I have always wanted to try raising a beef cow so last year I purchased a young one and got to work.

Over the winter I made a huge pile of straw and cow patties along the edge of the woods when cleaning his barn.I was walking along the pile yesterday and noticed some lib caps growing throughout the pile and in the grass nearby.I was very happy to see them and picked 20 or 30 nice ones. I also noticed quite a few in the pasture but my steer is 800 pounds now and surpisingly fast and likes to play sometimes,not worth getting run over or kicked trying to get a few shrooms.

My questions are:

How long will the mushrooms grow there after my cow is gone?

The pile right now is about 30 /40 feet long 3 feet high and 3 feet wide.Now knowing the real treasure that pile is I would like to move it to an area of my yard more private and safe from harm.
Should I just move the whole pile to one area or make 2 or 3 piles out of it?

I plan to leave it put this year and let them colonize well.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Depends on the external conditions, ie humidity and temperature.

Once mushrooms grow on a substrate, they will no keep growing on it. They usually produce 3 flushes of groups of mushrooms with breaks of water in between called "flushes".

You could try a 4x4 or tractor in the field and when u see one just jump out quickly, reminds me of this one time with my car in a field with 100's of cows surrounding me lol was scary.

Your pile is fucking big! but unless you live around the equator you are limited to a one season grow. I would chuck it all in a trailer, then tow it somewhere private where you can leach it (spray with fresh water to remove ammonia) and then colonize it (either from previous poo or jars u have made). I would make 2-3 piles maybe ever smaller and try and control it to maintain adequate temps and humidity. Like if it is in the sun it will dry out so you need to make a cover layer to keep light out and humidity in, once colonized you let light in and shrooms grow.

A good idea is to collect some in a bag or pillow slip, then boil that in the pillow slip at 70c for an hour, then inoculate it with mycelium and keep it at 27c at 100 percent humidity. after a few weeks spread all that shit in the pillow slip in to the pile and it will speeed things up a bit.

Either way, I think bringing some of it indoors and controlling it could speed it up... but who needs THAT many shrooms? jesus

Thanks for the reply some good info there.It has been very hot and humid this month and we are just starting to get some heavy rain now about once a week.

My pile is located just under the edge of the bows of some pretty tall conifer trees only getting direct sun until noon, its shaded the rest of the day.

I think i'm going to let nature take its course outside and maybe start an indoor project in the winter.


One quick question non related:

I was looking at the pile yesterday and noticed something had dug a hole in the pile and destoyed a wasp nest or at least half the nest.What sort of bird or animal tears up a wasp nest?
i noticed a few other small holes so maybe an accident but anyone know of any animals that purposely attack a wasp nest?

Are you positive on the identification?

Have you taken a spore print?

Deconica coprophila syn. Psilocybe coprophila, Panaeolus semiovatus, Panaeolus papilionaceus, Bolbitius vitellinus, Conocybe moseri, and several other species are coprophilic (dung-loving)

Psilocybe semilanceata, the liberty cap does not grow on dung, it prefers grassland habitats and is most common in the Pacific northwest if you are located in the United states...

bos indicus cattle have a relationship with the stropharia cubensis mushrooms*, as these mushrooms prefer the dung of this specific cattle (though they have been found elsewhere), these cubensis mushrooms will only occur in the southern parts of the United states, on the gulf coast of the United states, I.e. Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, etc...This species is especially prominent.

*psilocybe cubensis syn. Stropharia cubensis are the most commonly cultivated psilocybin containing mushroom, when you buy mushrooms it will almost always be this species, unless your told otherwise.

The Pacific northwest has an abundance of potent psilocybin containing fungi, Psilocybe semilanceata (liberty cap), Psilocybe azurescens (one of the most potent), Psilocybe cyanescens, psilocybin stuntzii (which is one of the least potent ) and many others are all common to this region.

The southern United states and the gulf coast also host some potent psilocybin fungi, such as Psilocybe weilii which is native to Georgia, and stropharia cubensis which is common all along the gulf coast and in the southern states, stropharia cubensis is coprophilic, or "dung loving" and prefers the dung of bos indicus cattle, but can be found growing on other mediums.

Panaeolus cinctulus and it's look alike Panaeolina foenisecii are common in all 50 states.

Psilocybe Alutacea is another common dung loving species.

Your location is very important, as is taking a spore print and paying close attention to what you found the fungi growing on, as well as season, conditions, and taxonomic features which would aide you in distinguishing your mushroom.

I'm really burnt out on fungi right now, and have been researching other things, but thought I may as well offer the information that I could.

Did you have a positive identification on your mushrooms?

-eg

I have'nt taken a spore print yet but I will do that. I live in canada on the east coast.

Sorry, i thought he meant cubensis. Good point, dont want him eating something possibly harmful. I would even buy a few spore prints and get some rolling before winter kicks in, otherwise you will have to wait a few months in winter while it germinates and colonizes.

Why is a wasp nest in the middle of your dung pile? Probably a racoon or something like that, maybe even a rat or mouse.

I took a few sore prints and will research them. Knowing how dangerous mushrooms can be (toxicity) I was not about to eat any until i'm sure what they are.

I think i will wait until the next good rain and get some nice ones for a better print.

when i mentioned earlier about my indoor project,I was thinking more along the lines that i would order some supplies online and grow a proper strain from a reputable company to be safe.

On a side note the farmer where i buy my hay and straw apparently has thosands growing in his fields.But he is an elderly church going guy and is not about to let ppl in there.He is a nice old guy but to each his own.


My reason for thinking they were libs was because the storys i heard about his field and my cow is eating the same stuff his cows are.Also i have been checking my fields for at least 7 or 8 years and never noticed very many mushrooms growing there until now.

thanks for taking the time to help i really appreciate it.