How to Grow a Laetiporus Sulphureus

The chicken mushroom or sulphur shelf (Laetiporus sulphureus) is a parasitic wood mushroom, particularly on oak branches and stumps. Collectors of mushrooms consider the chicken mushroom to be one of the largest edible specimens they can find. Some report that the cooked tissues taste like chicken meat, although you should avoid specimens found growing on trees other than oak. Typically, this mushroom is found in the northeastern portions of the U.S. in the fall on decaying wood.

Oak logs
5/16 drill bit
Electric drill
Spawn plugs
Hammer
Tarp
Paraffin
Brush

Instructions

- 1
  Cut 4- to 6-inch-wide logs, 4 feet long, from healthy oak trees in August for fall cultivation. Keep them in the shade where they will stay cool during the inoculation time.
- 2
  Drill holes in the log with a 5/16 drill bit to make space for the spawn plugs, making the holes 1 1/4 inch deep. Keep the holes about 6 inches apart in six rows on the branch. Place the rows 2 inches apart.
- 3
  Place the spawn plugs in the holes and hammer them in until they are flush with the bark.
- 4
  Melt paraffin in a heat-proof pan and then paint it over the top of the spawn plugs to keep them from drying out.
- 5
  Stand the logs up in the shade, either leaning up against another tree or structure, or burying them 1/4 of their length in the ground.
- 6
  Keep the logs moist by covering them with a tarp or by spraying them with water daily initially until they stay damp. Expect to harvest the mushrooms starting within six months to a year for the next four years.

Description of Mushrooms

Wild Agaricus Mushrooms to Pick & Eat

Growing Mushrooms