plastic & shiitake sawdust cultivation

[Russ Bulluck]

Alan Middlemis wrote:

> Greetings:
>
>    Has anyone had experience with or know of any techniques of mushroom
> artificial-log culture that doesnt require plastic? I was told by a
> respected expert that plastic is the only way to go commercially. Im
> interested in growing Shiitake's and Oysters here om my small organic
> farm in southern Canada, but want to avoid the use of plastic for health
> and environmental reasons. Any help would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks-In-Advance
>
> Alan Middlemiss
>
> P.S.   I have Oak  logs and Maple logs already on the grow with cultures.

I would stick with the logs.  Tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) works
well for Oyster mushrooms (at least in North Carolina), and a colleague has
Shitake mushrooms growing on oak logs.  Hope this helps. . .Russ

--
Russ Bulluck
Ph.D. Student
Department of Plant Pathology
North Carolina State University
PO Box 7616
Raleigh, NC  27695-7616

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The soil population is so complex that it manifestly cannot
be dealt with as a whole with any detail by any one person,
and at the same time it plays so important a part in the soil
economy that it must be studied.
--Sir E. John Russell
The Micro-organisms of the Soil, 1923
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~