Growing Shiitake and Lion's Mane on logs (video)

Earlier this year I inoculated hardwood logs with Shiitake, Lion's Mane and Oyster mushrooms. I used a mixture of hazel, oak, willow and ash logs, all freshly cut to avoid contamination.  5 months on and the logs are colonising well. I'm hoping for the first fruits next year.

I made a video of the process and wanted to share it. I wanted it to be instructional but also relaxing; our land is very peaceful and I was hoping that would come across in the video.

It's the first video that I've shot and edited so it is very basic and a little rough. Any comments, criticism or feedback is welcome. Also any thoughts or advise on the mushroom cultivation are welcome.

Very peaceful! I just enjoyed listening to the British countryside. I’ve only seen this practice in Japanese films. I’d like to do the same one day. Thanks for sharing.
PS Gorgeous hound too . . .

I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I re-watched the video before posting and I think I should have turned down the volume more whilst the drill was being used. I hate to imagine someone listening in headphones, enjoying the birdsong, being blasted by the sudden noise of the power tool!

It really is a blessing to be able to work somewhere so peaceful though. I wish I could spend all of my time down there. I very much hope we are able to move onto it permanently at some point soon.

I've attached a photo that I took on Sunday. It shows an oak log that has been well colonised with the Lion's Mane mycelium. You can see (if you peer through the wax!) that it has spread through most of the sapwood and is starting on the darker heartwood.

The drilling is a little at odds with bird song, crackle of burning branches and squelch of wellies, but I shouldn’t worry, it’s part of the story. I’m surprised you didn’t use a recently restored bit and brace (only kidding!). I have the same Makita drill. It’s a very reliable tool, powerful and light.  It’s of the few powertools that I get real joy from using having grown up with my dad’s old drill, which had a cable and was about five times heavier. I like the device for setting depth - I have only unsuccessfully used tape before.

Thanks for the update on the Lion’s Mane. I was curious after watching the video to know how they’re progressing. I grew wine cap a couple of years ago and the first season, nothing happened. I used cedar chips which are great for mulch but pretty resistant to rot. Fortunately there were enough leaves and twigs mixed in that I had a good crop before we moved. Being able to see some progress must be satisfying.

How did the hazel do in the end? I've got access to some but can't find a lot of info on how suitable it is. Looks good btw!

I used oak and poplar logs. Did all like in the video except the wax part. No success. With the dry air and drying winds the logs are just drying fast and I realized that I'm not living in the place where known mushrooms can be cultivated without a lot of trouble. I'm not giving up and I'm going to try the sealing with wax next time. In the meantime I'm also trying to grow mushrooms on the wood dust, of course with no success.

Cristobal,
 Could you create a moist microclimate for them?  A place where you can soak them once a week in a wading pool and then keep them under shade of a shrub and keep the ground watered there?  

I used West Wind strain last time I inoculated logs.  It colonizes faster and I had mushrooms flushing in six months instead of waiting an entire year.  It is more drought tolerant, but I lost some of my smaller logs anyway due to a drought we were having here and the workload just got out of hand.  Therefore I did not soak them as much as they needed.  And it is much wetter here than where you are.  

An update: so far the oak logs have performed best, as you might expect. We have only harvested 2 small handfuls of Shiitake so far - although we have found slug eaten mushrooms that we have missed. I think our logs need to be moved further into the woods as they are drying out over the summer.

Interestingly, the Oysters haven't fruited yet. I'm fairly confident their mycelium has spread (as the logs have visible strands of mycelium on the end grain) but perhaps there is still nutrients to consume before they produce mushrooms. I expected the Oysters to fruit first.

We haven't seen much evidence of the Lion's Mane either. I understand that this species takes longer to establish so I'm not (yet) concerned.

I'm hoping for more mushrooms this autumn/fall. I'm also planning to move the logs to deeper shade as soon as I remember!