VIRGIN BLUE OYSTER STRAW LOGS have never been fruited and are ready for you to grow fresh mushrooms and/or use as the best mulch in the world.
Made from certified organic straw and a specially selected Blue Oyster colonized grain. All lab work done right here in Western Colorado.
Populated with lots of Fungal activity these Blue Oyster Mushroom Straw Logs are now made from scratch locally here in Western Colorado.
LIVING MULCH!!!!!
Important to note: The Photos shown were incubated for 2 weeks.
- They are freshly inoculated and incubated for 5 days before delivery to BAS
- Logs may take 1-2 weeks to fully colonize, this can vary up to 3-5 weeks if shipped during cold weather months, 30-50 degrees while in transit.
- Best to colonize log in 65-75 degree temps once Straw log is received, does not need to be in a dark location, but kept out of direct sunlight
- Logs are inoculated with a mixture of colonized oyster mushroom mycelium on Sorghum (Milo) and Oat grain.
Grow your own mushrooms and then use as mulch, or just use them as mulch the day they arrive. The choice is yours!
These logs used to be sold AFTER the mushroom farm had already harvested 1-2 flushes from each bag. The waste created from the mushroom farm became our absolute favorite mulch. Over the years, we thought about making this product from scratch instead of using it as a waste from the farm and in 2022 the local mushroom farm closed it's doors. This then accellerated the idea and we are now proud to offer Virgin Blue Oyster Straw logs ready to grow your own mushrooms or just use as mulch.
Notice: Over time the logs will start to get covered in green mold that is actually trichoderma if left inside the plastic. Some people prefer this and others want balance and will opt to open and mulch right away. It's all up to you!!! Trichoderma is aggresive and although very beneficial to soil growing it can also take over some of your other beneficials. Personally I'm going to use these without letting them sit for to long to make sure I have balance.
Our Oyster mushroom straw has been shredded, then pasteurized at 170 degrees F for one hour, which cleans it of any weed seeds or contaminants. This specific strain of Oyster mushroom thrives in a temperature range of 65-75 degrees F. As the mycelium primarily decomposes the straw, sugar and protein are made available to the soil web. Nematodes and top feeding roots will work together with the straw when used as a top dressing in pots or on any soil. Mycelium can work as an active composter on your top soil when kept moist, and remain active with in the soil network as a super-communicator improving overall soil health.
Storage: Mushroom Straw Logs are essentially a living culture. For the mycelium to continue to survive within the straw logs, they need to be stored in a cool dark area, out of direct sunlight. Ideally between 65-75 degrees. Higher temperatures than that generally start to produce more trichoderma, and will take over the mycelium within the log over time. For some this is undesired. Even under the best environmental conditions, these logs will still eventually turn into trichoderma with enough time if they are un-used.
How to Use Use as mulch directly out of the bag! Or if you want to grow culinary mushrooms first:
- To grow oyster mushrooms: Cut 5-10 holes in the bag by making a 1" slit in the shape of an X pattern. The mushrooms will then start to grow outside of the bag. After a few days you will have mushrooms growing and you can harvest them when ready. After you are done you can dry and soak and then flush again or you can just use as mulch.
- Spread out onto your garden beds and/or growing containers as a high fungal living mulch. This mulch layer will help aid in the breakdown of delivery of all top dressings.
- Leave in the bag for multiple months and the entirety of the log will turn to trichoderma, a genus of fungi that is present in all living soils.
