jordan jones

Yes. In fact, the most effective solution was inoculating the mulch with stropharia rugosoannulata. Edible, too. It digested the mulch in approximately 6-12 months.

Just ordered some EM-1. I will try three experiments and see which is most effective:

1. Inoculate an area of pine chips with a mixture of 1:1:100 EM-1, molasses and water and then cover for two to three weeks with a tarp.
2. Inoculate an area of pine chips with EM-1 and do not cover.
3. Inoculate an area of pine chips with c. Comatus (already done).

I'll see which of these three provides the best results for someone in my situation, where removing the pine mulch is not feasible.

Jordan Lowery wrote:I compost pine chips all the time. We make piles around 6ft tall and wider at the base. Wet well and inoculate with EM-1. From there I forget about the pile until its a nice rich humus. No turning involved. In the end it makes excellent compost FULL of fungus. Perfect for top dressing under trees, propagation or amending if you go that route.

Jordan,

Given your experience with EM-1, do you feel this method would work in a sheet mulch environment, where the pine chips were spread 2-6 inches deep? I'm very interested in this approach.

As an aside, today I happened across a colony of C. Comatus today, so I lifted the fruiting material (straw) and relocated it to an area with deep pine chips.

Thanks David. That points me in a better direction than using ectomycorrhizal fungi. Using saprotrophic fungi makes much more sense.

I will have to do some research to see if any are suited to the relatively low pH of pine mulch. At this point, the mulch has been "aged" for 3-4 months. I have covered it with a layer of straw and then manure, to encourage a moist environment and to introduce more nitrogen.

Hello everyone,

Looking for input on the following challenge. A hugelkultur bed was finished with a thick layer of chipped pine from a nearby white pine tree. This mulch layer is causing nitrogen lock up (pine tannins prevent nitrification). Instead of physically removing the mulch layer, I was interested in experimenting with a solution to the "pine mulch problem" by encouraging its decomposition with mycorrhizal inoculation.

Has anyone experimented with using mushrooms to breakdown a mulch layer, such as pine mulch? I was considering inoculating one section with Suillus tomentosus, which, according to Wikipedia, is "a fungus, producing specialized structures, known as tuberculate ectomycorrhizae, with its plant host lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia). These structures have in turn been shown to host nitrogen fixing bacteria which contribute a significant amount of nitrogen and allow the pines to colonize nutrient-poor sites."

Your feedback is welcome!

lustrum