Anyone use buckthorn for oyster log cultivation?

We have a fair amount of invasive buckthorn along one edge of our property. It recently occurred to me that although I've never heard anyone recommend it as a substrate, it might be a useful resource for cultivating oyster mushrooms. I've already found many turkey tails growing on felled buckthorn used in our garden beds, and I reckon that oysters are just as if not more aggressive in colonization. Any feed back would be greatly appreciated.Thanks.

I'm trying to understand which plant you're talking about. Do you mean sea buckthorn Hippophae Rhamnoides, with the dioecious orange berries, or do you mean Cascara Buckthorn, a PNW native, formerly used medicinally, or other buckthorn?
Thanks,
John S
PDX OR

John, sorry I wasn't specific. I'm referring to what is called common buckthorn or european buckthorn which is quite invasive in our region.

I am not familiar with that type of tree, but I imagine that tree oysters and turkey tails can use most substrates. They are both widely adaptive and able to use most types of trees that I've seen.
John S
PDX OR

I have had the same idea, as I'm facing maybe oh 20 or 120 acres of buckthorn and wondering what to do with it.

One concern I have is that buckthorn is allelopathic (makes soil toxic to amphibians and plants that are not buckthorn) and is also cathartic, ie it makes birds poop a lot ,which is how the seeds are so quickly dispersed. I have a house rabbit and I have read not to feed buckthorn twigs to rabbits for this reason.

So I am concerned that shrooms grown on buckthorn may be harmful to consume. I will probably do some trials anyway, and update this post in a year or two after I have learned something.

You could make biochar out of it.  I would also think that after it's dead, that the amount of allelopathy would be less.  No, I'm not sure that allelopathy is a word, but I want it to be.
John S
PDX OR

Rob Kartholl wrote:I have had the same idea, as I'm facing maybe oh 20 or 120 acres of buckthorn and wondering what to do with it.

One concern I have is that buckthorn is allelopathic (makes soil toxic to amphibians and plants that are not buckthorn) and is also cathartic, ie it makes birds poop a lot ,which is how the seeds are so quickly dispersed. I have a house rabbit and I have read not to feed buckthorn twigs to rabbits for this reason.

So I am concerned that shrooms grown on buckthorn may be harmful to consume. I will probably do some trials anyway, and update this post in a year or two after I have learned something.

Hi casey  & Rob! I'm also the reluctant owner of several acres of buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica, to be clear) and also considering its potential uses including cultivating mushrooms.  Luckily for me, you are several years ahead of me in your thinking.  Have either of you taken the next step and tried this out?  If so, can you give us an update?  

I was looking for the same information and found that someone did their Phd thesis on the very question (spoilers the answer is yes!): https://minds.wisconsin.edu/handle/1793/75737

Thanks for the link Mika!  I still haven't tried this, but it's on my project list now.