Here's a brief synopsis of a fun thing to do if you happen to have some stems of a woodlover psilocybe.

It's a small justification for picking just a few specimens with a bit of mycelium attached to the base of the stem - although even if the stems are cut off it should work. Just cut the specimens as low to the ground as possible, and transfer the stem bases to the cardboard ASAP!

You will need:

*Access to fresh, woodloving mushrooms
*Brown corrugated cardboard, preferably without printing and not from China
*A knife (or)
*A pair of sharp scissors
*A plastic tub with a lid
*Water

and then:

*More tubs
*Good quality clean woodchip, e.g. reptile bedding
*Water
*A pan to boil water and woodchips in

Here's what to do:

Soak corrugated cardboard in water (preferably but not necessarily rainwater) until very soggy and most of the glue has washed out. 2" squares will do, or whatever size your container is, alternatively. I used cold water but maybe hot water is quicker. Just make sure it's not hot when you:

Peel the layers of cardboard apart. Sandwich stem butts between layers of cardboard. Put back together in a pile.

Keep in a plastic tub with a lid but do not seal the lid. Make sure the cardboard stays moist. Ventilate the tub(s) occasionally. A couple of times a week seems sufficient.

After a time, white mycelium should have begun to colonise the cardboard. When the time feels right (don't wait too long - although I got away with over two years once) transfer bits of myceliated cardboard to small tubs of soaked woodchips or boil some suitable woodchips to save time. Suitable woodchip is sold as reptile bedding or barbecue smoking chips where I live.

The mycelium should colonise the woodchip quite readily. When the mycelium has spread throughout the tub, transfer to larger tubs of soaked woodchips. These do not need to be sterile - in fact it is better if they are not. Place a layer of carboard on top.

When these tubs are colonised, you can use them to make an outdoor bed. Or if you are clever and have used a planter, collect moss to use as a casing material. Apply to the whole surface of the woodchips minus the cardboard and wait for autumn...

Did you look at the cardboard you removed? You may have noticed that the mycelium has started to colonise it - in which case you can use it to repeat the process!

P. cyanescens likes most hardwoods including beech, birch, oak, ash and sycamore.

when you say "stem butts" do you just mean still fresh stems off picked mushrooms?

great guide!

I am going to try your technique this season

Peace

Thanks for this simple and concise guide downwardsfromzero. I've been eager to establish outdoor beds for some time now and I'm sure your explanation will be very useful when the time comes. Now all I need to do is find a local source for woodchips.

Any idea how many seasons-worth you'd get out of the planter in your picture? I imagine you can continue adding fresh woodchips to the planter in order to sustain the mycelium for many years.

I mean the base of the stem, where it attaches to the mycelial cake. That said, probably the whole stem can be used - cut into several pieces if large enough. It depends on whether you feel you can spare it, perhaps. And yes, the fresher the better I suspect.

This was not my idea, but you're welcome.

I've replenished another container for a number of years, sometimes splitting and doubling the mycelium. The planter pictured is no longer in service. So long as you keep feeding the mycelium, it keeps growing.

NB: Fruiting occurs with greater abundance when the food supply starts running out.

For woodchips, try making friends with any tree surgeons you may meet

PS With woodlovers, patience is clearly an asset. If colonisation is slow for whatever reason, it may take up to 3 years for fruiting to occur. Learn what makes your mycelium happy