I hope i'm starting a new thread the right way and not furthering the clutter of the forums?

I feel like i made it past level 1 to level 2 of outdoor shrooms. I'm no longer worried about starting them if I have to but now I'm trying to spread them and i'm nervous that i might be loosing momentum. I might just have over stressed them when I tried to take 1/2 the patch to a safer location. I wasn't sure how much to take. I think I took too much last winter because although I still see lots of thick ps cyan mycilium I got only about 2-3 grams (dry). The patch is big enough that last year I got 3/4 oz and I still expect it will produce more since only small section popped each time. Maybe I'm already spreading too fast and that's how invaders are getting in? Another questionable move was taking mycilium from the center thinking that would be the strongest and purest. I guess i did want to make sure i move the whole patch, over 2 years time. I took the middle but i left what looked like a thick donut of mycilium with ~6" tracks of mycilium cris-crossing the whole. Then I filled it with fresh chips. The new separate patch looks great, but it's 1 y/o now and I don't expect shrooms until next season. I do worry about the edges of the original cyan patch but only in so far as it's my backup if my new patch doesn't take.

Now the more nerve racking part. Is it possible to ID mycilium? I'm growing in the woods and it seems like there is a lot of other fungi out there. I did try hard when i started the patch to dig down and start in the middle of an larger open area to avoid competitors. Now I'm spreading out into the ferns and it's harder to clear 100%. ps cyans and azurescens have fairly "ropey," white mycilium, but it seems there are a lot of different mushrooms with finer white mycilium. I'm even wondering now if it's possible (with a microscope maybe?) because I saw some questionable stuff this season (fluffy white cotton) that turned out to be good and I threw away some more questionable mycilium that now looks good too (i didn't throw it too far in the bushes). This worse looking stuff was light yellow and very different looking, sort of old and dusty like an old man's ears, lol, descriptions. Maybe my azes (this is a second patch from the cyans, but the mycilium looks much like the ps cyans) where mixed with this invader? I have a 2nd invader in this patch as well, at least it looks totally different, but heck if i know maybe they are the same??? It looks like rotting... turds? Tiny black, irregular pellets that turn into slimy goo-ie, sort of like vomit. So gross. Then it gets these tiny tan puffball looking things. I don't know where this comes from. I see traces around the patch but it also seems to start in random places in the center of thick azes mycilium, on top of it. I don't know how big of a threat this is but I scoop it out anyway.

So, am I doomed? haha. I hear Stamets recommends starting over rather than fighting invaders but it seems what I have is mostly strong (as in super thick, dense, solid white clumps of alder chips) and it seems like there are lots of potential invaders out there. The azes patch isn't huge but despite my taking out obvious invaders that took hold of 1/2 the patch 2 years in a row, it still produced 3/4 oz each year (this patch is much smaller that the ps cyan patch but same yield). So maybe not doomed but I was surprised this year that i got any. Perhaps a little stress is good? Perhaps I'm just anxious, but it took me so long to figure out how to transfer mycilium, it takes me 2 years to get every new patch going now, and, well, i need to have shrooms guaranteed forever! Haha. Thanks for reading

And one more question:
What do you think about using old leaves to cover up the fresh wood chips, which are otherwise bright reddish honey colored? Contaminate potential? Last year I used pine branches but I don't want to cut down more branches than I have to.

I'm getting better at gorilla gardening but ever since one of me outdoor weed grows got busted I worry about helicopters. I assume this is how they found it because there is hardly any reason for anyone to be out there on someone's private property. I heard the cops air lifted it out too. lol.

Oh noy. Who, attempting to propagate is good and all, but do you realize that you did not have to "move" any of the patch, and that by doing so, if another person or persons rely on that patch for their goods, you are likely denying them that? I see people do this all the time, come and shovel out chips destroying patches when all they have to do is take a few stem butts, colonize sooner cardboard and then spawn that to chips. Barring a fruiting, then ONE small colonize chip will spawn out as bed. I'm sorry, but i can't condone removing chips.

Why would leaves contaminate am outdoor bed?

Thanks for your perspective. I share it for the most part. I have struggled with stem butt method for some reason. Getting it from cardboard to chips seems to take very long? I've tried this, (a dozen times?). I tried using sawdust (soaked for 48hr) as an intermediate with the woodchips but I'm not sure it helped. Mycilium is better. I do read often that stem butts is usually best.

To your point, yes, removing mycilium definitely stresses the patch big time, but I have never totally killed a patch. I have done this for a long time and learned from my ways over the years, i've learned a great deal on this actually, and apparently, am still learning I could do less harm. Small amounts from the edges are perhaps safer for the life of the original patch? I still do("did," until i got my own established) it on occasion when the original patch is very unlikely to survive. My post however is about moving a patch that I already moved. Security is also of high importance. And, fyi, one of my main purposes is not only to guarantee i have easy access (i'm not a great hunter) AND, to export mycilium into every public patch of woodchips i come across. Yes, mycilium, ..from a separate dedicated pile. So, i think you miss my point, friend. Sorry for my miscommunication.

On dead leaves: I'm not sure why they would be bad, that is why I asked. I'm concerned because I see other myciliums grow under them regularly, so various mycilium likes them, and, I'm using them on fresh virgin chips which I don't want to contaminate too much. I'm not sure how much spore is floating around in the air, getting on trees and leaves and everywhere, but I imagine this is a way they get themselves around. Lastly, if I put too many fresh chips out (not sure how fast ps cyan mycilium moves here) I surely am more likely to have invaders.

Mycelium -> cardboard -> chips can be pretty slow.

Factor in a year, minimum. Fruiting might be better after 2 years. My ovoids took 4 years, but the myc was nearly dead at first.

I've always done the jump from cardboard to chips using just a small takeout container of pasteurised BBQ smoking chips, then use that to inoculate definitely unsterile, anaerobically fermented (~3 mths), stinky (but thoroughly washed) , 'wild' woodchips in 4-5 gallon tubs. I would only mulch with leaf litter once the myc is well and truly established. My only 'contamination' from leaves has been Macrotyphula claviformis (iirc) which grows in leaf mould and was not a problem.

Ps. cyanescens likes little patches of moss, amongst other things.

Interesting, downwardsfromzero. Thanks!
This is the second time I've heard of soaking chips for 3 months. I would have thought the stink they acquire is rot, as it reminds me of experiments in middle school science.

Maybe i've been lucky so far but i've been using yards of fresh chips at a time. I usually put my wild mycilium in a cardboard box with about 3-4x the amount of fresh woodchips, close the lid, and leave it outside over winter. In the Spring I again add 3-4 times fresh wood chips but now I put it on cardboard sheets on the ground, after digging the top layers of dirt away.

I'll think about adding moss. I didn't know that. My plan has been to get grass growing out there but they seem to like the sword ferns out there quite a bit too. Now I clear a larger area of ground and transplant ferns in every 6' or so.

If this post is still getting views, I could re-phrase the question.


Does anyone "weed" their outdoor mushroom beds? Like, taking out unwanted mushrooms?


Mostly this doesn't seem to be a problem when wanted mycilium is strong and other mushrooms are few. Often I take other shrooms away but often when they are just a few small ones around the border I just leave them if there is good wanted mycilium close by and not too much uncolonized chips nearby. My question is more in regards to larger invasions, and then after i take away the "bad" shrooms, how much "bad" mycilium to try to distinguish and remove? Im getting googly eyed staring so much and trying to separate similar (or same??) looking mycilium. haha. If no enlightenment today, maybe tomorrow, if not then maybe later. It'll happen when it happens

Don't worry about contamination. IME that was never a problem. a few years ago I set up a few patches at different locations. Some died out, but one developed really nice! I think if the place fits the need of the mushroom, it will outgrow everything else. If it is not perfect, you will have a hard time keeping it alive.

Anyway, it might take 2 or 3 years before you have good harvests.

Ideal locations for Ps. cyanescens and similar engender a quality of "lowness" in some way. I hope that makes sense!

"lowness," this i will need some further understanding of. Thanks downwardsfromzero.

der-seemann, Sounds about right. But how perfect is perfect? lol. I guess this I will have to study up on! I don't want to fight to keep these things alive, i want them to thrive! I got fed up trying to hide my patches so I finally got them going 3 years ago by just starting them out in the yard where I could keep an eye on them and they wouldn't be too hedged in by various locations designed to be discrete. I hope it is close enough to perfect, and i hope my main problem is taking out mycilium to move them. This does seem to stress them every time, even though I have never quite killed a patch doing this.

And thanks much, I just love every time i hear that ps cyans are aggressive. That helps me out as a mediocre gardener as well as letting me more to let go and allow what will be. ..of course with a little input, like planting several patches. We'll see, maybe some of mine will be able to hold their own soon too!