Stropharia
rugosoannulata
Garden Giant – King Stropharia
Garden Giant – King Stropharia
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Strophariaceae
Genus: Stropharia
Species: S. rugosoannulata
This mushroom is found on wood chips and bark mulch in North America and Europe during the summer and autumn. Given its name, this mushroom can grow to 20cm high and 30cm across. The cap, ranging from convex to eventually flat, is reddish brown. The gills progress in color beginning as pale, graying and then dark purple to brown during its last phase of decomposing. The firm stem is white and wrinkled.[1]
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Strophariaceae
Genus: Stropharia
Species: S. rugosoannulata
This mushroom is found on wood chips and bark mulch in North America and Europe during the summer and autumn. Given its name, this mushroom can grow to 20cm high and 30cm across. The cap, ranging from convex to eventually flat, is reddish brown. The gills progress in color beginning as pale, graying and then dark purple to brown during its last phase of decomposing. The firm stem is white and wrinkled.[1]
Harvesting
4–12 months from the date of inoculation, you should see dull red or burgundy- colored, stone-like formations poking up through the wood chips, often forming at the interface between the bed and neighboring vegetation. These young mushrooms are called “primordia.” The primordia will often form directly beneath protective cover such as leaves, so be sure to check your bed thoroughly. The primordial will blossom into King Stropharia mushrooms. As the mushroom matures, the veil (ring of material underneath the cap that protects the young gills) opens and the gills become grayish-purple and eventually black as the spores mature offers a number of field guides with detailed descriptions and photographs of this and many other mushroom species). It is best to harvest the mushrooms almost as soon as the veil opens. Individual mushrooms will vary greatly in size at maturity. Gently twist the mushrooms at the base, being careful not to disturb any young neighboring mushrooms. King Stropharia mushrooms grow very quickly, and can be attractive to certain garden denizens like pill bugs and slugs, so check your bed often. Once harvested, your mushroom bed should produce crops of mushrooms continuously for weeks, provided water is abundant and there is a sufficient mass of wood chips. Ideally, more chips should be added each year, both around and stirred vigorously into the original bed—though not if molds or competitor fungi have appeared. The introduction of a new bag of Mushroom Patch spawn on a yearly basis will help to fortify and reinvigorate your King Stropharia bed.[2]
4–12 months from the date of inoculation, you should see dull red or burgundy- colored, stone-like formations poking up through the wood chips, often forming at the interface between the bed and neighboring vegetation. These young mushrooms are called “primordia.” The primordia will often form directly beneath protective cover such as leaves, so be sure to check your bed thoroughly. The primordial will blossom into King Stropharia mushrooms. As the mushroom matures, the veil (ring of material underneath the cap that protects the young gills) opens and the gills become grayish-purple and eventually black as the spores mature offers a number of field guides with detailed descriptions and photographs of this and many other mushroom species). It is best to harvest the mushrooms almost as soon as the veil opens. Individual mushrooms will vary greatly in size at maturity. Gently twist the mushrooms at the base, being careful not to disturb any young neighboring mushrooms. King Stropharia mushrooms grow very quickly, and can be attractive to certain garden denizens like pill bugs and slugs, so check your bed often. Once harvested, your mushroom bed should produce crops of mushrooms continuously for weeks, provided water is abundant and there is a sufficient mass of wood chips. Ideally, more chips should be added each year, both around and stirred vigorously into the original bed—though not if molds or competitor fungi have appeared. The introduction of a new bag of Mushroom Patch spawn on a yearly basis will help to fortify and reinvigorate your King Stropharia bed.[2]
Taking Care of the Bed
Watering: Once a month after the first 4 weeks. Where it is located, the bed should eventually be sufficiently watered by the runoff from the watering of the flats above it.
The mat of mycelium, hyphae, should spread throughout the entire bed of sawdust after about 4-8 months. Once it starts fruiting mushrooms should be popping up frequently. To continue the bed, mix in fresh pasteurized sawdust, chips or another medium into the bed every spring.
Watering: Once a month after the first 4 weeks. Where it is located, the bed should eventually be sufficiently watered by the runoff from the watering of the flats above it.
The mat of mycelium, hyphae, should spread throughout the entire bed of sawdust after about 4-8 months. Once it starts fruiting mushrooms should be popping up frequently. To continue the bed, mix in fresh pasteurized sawdust, chips or another medium into the bed every spring.
I began by pasteurizing my
medium, sawdust, in a medium sized container. For hot water I used a shower.. After an hour I drained the tub and added stropharia
sawdust spawn I ordered from Fungi Perfecti.
To ensure
that the mycelium spread throughout the entire container, I layered the sawdust
spawn with the medium. I wore gloves while interacting with the spawn and tried
to finish as quickly as possible to prevent competitors from contaminating the
bin.
Sealing
it with a lid, the mycelium was left to spread through the container for a
couple of weeks. The container stayed in the greenhouse at night but was pulled
outside into the shade during the day to keep it between a range of 45-50
degrees. To maintain moisture, it was periodically watered.
I dug a square hole out from
underneath a table in the greenhouse and lined the bottom with cardboard
I bordered the edges of the hole
with cut black locust and poplar to deter competing mushrooms and plants. I
then watered the cardboard.
I pasteurized more sawdust to mix
with the inoculated to be able to fill the bed. I used boiling water from the
kitchen this time. After an hour I drained it. Covering the cardboard about 3
inches thick, I patted the sawdust to clear it of air pockets.
I made holes in the wet cardboard
and the dirt bellow it to make sure the bed would be able to drain when it
filled with excessive water.
Mixing chunks of the inoculated
sawdust with the bottom layer of medium I created the first layer. I made sure
not to disturb the mycelium chunks too much while spreading them out in the
bed.
I separated the first layer from
the second with broken up pieces of cardboard. I patted the sawdust again to
clear it of air pockets. I soaked this layer of cardboard as well.
I did the same with the second
layer as I did the first by mixing the inoculated medium with the sawdust that
I had just pasteurized. I placed the inoculated sawdust in many different spots
in the bed to ensure mycelium spread throughout the entire bed.
I pasteurized straw to cover the bed. I used the shower method again.
I finished by covering the bed
with straw to insulate it, hold moisture and prevent competitors from joining
the stropharia.
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