Building Unity Farm - Planning for Mushroom Cultivation

In a few weeks, my wife and I will be taking down approximately 30 poplars which are growing near the house and barn.   Poplars grow to 75 feet and these trees are within 50 feet of structures.   We've lost many poplars in recent storms because the wood is soft and the roots are shallow.   We'd rather remove them before they fall into the house.What are we going to do with the soft wood from 30 trees that are not suitable for firewood?The answer - grow mushrooms.I know that soft wood is an ideal growing medium for growing Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus)But what strain should I use?   Should I grow them on logs or wood chips?  What's the best growing environment and how much moisture is needed?I contacted my friends at Fungi Perfecti and asked these questions.   Their response:"You would probably be most successful if you grow the mushrooms on the poplar logs.  Also, you want to use wood that has been dead for 2 weeks to 6 months. After you cut your wood you want to keep it out of contact with the soil until the logs fruit, to avoid contamination.As to which species you should use, we recommend both pearl oyster and blue oyster.  The only difference is that the blue oyster prefers cooler fruiting temps.  By inoculating some logs with pearl oysters and some with blue oysters you will have a longer fruiting season in the fall and in the spring.I have attached to this email a .pdf copy of our plug spawn instructions so that you ...
Source: Life as a Healthcare CIO - Category: Technology Consultants Source Type: blogs