Mushroom stump from liquid culture

Hey permies,

I recently took on a mushroom stump (Blue Oyster) for a landscaping client up the road and I've got a question. The stump I'm working with is a vine maple that I cut down about 2 months ago. I've heard that new stumps have anti-fungal properties but I've also heard that old stumps have a higher risk of cross contamination from other spores and fungi so I figured I'd try to meet it in the middle. That's not why I'm here though. Through a miscommunication, I ended up with liquid culture instead of plugs. I think this stuff is intended for a more sterile environment but what the hell, let's give it a go and see what happens, right? I boiled straw onsite to pasteurize and while it sat, I drilled several 1 inch holes about 6 inches apart. I squeezed of the excess moisture from the straw and packed it into the holes, not too tight but enough to give a fair amount of medium to grow in. I injected about a cc of liquid culture in each straw-hole and then covered the entire stump in 4mil plastic sheeting, duct taped the edges and nailed it down. Covered the whole shebang with wood chips to insulate and further protect. Its been about a week and I opened it up to check it out today but I didn't see any signs of mycelial growth.

My question is this: How likely is it that cross contamination occurred and nothing is going to happen or do I need to just give it more time? Like, maybe check back in the fall? I don't know, but you folks do so I hope one of you sweethearts wouldn't mind giving me a heads up. Thanks in advance!

~ Huck

Hiya Huck,

If you were talking about any other mushroom (save wine caps) then cross contamination might be a serious issue.  But since you are working with blue oyster mushrooms, nothing, aside from wine caps will stop them.

Both Blue Oysters and Wine Caps are highly aggressive mushroom species which easily out compete any other fungi except for each other.  I highly doubt that you had any problems with cross contamination.  If I had to guess, I bet that the liquid you put in was a concentration of spores.  These may take some time to actually turn into viable fungi, but if they do watch out—Blue Oysters stop for no one!  

I think your instincts were correct to stuff drill holes with straw as straw colonized very quickly.  There does exist the possibility that the liquid does not contain any viable fungal material at all.  I would say if this experiment does not work, try again with peg spawn or maybe sawdust spawn mixed with that straw.

Cool project though,

Eric