Royal Oyster Mushroom Spawn is the largest variety of oyster mushrooms. The cap is 5-15 cm in diameter, round, convex, and expands with age. The stem is thick, 5-10 cm long.
Cultivated on hardwood logs in home settings and on garden plots. Fruiting occurs in waves, 3-4 years on soft wood and 5-7 years on hard wood.
The contents of the package are sufficient to inoculate 25 kg of wood. Yield up to 7 kg per year. Used in home cooking in boiled, stewed, salted, fried, and dried forms.
Cultivating Royal Oyster Mushroom
Only hardwood logs, free of rot, cut 1-4 months prior to inoculation, 30-40 cm long and 15-30 cm in diameter, are used. Dry logs should be soaked in water for 2-3 days. Then place them in a well-ventilated, shaded area for several days. In the prepared log, drill holes in a checkerboard pattern, 4-5 cm deep and 9 mm in diameter, spaced 10-15 cm apart.
Wearing sterile gloves, insert the spawn into the holes and cover the holes with pieces of bark, paraffin, moistened cotton, etc. After wrapping the log in plastic film with small ventilation holes, place it in a dark, humid location for mycelium colonization. At t=20-25°С, the log will be colonized within 2-3 months. When white mold appears at the inoculation sites and on the ends of the log, remove the film and bury the logs vertically in soil to one-third of their length. In outdoor settings, choose a shaded and wind-protected area. In indoor settings, bury the logs in pots or containers with soil.
Since fruiting bodies require high air humidity (60-85%), temperature (15-23°С), ventilation, and sufficient light (8-10 hours per day), unheated spaces are suitable for cultivation, where optimal conditions can be created. Care involves watering the plants with a spray nozzle 2-3 times per week, and daily during the fruiting stage. The first harvest on soft wood will appear after 2-4 months, and on hard wood after 6 months.
