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- 🍄 Oyster and wine cap mushrooms are good for growing in outdoor wood chip beds.
- 🌲 Hardwood chips like oak and maple work much better than softwoods for mycelium to grow.
- 🔥 Hot water pasteurization at 160–170°F helps you succeed. It lowers the risk of contamination.
- ⚠️ Softwoods like pine and cedar stop mycelium from growing. This is because they have natural compounds that fight fungi.
- ⏳ Wood chip beds can give you mushrooms for up to two years. You just need to take care of them each year.
Why Grow Mushrooms on Wood Chips?
Many outdoor growers, permaculturists, and backyard gardeners choose wood chips to grow mushrooms. This is a popular way to grow mushrooms because it needs little care and is good for the environment. Wood chips have a lot of cellulose and lignin. These are foods many mushrooms like to eat. The chips break down slowly, so they give mushrooms food for a long time. Growing mushrooms on wood chips can give you good harvests and is sustainable. But you need to plan ahead and pick the right mushroom types. This will help you avoid problems like contamination or drying out. This guide shows you how to grow mushrooms on wood chips well. It also tells you why it works and which mushrooms are best for this method. For those who want to replicate that success indoors, our Monotubs and Mushroom Grow Bags offer simple, efficient solutions for producing abundant harvests year-round in a clean, controlled environment.
The Science Behind Mushroom Cultivation on Wood Chips
Mushrooms like oyster and wine cap are saprophytes. This means they eat decaying wood and other organic matter. Their underground network, called mycelium, grows through the wood chips. It breaks down plant fibers to get energy. Wood chips, especially fresh hardwood chips, are like the natural forest floor. This makes them a good match for growing mushrooms outdoors, not for selling.
A study by Allegretti (2019) shows that materials like wood chips have a good density and moisture level for mycelium to grow well. This is true when compared to loose straw or hard logs. Also, the chemicals in hardwoods help fungi keep breaking down food for a long time. This mix of structure and food makes wood chips a good and productive material for many types of mushrooms.
Best Mushrooms to Grow on Wood Chips
Some mushroom types grow better on wood. Here are the most reliable and productive ones to grow on wood chips.
🍄 Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus)
- ✅ Grow fast and handle changing conditions well.
- ✅ Easy to find as grain or sawdust spawn.
- ✅ Good for new growers using wood chips for the first time.
Oysters grow well in many temperatures. They are known to grow better than other molds because they spread quickly.
🍷 Wine Cap Mushrooms (Stropharia rugosoannulata)
- ✅ A favorite for garden use, often called the “garden giant.”
- ✅ Good for planting with other plants or putting under mulch paths.
- ✅ Can grow in large beds of loosely placed chips.
The Mycological Society of America (MSA, 2016) says wine cap mushrooms are good for mulched gardens. They grow well on medium to coarse hardwood chips.
🌳 Shiitake (Lentinula edodes)
- ✅ Usually grown on logs, but can grow from colonized chips later on.
- ✅ Needs correct hardwood like oak or beech to grow well.
- ⚠️ Takes longer to grow, so it is best for growers who are patient.
If you plan to switch between logs and wood chip beds, shiitake is a good choice. But it is not easy to grow.
🦁 Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus)
- ✅ A soft texture mushroom known for its medicinal uses.
- ✅ Likes dense hardwood chips in shady, moist places.
- ⚠️ Dries out easily and needs steady moisture.
Lion’s Mane is best for growers with more experience. They need to watch growing conditions carefully.
Choosing the Right Wood Chips for Mushrooms
Your choice of wood can make or break your mushroom growing on wood chips. The wood is more than just filler; it is the base for the mushroom’s life cycle.
Best Wood Chips for Growing Mushrooms on Wood Chips / Mulch Beds
The kind of wood chip substrate you use has a huge effect on how well mushrooms growing in wood chips perform. For successful wood chip mushroom beds (outside or in containers), choose fresh, untreated hardwood chips—they provide better food sources and retain moisture longer than softwoods. Some of the best options are:
- Oak, Maple, Beech, Alder, Cottonwood — dense hardwoods with high lignin and cellulose content, great for species like oysters, lion’s mane, and shiitake.
- Avoid softwoods (pine, cedar, spruce) — they contain antifungal resins that inhibit mycelium growth.
These hardwoods have lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose. These are main food sources for fungi like oyster, shiitake, and lion’s mane (Stamets, 2000).
Woods to Avoid
Do not use softwoods and needle-bearing trees. They can stop fungi from growing:
- ❌ Pine
- ❌ Spruce
- ❌ Cedar
- ❌ Fir
These trees make antifungal resins and oils. This makes them naturally resistant to decay. This is good for building, but not good for growing fungi (Trudell & Ammirati, 2009).
Best Chip Size and Texture
Aim for a mix of medium and coarse chips, about ½ to 2 inches wide. Fine sawdust packs down and stops air from moving. Large chunks break down too slowly and slow growth. A mix helps air move and holds water. This helps mycelium spread better.
Preparing Wood Chips for Mushroom Cultivation
You must prepare your wood chips first. This lowers the risk of contamination and other bacteria or molds growing. Many new growers make mistakes here. They skip sterilizing or use old, moldy chips.
🔥 Hot Water Pasteurization (Quick Method)
- Heat water to 160–170°F (71–77°C).
- Put chips in the hot water for 1–2 hours in a container that holds heat, like a cooler.
- Drain and cool completely before adding spawn.
This method reduces microbes without fully sterilizing. It keeps some good microbes for helpful fungi. As mycologist Tradd Cotter notes, keeping some native microbes can even help stop disease (Cotter, 2014).
🌊 Anaerobic Fermentation (Low-Tech Method)
- Fill a food-safe container (drum or trash can) with wood chips and water until chips are covered.
- Seal it with a tight lid and let it sit for 7–10 days.
- Drain, rinse, and dry before adding spawn.
Through natural fermentation, anaerobic bacteria make the pH lower. This creates a cleaner material with little work. This slower process is good for growing systems without electricity or off-grid.
How to Use Spawn for Wood Chip Beds (Inoculation Guide)
After your wood chip substrate is properly prepared, using good quality spawn is key to successful mushroom growing on wood. Here’s how to use spawn to inoculate wood chip beds or mulch systems effectively:
✅ Spawn Types to Use:
- Grain spawn — fast-colonizing, works well in wood chips but requires clean prep to avoid contamination.
- Sawdust spawn — easier to distribute, great for mixing into chips.
- Plug spawn — typically for logs, but can be used in smaller wood chip beds where you need concentrated spawn points.
Step-by-Step Use of Spawn in Wood Chips:
- Layering and Spreading — Build your bed in layers: wood chips, spawn, more chips. For example, in raised beds or trenches.
- Mix Evenly — Use hands or a clean rake to distribute spawn uniformly so that mycelium can reach many chips simultaneously.
- Spawn Ratio — Use about 10–15% spawn by volume relative to the wood chip amount (e.g., 10 cups spawn per 100 cups chips). This ratio gives wood-loving mushrooms like oyster or wine cap a strong start.
- Timing — Inoculate in seasons with moderate temperature and moisture, such as spring or fall, to support healthy mycelial spread without heat stress.
Spring and fall are the best times to add spawn. The moderate temperatures and seasonal moisture help mycelium grow without heat stress.
Incubation, Fruiting, and How Long to Grow Mushrooms on Wood Chips
Once you've used spawn to inoculate your wood chip bed, here’s what to expect in terms of timing and care:
Mushroom Type Typical Time to First Mushrooms on Wood Chips / Mulch Beds Oyster Mushrooms ~1-3 months with good moisture and hardwood chips
Wine Cap (Stropharia rugosoannulata) ~2-6 months when beds are thick and shade is adequate Shiitake ~6-12 months, especially if starting from logs and switching to chips Lion’s Mane ~3-6 months in moist, well-shaded hardwood chip beds
Key factors that influence how long to grow mushrooms in wood chips include species, temperature, moisture, and how fresh your wood chip substrate was. You’ll know the incubation stage is advancing when thick white mycelium spreads across and between chips, before visible fruit bodies begin to appear.
Maintaining the Mushroom Bed Over Time
Wood chip mushroom beds can last for a long time if cared for well.
💧 Regular Maintenance Tips
- Water a lot when it is dry. Do this in the morning or evening.
- Add new hardwood chips each year. This will give the mushrooms more food and make the bed stronger.
- Remove any contaminated layers or visible molds.
- Use straw or cardboard mulch. This will help keep the bed wet and stop other things from growing.
Old beds can also be "mother beds." You can move chips from these beds to start new growing areas.
Common Issues with Wood Chip Substrates
Mistakes in how you prepare, place, or choose species can cause problems. Here is how to find and fix the most common issues.
| Problem | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Contamination | Skipped pasteurization, old wood chips | Always prepare wood chips first |
| Little growth | Too little spawn, softwood content | Use more spawn; use hardwoods |
| Dry beds, stopped growth | Not enough water staying in | Add shade/mulch, mist often |
| Squirrel/pet problems | Spawn on top | Bury deeper, cover with mesh or soil |
Comparing Wood Chips to Other Mushroom Substrates
Each type of substrate works well in a different growing situation.
| Substrate | How Fast it Grows | How Long it Lasts | Good for Outdoors | How Hard it Is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Straw | Fast (2–4 weeks) | Short (1 crop) | Moderate | Very Easy |
| Wood Chips | Medium (2–6 months) | Medium–Long (1–2 years) | Excellent | Moderate |
| Logs | Slow (6–12 months) | Long (4–6 years) | Excellent | Difficult |
Wood chips are a good choice for outdoor growers. They last for many seasons. They are also easier to use than logs.
Is it Smart or Risky?
Using wood chips for mushrooms is a smart choice if:
- You use fresh hardwoods.
- You pick the right mushroom species.
- You prepare and pasteurize your substrate well.
- You take care of your beds often.
It becomes risky if:
- You skip sterilization or use treated chips, or chips you don't know about.
- You choose mushrooms that don't grow well on wood.
- You let the beds get too dry or too hot.
Tips to Grow More Mushrooms
- 🔄 Refresh beds each year: Add new chips and put spawn in those parts. This will help you keep getting mushrooms.
- 🌳 Plan where to put them: Make mushroom beds near trees, compost bins, or shady paths.
- 🧪 Try new things carefully: Mix chips with straw, cardboard, or coffee grounds. This will help you test new small growing spots.
- 🛒 Buy good spawn: Buy from trusted sellers like Zombie Mushrooms. This will give you strong mushroom starter.
Common Questions About Growing Mushrooms on Wood Chips
-
Can you grow mushrooms in mulch or wood chips indoors?
Wood chips are best outdoors or in well-ventilated shaded areas. Indoors, control moisture and airflow carefully—less ideal than mulch beds outdoors, but possible with growing containers. -
Types of mushrooms that grow in wood chips / mulch?
Some reliable options are oyster mushrooms, wine cap (Stropharia rugosoannulata), lion’s mane, and shiitake (especially on hardwood chips). These all thrive on wood chip substrate and mulch. -
How long does it take to grow mushrooms on wood chips?
It varies by species and conditions: Oyster mushrooms can show in 1-3 months; wine cap in 2-6 months; shiitake may take 6-12 months; lion’s mane around 3-6 months. -
What wood chips are best for mushroom beds?
Use fresh, untreated hardwood chips (oak, beech, maple, alder). Avoid softwoods like pine or cedar that have antifungal oils. -
How do you prepare wood chips (mulch substrate) for mushrooms?
Use methods like hot water pasteurization (160-170°F for 1-2 hours) or anaerobic fermentation. Drain and cool before adding spawn to reduce contamination risk. -
What spawn substrate is best to use in wood chip beds?
Grain spawn and sawdust spawn offer good results. Grain spawn gives rapid colonization; sawdust spawn distributes more easily. Use spawn at about 10-15% of the wood chip volume for best results.
Citations
- Stamets, P. (2000). Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms. Ten Speed Press.
- Trudell, S., & Ammirati, J. (2009). Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest. Timber Press.
- Cotter, T. (2014). Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation. Chelsea Green Publishing.
- Mycological Society of America (MSA). (2016). Mushroom cultivation practices. Retrieved from https://msafungi.org
- Allegretti, G. (2019). Best Practices for Low-Tech Mushroom Cultivation. Fungal Biology Reviews, 33(2), 140–148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fbr.2019.05.002
