Winecap 3lb Sawdust Spawn Block

Description

Stropharia rugoso-annulata; Strain AM4

AKA- Garden Giant, King Stropharia

This is a 3lb bag of Winecap (Wine Cap) sawdust spawn. There is a small amount of grain present as well. Create a winecap bed in your yard and learn to care for your “Garden Giants”.

I am also able to produce Winecap spawn to order and larger amounts will be discounted- email me with how much spawn you need for your outdoor bed and I am happy to put together a quote and timeline.

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This product may take up to 3 weeks to ship but most of the time will ship immediately or in 1-2 weeks. Please be aware of the lag before ordering. You will get an email with tracking 1 day before shipping, if you need to delay the order contact MMM ASAP to reschedule the order ship date.

Please see below the instructions for considerations about home grown food products and mushroom spores.

Instructions for use:

This information is specific to Winecap.

1. Check your block upon arrival to make sure there are no tears or signs of mold from shipping.
2. Prepare your Winecap bed. I recommend 1 3lb spawn bag per 25 square feet. Winecap beds are best produced on or around existing woodchip/mulch beds and in the shade.
   Winecap beds prepared in Spring after frost concerns generally produce late Summer and Fall and Late Summer/Fall prepared beds tend to fruit in Spring/Summer of the following year. Beds can be “fed” yearly with a new layer of straw and woodchips to continue to produce. A single bed produced as described below, should produce for at least 1-2 year(s) (2-4 fruiting seasons).
3. Gather bed materials- hardwood woodchips and straw are recommended. Presoaked is ideal, but you can soak as you create the bed.
4. Rake out bed to soil level if not being put on existing woodchips/mulch. There should not be plants or weeds for best results.
5. Put a layer of woodchips, about 1-2″ deep as base layer.
6. Add a thin layer of straw.
7. Add a thin layer of Winecap spawn. Break it into small pieces and spread, it does not need to be a perfect even layer.
8. Add a thin layer of woodchips, a thin layer of straw and a thin layer of spawn. Top with a layer of woodchips that covers the bed fairly completely and evenly.
9. Soak the bed with water.
10. Continue to keep the bed moist, it should be watered on days without rain and when hot/dry. Drip systems can be best. There inside of the bed should remain moist- if the top layer is dry it likely is due for a watering.
    Consider checking on the bed about 1 per week when first made. You can gently dig into a portion of the bed to see if white mycelium is growing from the spawn into the straw and woodchips.
11. After 2-11 months, the bed will produce mushrooms! They can be picked before the cap opens (“buttons”) or, after 1-2 more days, once the cap is opened.
    Please be mindful of Winecap identification. There is always a chance for other species to grow out of the bed. You are responsible for what is put in your body, make sure you are picking and eating Winecap. I strongly recommend looking at a guide and looking at photos on the internet to correctly identify. Wikipedia is a good source to start.
    We are currently accepting photographs of any of the above steps for clarification for future customers, including photos of beds, fruits etc. Thank you!
12. Yearly, usually in the spring, it is recommended to “feed” the bed to allow continued production without diminishing returns. This is best done by adding a new layer of spawn, straw then woodchips to the top of a bed. One can also gently mix some of the top of the bed into a fresh straw layer, and then add a layer of woodchips, but adding fresh spawn is ideal.

*CAUTIONS AND CONSIDERATIONS:

IF YOU PLAN ON CONSUMING YOUR HOME-GROWN MUSHROOMS MAKE SURE TO COOK THEM THOROUGHLY. IF IT IS YOUR FIRST TIME EATING THIS SPECIES, IT IS BEST TO START WITH A SMALL AMOUNT TO SEE HOW YOUR BODY RESPONDS! BE MINDFUL OF CORRECTLY IDENTIFYING OUTDOOR GROWN WINECAP BEFORE CONSUMING.

MUSHROOMS PRODUCE SPORES AS THEY DEVELOP. THIS IS A NATURAL MEANS OF REPRODUCTION FOR THE FUNGUS. THEY USUALLY APPEAR AS A DUSTY SURFACE ON YOUR GROW KIT BENEATH THE MUSHROOM CAPS. PEOPLE WITH ALLERGIES OR COMPROMISED IMMUNE SYSTEMS MAY WANT TO CONSIDER PUTTING FRUITING MUSHROOM KITS OUTDOORS OR IN A WELL-VENTILATED AREA AS AIRBORNE SPORES SOMETIMES CAUSE RESPIRATORY IRRITATION. SPORES MAY ALSO CAUSE IRRITATION FOR SOME NON-ALLERGIC OR IMMUNE COMPROMISED MUSHROOM GROWERS, THOUGH THIS IS RARE. HARVESTING MUSHROOMS WHILE STILL IN THEIR YOUNGER GROWTH STAGES WILL REDUCE THE OVERALL SPORE LOAD.