Growing mushrooms on logs

Growing on hardwood logs with mushroom dowels is slower than using a kit, but the logs need little looking after and the mushrooms have a stronger flavour.

How long it takes

• Blue/grey oyster – one of the fastest; can fruit in as little as 3 months.
• Shiitake – typically 6–12 months. Many growers rate log-grown shiitake above any other.
• Dense hardwoods take longer.

What you need

• Fresh hardwood logs and your dowels
• A drill and our dowel drill set (6, 8 and 10mm, with depth collars)
• Sealing wax – 100g seals about 50 dowels, 200g about 100 and 950g about 500

Sealing the dowels

1. Hammer the dowels into the pre-drilled holes.
2. Melt the wax in a small pot and brush it over the end of each dowel to keep contaminants out. The hot wax also sterilises the surface. A small brush, foam applicator or large cotton bud all work.
3. Seal any wounds where side branches have been cut off, too.
4. Don’t seal the cut ends of the log.

Take care: melted wax can be highly flammable.

Instructions for each type are on our growing instructions page, and see storing spawn and dowels before you start.