GROWING GOURMET - Anto2ni.it

dergoes another 50% reduction in mass. Now,
our sample has now been reduced from an
original 6 lbs. to 1.5 lbs. At this stage, the remaining
material, without supplementation,
supports vigorous growth of the King
Stropharia (Stropharia rugoso-annulata) or
the Shaggy Mane (Coprinus comatus). Once
colonized, the mycelium of these species are
best used as spawn to inoculate outdoor substrates.
At this final stage, the nutritional base
of the substrate is largely expired, and subsequent
fruitings are anemic.
In all, more than 20% of the substrate (dry
weight to dry weight) is converted into edible
mushrooms.At least that amount is liberated as
gases. The remaining material can be added to
garden composts as a supplement. The process
of reduction/conversion is substantially prolonged
if the cultivator utilizes large-particle
wood chips in the original substrate formulas.
If the waste wood substrate is further supplemented,
the cycle can be extended.
This is but one path of species sequencing.
Many others naturally come to mind. For instance,
when production blocks of recycled
Oyster, Maitake, Reishi (or others) have
stopped producing indoors, they can be implanted
outdoors into beds of sawdust. (Figure
339.)Additional fruitings arise from the buried
blocks in 3-6 months, depending, of course
upon the weather. I am always fascinated by the
fact that these outdoor fruitings are often better
than those indoors. Mushrooms seem to always
SPECIES SEQUENCING 421
benefit when nature is used as an ally. The implanted
blocks of mycelium have the ability to
draw additional nutrients from the surrounding
habitat. By launching the expired blocks from
the growing rooms into supportive outdoor
habitats, the cultivator maximizes the potential
of the mycelial mass. One of my Natural Culture
beds has supported a succession of three
species—first Morels in the spring, then King
Stropharia in the summer, and an assortment of
Hypholoma and allied species in the fall. This
approach could be called the Zen of mushroom
growing.
Whatever path is chosen, the implications
are profound. These courses of decomposition
are occurring daily in our forests' ecosystems.
Ecologists should also find this model especially
fascinating in understanding the
concurrence of many species living in the same
habitat. This model may also be useful for
those living in desert, island, or other environments
where substrate materials for wood
decomposers are costly and hard to acquire. Tencourage
all readers of this book to push these
concepts forward with new innovations and applications,
incorporating more sets of organisms. By
understanding the nuances within the
mycosphere, I envision the creation of complex
biospheres wherein fungi play determinant
roles in supporting other life cycles... I am not
alone in believing that mushrooms could be instrumental
in generating food for humans in
the exploration of space.
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