches deep in a diamond pattern, spaced 4-6 inches apart. Tap lion's mane plug spawn into each hole. Seal with melted cheese wax or soy wax.
3. Stack in deep shade: Lion's mane logs need more shade and moisture than oyster or shiitake logs. A north-facing spot under evergreen canopy is ideal.
4. Water during dry spells: Soak logs for 12-24 hours monthly during summer if rainfall is below 1 inch per week.
5. Wait 12-18 months: Lion's mane colonizes slower than oyster mushrooms. First fruits typically appear the second fall after inoculation.

Tips

• Lion's mane on logs produces smaller, multiple fruiting bodies rather than one large pom-pom (this is normal for log cultivation)
• Logs last 3-6 years depending on diameter — thicker logs produce longer
• Force-fruiting by soaking colonized logs in cold water for 24 hours works but is less reliable than with shiitake