End coat and shiitake mushrooms

[Ron Farr]

Does anyone know if you can use end coat on logs for mushrooms or is there a fungicide that may reduce growth of the mycelium/mushooms? 

[Carl DuPoldt]

Here's a link that may help? 

End Coatings on Green Lumber
http://www.ehow.com/info_11367600_use-end-coating-green-lumber.html

[Rebecca Hargrave]

Ron,

Are these logs you're going mushrooms in? Or, trying to keep mushrooms out of?

Rebecca

[Ron Farr]

The logs the mushrooms are going into.  Was wondering if it could be used to keep moisture in and keep other mushrooms out.

[Rebecca Hargrave]

Ron,

If you put an appropriate amount of spawn in the log and the logs are fresh (not colonized by any other decay organism) the shiitake should be able to colonize the log, more or less, fully. There is the potential for other decay organisms (especially things like turkey tails) to get into the log, usually at the end, but often only a few logs are affected and not too much of the log.

It's been found that it's best to leave the end of the log unsealed to allow moisture to get into the log easily. In the past, the ends of the log were sometimes sealed with beeswax or cheese wax. Which is the same that you would use to cover the top of the filled drill holes.

You can find more information about growing mushrooms in logs here: http://blogs.cornell.edu/mushrooms/ There is even a new publication Best Management Practices for Shittake Log Production in the NE. Available for free download at that site.

I hope this helps.

Rebecca