Growing Lion's Mane Mushrooms Using The Totem Method

In this video I show to inoculate logs with lion's mane mushroom spores, how to seal with wax and how to prevent the logs from drying out. With these DIY techniques you can grow your own mushroom forest. I bought the spores from ‪@NorthSpore‬
#mushroom #lionsmane #homestead

[@MatthewSmith-kd3mu]

Another gift from by our amazing father. Much love brother stay in nature!

[@KimberlyFentressAdams]

This actually looks fun! I wish my Dad was around to get into this! He would have loved it!

[@Devin292]

Awesome. Glad you're finding things for Austin to do. Can't let him good off.

[@PawPawRidgeHomestead]

Austin is occasionally handy! 😂

[@vbpov555]

I love this. Great tutorial! We was looking into lion’s mane last year for its cognition benefits. Haven’t committed to growing it yet! ~Shannon & Shaun

[@PawPawRidgeHomestead]

Yep our first time also. Contact me in a few months and we will let you know of the progress!

[@courtneyduncan792]

This is great! This is something I have been wanting to do! Great for the brain!!

[@PawPawRidgeHomestead]

Absolutely. The benefits of lion’s mane are outstanding

[@heathweeks1985]

This is so much better than growing them in a plastic bag or bucket. No way the plastic doesnt leach into them. Is the saran wrap really required?

[@FolkRockFarm]

Nice video, thanks for the inspiration!

[@lawrencelawrence3920]

I found that best wood to use is the spring wood before leaves start to grow. I am thinking that is when the sugar is in the tree wood.

[@PawPawRidgeHomestead]

Absolutely that is the best time but as long as it is fresh cut wood it will still work but not has good!

[@joniskates]

I would imagine that also wood from autumn or Winter works well, since that is when Lions Mane would colonize new substrates in nature. They drop their spores in fall and colonize over winter, spring and Summer until they are ready to fruit again

[@PawPawRidgeHomestead]

As long as it was fresh wood with sap still in the log I would think it would be fine

[@SmeeUncleJoe]

Apparently not ... according to others. The whole point of cutting the logs in winter is to get them "when the sap is in the ground". You didn't say, or perhaps I missed, what kind of wood is this ?@@PawPawRidgeHomestead

[@nccrchurchunusual]

​@@joniskates Great point! We only have oak & pine but I am thinking this is worth a try for ppl who are cutting trees any ways.

[@fortunewrangler8524]

Good work!!

[@TheGrantAlexander]

At the 2:51 mark I saw a cameo from a very popular youtuber!

[@PawPawRidgeHomestead]

Popular or infamous? @highcalibercraftsman is sometimes my farm help!

[@dwreal]

A good thing to know would be what kind of logs

[@xandercruz8720]

Im in NC. Just cut beech and white oak today to start inoculation in 2 weeks of lions mane and shitaki.

[@kkso3318]

What kind of wood is best used? Is there a certain time of the year that is best to start? What other mushrooms can be done this way?

[@anthonymonaco5889]

What type of log do you use for Lions Mane , Oak like with Shiitake's?

[@PawPawRidgeHomestead]

Lion's Mane prefers beech, elm, oak, maple, or oak but we had Poplar available to us. This wasn't the best but also not the worse! The other mushrooms we were inoculating for was oysters and they love Poplar.

[@anaramosherrera7156]

How many times can you reuse the trunk to continue harvesting?

[@PawPawRidgeHomestead]

My oldest logs are going on 5years old but the are starting to fall apart!

[@eventhisidistaken]

...sweet. I live in a too hot climate, so if I want to do this, it has to be indoors. :(

[@SmeeUncleJoe]

There are lots of heat resistant edible mushrooms. Google is your friend.

[@eventhisidistaken]

@@SmeeUncleJoe well sure, but I want lion's mane, not just mushrooms in general.

[@imagine3dspaces458]

What type wood do you use? And how do you stack the wood ? with the lionsmane facing down? And do you use the wood ends to seal the top?

[@jimedwards4973]

Thanks for this. I tried plug spore of five varieties in fresh oak and did not have any success. I attributed this to our ridiculously long dry summers. I will try again with the totem method. Have you experimented with fall vs spring inoculation ? thank you jim

[@PawPawRidgeHomestead]

Spring always works better for me!

[@TRAVELIE308]

why does this take so long? If I grow it in a wood box with plugs in a log will it fruit faster?

[@t97h1]

Thank you! How many flushes can you expect from log inoculation like this?

[@stephenprazenica904]

How’d they turn out bud?

[@SporeWhore661]

I've been doing this for years, you can't drill the holes anywhere on the log but do what you thinks best. Just my input

[@PawPawRidgeHomestead]

So where do you drill the holes? I always want to learn.

[@SmeeUncleJoe]

"Can" or "can't " ??

[@widget0028]

What kind of tree is that? How fresh is it?

[@PawPawRidgeHomestead]

Poplar and it needs to be a fresh cut log

[@widget0028]

@@PawPawRidgeHomestead thank you for answering!

[@CarlKeeling1881]

Goofy question a bit off topic but pawpaw ridge cuz there's pawpaw trees or cuz it's pawpaw's ridge?

[@PawPawRidgeHomestead]

Not goofy. The property is called PawPaw Ridge due to us living on a sand ridge that is great soil for PawPaw trees. Also my grandchildren call me PawPaw so it fits.

[@Animatronicsu]

Hello, do you have any updates? Is it working? Thanks

[@PawPawRidgeHomestead]

We had a ton of Yellow Oysters mushrooms grow at the beginning of Fall and they were great. Sort of tasted like Chicken but doesn't everything. We had about 15 small marble size Lion's Head that grew. They were really good. Didn't taste like seafood that I heard it tasted like but was still really good!

[@Animatronicsu]

@PawPawRidgeHomestead4 Thanks for the reply, I'm really happy to hear they've grown, because looking online I didn't see anyone actually showing positive results with the lion's mane in wood logs.

[@michaelsrowland]

So it takes 5 years of waiting before you can eat them?

[@PawPawRidgeHomestead]

No most naturally bloom around 8 months then you can force them to bloom by soaking them for 24 hours

[@jpkjnn6733]

How did these turn out for both types of logs?

[@PawPawRidgeHomestead]

Oysters are going crazy and Lion's mane are blooming but very small.

[@JUSTINOURSE]

Could I use lion's mane sawdust spawn instead of wooden plugs?

[@68Bards]

Absolutely - way cheaper if you grow your own spawn.

[@PawPawRidgeHomestead]

Yes you can. We just find that plugs is easier for us!

[@jackcarterog001]

2:05. What did he say? "__________ safe wax"? Did he say dude safe wax? What is that?

[@dwreal]

Food safe is what he said.

[@PawPawRidgeHomestead]

Yep food safe.

[@cherylmoseley9746]

Which type of wax, specifically? Thanks for the vid! @@PawPawRidgeHomestead

[@SmeeUncleJoe]

What kind of log ?

[@PawPawRidgeHomestead]

Most any will work except coniferous logs. Each mushroom does have it favorites but most will grow on any.

[@fitchmister3158]

any update on progress?

[@PawPawRidgeHomestead]

We had a ton of Yellow Oysters mushrooms grow at the beginning of Fall and they were great. Sort of tasted like Chicken but doesn't everything. We had about 15 small marble size Lion's Head that grew. They were really good. Didn't taste like seafood that I heard it tasted like but was still really good!

[@fitchmister3158]

@PawPawRidgeHomestead4 lionsmane has more of a seafood texture imo. I just started 3 totems 3 months ago. Trying to figure out how long it will take the mycelium to take

[@GlacialRidgeHomestead]

I’m going to try this!

[@PawPawRidgeHomestead]

You should. We just had the yellow oysters bloom for the first time!

[@joelwhite3591]

There's a store where you can get the necessary material, highly recommended. Johnnycology store is the name

[@GlacialRidgeHomestead]

What time of year do you do this? Does it matter?

[@PawPawRidgeHomestead]

Doesn’t matter but you have to wait until the logs bloom on their own the first time then you can force bloom them. Probably wouldn’t do this in winter!

[@xandercruz8720]

What is the purpose of the first cuts you made, the key way cuts?

[@heathweeks1985]

Thats where the fruit will come out of the wood.

[@xandercruz8720]

​@@heathweeks1985what if no key way cuts are made? Will they not flush from all other sides?

[@heathweeks1985]

@@xandercruz8720 , then the outer bark would prevent the mycelium from fruiting and making mushrooms. They would still fruit out of each end, but you may not get as many than if you cut parts of the bark away.

[@xandercruz8720]

@@heathweeks1985 ok! Thanks for the info.

[@PawPawRidgeHomestead]

Yes