Stone Mushroom Indoor Patchâ„¢: F

The Stone Mushroom Patchâ„¢ Growing Temperature: 60"“80° F Known by Italians as 'Pietra Fungaia', this remarkable mushroom (Polyporus tuberaster) produces velvet-like antlers which unfold into large, funnel-shaped mushrooms. Mild in flavor, superior in texture, sauteing these mushrooms combines well with most foods. Like many of our mushroom kits, there is enough life-force in this kit once it stops producing indoors to use as spawn for outdoor cultivation. Each kit comes with illustrated instructions and is guaranteed to produce. Our indoor Mushroom Patchesâ„¢ couldn't be easier to care for; all you do is place the humidity tent we provide over the Patch and water it according to the instructions (in some cases, an overnight soak in cold water might be needed to encourage the Patch to fruit). Be sure to use water that is neither chlorinated nor distilled: chlorinated water can kill the mushroom mycelium, and distilled or heavily filtered water lacks vital nutrients that your mushrooms need to grow. Spring, rain or well water work best, although boiled tap water will also work well. All of Fungi Perfecti's indoor and outdoor Mushroom Patchesâ„¢ are Certified Organic by the Washington State Department of Agriculture. The amount of mushrooms you will get will vary from species to species, and to some extent, from Patch to Patch. For example, the Shiitake Mushroom Patchâ„¢ will produce 2-3 pounds of mushrooms over a 12-16 week period, in crops or flushes that will spring forth in approximately two week intervals. Fungi Perfecti's indoor and outdoor Mushroom Patchesâ„¢ consist of pure mushroom mycelium growing on a sterilized medium, or substrate. The substrate used will vary, depending on the mushroom being grown; for example, the Shiitake Mushroom Patchâ„¢ grows on a mixture of enriched hardwood sawdust and wood chips, while the Pearl Oyster Mushroom Patchâ„¢ grows in a bag of pasteurized wheat straw. All of our indoor Mushroom Patchesâ„¢ are 'disposable', eventually running out of the nutrients needed to produce mushrooms. At that point, there is no practical way to re-infuse the Patch with more nutrients. However, many of them can be broken up and subsequently launched outdoors, in compost piles, bales of straw, or on hardwood chips or logs. Maximizing Your 'Mycelial Mileage' After they have finished producing indoors, many of our indoor Mushroom Patchesâ„¢ can be brought 'back to life' through outdoor cultivation. When your Shiitake, Reishi or Oyster Mushroom Patchâ„¢ has run itself out indoors, the material that makes up the Patch (called 'spawn') can be broken up and used to inoculate hardwood logs. Non-aromatic hardwoods such as oak, poplar (cottonwood), elm, maple and similar woods are very good candidates for log cultivation. Alder is a good wood for the cultivation of Oyster and Shiitake mushrooms, but must be kept above ground because it will decompose quickly in contact with the soil. (We do not recommend