I thought this
thread would be a useful way to keep track of steps taken to reclaim an inoculated oak log from green mold.
The background:
I ordered some plugs off Ebay, which looked great when they arrived, some bound to each other with mycelium. Great! While visiting a friend I plucked a couple of 5-6" x 14" logs off of a recently cut
firewood pile, drilled and hammered away, and my logs were ready for incubation.
One log was kept standing upright in abut 1/2" of
water (in a speckleware canning pot). The other was left at the friend's house, neglected on their porch. This one was later retrieved since they weren't using it, and by that point had some mossy growth on it (possible 'weed fungi').
The 9 month mark (1st fruiting possibility) coincided with a move, so that plan was waylaid. The logs were put into a basement room across from a dehumidifier. Their watering regimen was quickly forgotten about until a week ago, when I decided to being the salvage operation.
A 5 gallon
bucket was filled with tap water that was allowed to "offgas" its chlorine for about 5 days. Both logs were placed in with about 1/3 their length submerged. Turned after two days, they spent
enough time to feel moist again, and I have since noticed new mycelium growth. When I checked them yesterday, I noticed vibrant green splotches on all the newly active mycelium. Trichoderma had moved in, and it wasn't paying rent
NC ag extension suggests cull and burn for all infected logs
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/fletcher/programs/herbs/crops/mushrooms/pdf/2011%20AG-478_Shiitake_Final.pdf
That didn't sound fun.
I found others that shared my plight
http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/13102993
http://westphoria.sunset.com/2009/11/02/dealing-with-a-moldy-mushroom-log/
but no follow-up on their results, until:
http://wasabiprime.blogspot.com/2013/04/unrecipe-eating-easter-and-sacrilicious.html
So, a beacon of hope, a reinforcement that my shiitakes could make a comeback, but what to do?
Some suggest cutting away the green areas. On a log with partially rotted bark, and mold that seemed to prefer the deep crevices, it quickly became apparent that this method wouldn't work. So, pinning my hopes on my trusty jog of distilled white vinegar. Surely a little acetic acid wouldn't affect a hardy mycelium could it? We'll see.
Where did the mold come from?
The NC Ag article (and most other articles that address common problems at home or commercially) make two faux pas that I comitted
1- humidity too high
2- humidity too low
I let the logs get bone dry, then plunged them again for an extended period. That'll do it.
Hopefully they can be recovered, and I'll let folks know either way.
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