How to Grow Mushrooms on Logs

Growing mushrooms on logs is the practice of inoculating freshly cut hardwood logs with mushroom mycelium and allowing them to colonize outdoors over months before fruiting bodies emerge.

How to Inoculate Mushroom Logs

Logs are inoculated by drilling a pattern of holes, inserting colonized wood dowels — also called mushroom plug spawn — and sealing each hole with wax to lock in moisture and protect the mycelium during colonization. The inoculated log is then stacked in a shaded outdoor location and left to fully colonize over several months before fruiting conditions trigger mushroom production. A single inoculated log can produce mushrooms for several years before the wood is fully consumed. The mushroom species being grown determines the log species, log diameter, and the best time of year for inoculation.

Selecting the Right Log for Mushroom Cultivation

Growing mushrooms on logs successfully starts with selecting the correct log species and diameter for the mushroom being cultivated. High density hardwoods like oak, sugar maple, and beech break down slowly and support longer fruiting cycles. Lower density hardwoods like poplar, aspen, and willow colonize faster but exhaust sooner. Softwoods like pine and cedar are not suitable for most cultivated mushroom species. Logs should be freshly cut — within six weeks — to avoid competing fungi already colonizing the wood. The mushroom species being grown determines which hardwood species, log diameter, and inoculation season will produce the best results. Use the links below to find step by step guides for growing mushrooms on logs by species.