introduction of mycelia to buried wood?

Hi David,
Welcome to Permies and thanks for stopping by.

I have been wondering if I can introduce mycelia to a big underground cache of logs, chips and other mostly woody carbonaceous fill that I've accumulated over the last few years. I am in desert conditions, with irrigation water. The pit was ~ 8-10 feet deep and as wide, excavated for fill under a building. The soil removed and surrounding is very light sand with a little clay, pretty much devoid of biology. I've been irrigating, filling as things sunk, adding sawdust, branches, hay waste, straw waste, once in awhile some soil.;

The books all say inoculate before opportunistic local species can gain a foot hold.

Do you have any advice and/or instructions for a situation such as mine, strategies or species or anything else?

Thanks

Thekla,

Interesting problem- #1 What is the predominate species in the hole ie hardwoods, evergreens? That will influence what can/will work. We cover in our book how certain species like certain wood types etc. If it is hardwood, and hardwood sawdust I would say that Wine Caps and oysters may very well colonize it. Both are aggressive, if it is primarily evergreen species the only edible I know of that does well on buried stumps, logs of pine/fir composition is the Phoenix Oyster. I haven't successfully done it...yet

Hope this helps some what, I always end with a plug for your mushroom needs www.mycelialmayhem.com as it covers a whole gambit of species, indoor outdoor, marketing etc.

Dave

Hi, & thanks, Dave.

In mine it is primarily siberian elm and black locust, in HUGE pieces, and then wood chips probably mostly mixed hardwood, based on the time of year the county was doing the pruning and chipping.

So, how would I introduce the mycelia? Get some spawn and propagate to get more of it, then bury it deep enough it will stay moist? I forgot to say I am in the desert.

I believe there are lots of air cavities in there, not likely to be anaerobic, because of how it got filled in with various sized material, in stages, but I don't know and have no idea how I could check that. Sometimes my irrigation water gets away from me and water flows through the area that is filled. It never smells funny or looks discolored, if that is any indication of anything.

I would look to Oyster as it is the most aggressive- I ordered a lot of my spawn from Field & Forest www.fieldforest.net you could ask Joe the owner about your situation,

one more thing, is there a better time of year to try it?

Given your situation asap! Would be my call, only fresh cut woods has some seasonal issues,

Dave