Stamets mentions inoculating an outdoor patch with three different species then being rewarded with multiple flushes of different fungus in their respective seasons. That sounds pretty good to me! oysters in spring, garden giant in summer, parasol in fall and blewit in winter? Count me in!

Thing i'm wondering is, are all species compatible with each other? Or will the competition between the two affect them negatively? For instance, Stamets recommends oysters and other saprophytes be employed to combat honey mushroom invasions.

When we talk about fungi "competing", do we mean they compete because they use the same limited substrate the way a vegetable competes with weeds for limited soil nutrients? Or do they go into bio-chemical warfare like the way black walnut secretes juggalone (not sure how to spell) to kill of competition around it?

If I were to inoculate a "polyculture" in an outdoor bed, would it be necessary to inoculate all species at the same time? Or could I make a saprophyte spore slurry after each mushroom hunting foray to introduce new kinds as i find them? Would the already established mycelium prevent those spores from germinating and growing? I imagine it would since fully colonized substrates are less vulnerable to mold but then again, that being the case, i dont understand how mold wont establish itself on substrate that is already colonized, but multiple species of mushrooms will fruit on the same log (or are they just establishing themselves before the log is fully colonized by something else?)

Excellent questions. I will try my best. Perhaps someone with more experience will also chime in.

The different species should be separated by space. They are also limited to their preferred substrate. Oysters grow on many substrates, and they are aggressive, so you want them most separated from the others. They should be in a shady area.

Garden giant grows will on wood chips in the soil. They like some sun.

I believe that parasols grow in the soil, perhaps in a high nitrogen environment?

Blewits grow primarily on decaying leaf matter. Make sure you have lots of decaying leaves around.

I am basically doing this in my yard. Garden giants seem the easiest and they are amazingly productive. I have mainly grown oysters on wood. THey failed to produce for me on chips in the soil.

Don't inoculate different species in the same space or log. Yes, get fresh wood that was just alive and inoculate within 2-3 weeks.
JOhn S
PDX OR

John Saltveit wrote:Excellent questions. I will try my best. Perhaps someone with more experience will also chime in.

The different species should be separated by space. They are also limited to their preferred substrate. Oysters grow on many substrates, and they are aggressive, so you want them most separated from the others. They should be in a shady area.

Garden giant grows will on wood chips in the soil. They like some sun.

I believe that parasols grow in the soil, perhaps in a high nitrogen environment?

Blewits grow primarily on decaying leaf matter. Make sure you have lots of decaying leaves around.

I am basically doing this in my yard. Garden giants seem the easiest and they are amazingly productive. I have mainly grown oysters on wood. THey failed to produce for me on chips in the soil.

Don't inoculate different species in the same space or log. Yes, get fresh wood that was just alive and inoculate within 2-3 weeks.
JOhn S
PDX OR

I really appreciate the input. Mushroom cultivation is a new and fascinating but complex concept to me.