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I want to have success with Lion's Mane. I tried Oak logs some years ago and got nothing. I need info on using wood pellets and plastic bags (I have a large basement). This sounds like a faster way to get results than logs. Put me on to a link if you can or share your ideas.

False Identity
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Rick Smith
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2 Answers2

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If this is your first time, I'd go with un-supplemented hardwood pellets.

  1. Order some spawn from a reputable vendor. I'd start with heavy inoculation rates, say 1:5 or better (ex. 1 lb, (or more) spawn to 5 lbs. of substrate)
  2. Prepare your substrate. This page will get you going in the right direction.
  3. I have had pretty good results with lion's mane (and various oysters) using the non-sterile method outlined by Dr. Rush Wayne in his detailed booklet "Growing Mushrooms the Easy Way." The photo below shows the results of one of my early grows on un-supplemented hardwood pellets using Dr. Wayne's peroxide method. Those are small baskets lined with thin plastic bags. They contained about 12lbs of substrate/spawn at a ratio of about 1:10 or so. This required no sterile technique, no special equipment, and the substrate was just hardwood fuel pellets with a few tablespoons of gypsum.
  4. I do now use sterilized supplemented hardwood pellet blocks because they give better and faster results (fruit within a month rather than 2 months if I recall correctly). But it is a lot more work and requires a lot more equipment. But I attribute my continued interest in cultivation to those early successes I had with the peroxide method.

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That Idiot
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I find them naturally in my area fairly frequently since most of the woods here are hardwoods with multiple oak species. Laurel oaks seem to be the primary tree species for sources. Drop a pin for that tree and return often for repeated harvesting. Once you ha e 10-20 trees pinned, you wont need to grow your own.

WilliamL
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