Shiitake Plugs
Answered by: Kim
Question from: Matt
Posted on: September 30, 2009

I ordered shiitake plugs (600), scheduled for delivery Apr/May 2010. My sister, in Ontario, cut some oak logs for me, just last week (1st week of September). I read your instructions very carefully, and it seems to me she has cut them too early. Will this certainly be a problem by the time the plugs arrive next year? If so, is it possible that the plugs might be received and installed a bit earlier than April/May 2010?

Can the logs be stored in such a way as to ensure they will still work? I don’t want to waste the plugs, the logs, my sister or anyone else’s time, or the money. Please advise me as soon as possible.

I contacted our supplier and his answer is below: Logs are best cut when the leaves are off. This ensures that maximum sap and nutrients are in the sapwood. However, the cultivation will still work on the logs cut when leaves are on the trees. Store the logs off the ground, on a skid of some sort, out of full sun, and covered with with snow for the winter. If there is little snow then cover the logs with a breathable tarp. Inoculate in the early spring.

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