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How To Grow Turkey Tail Mushrooms Step by Step Using 3 Methods

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Some mushroom types are highly prized for their culinary use. Others are utilized for therapeutic purposes. The second category includes turkey tail mushrooms.

They contain various useful substances, making them worthwhile to consume; therefore, to reap their benefits, many people ask how to grow turkey tail mushrooms.

The issue is that turkey tail mushrooms cannot be eaten like portobellos or oyster mushrooms. Humans can’t eat them because of their dense, woody structure.

The Scientific Name for Turkey Tail Mushrooms is Trametes Versicolor. These mushrooms grow worldwide and in most climates, making them a good choice for mushroom growing beginners. They can tolerate shade and are an excellent choice for cold climates.

If you want to reap the benefits of these mushrooms, you must prepare them in a precise method. The good news is that making a tea or supplement out of turkey tail mushrooms is simple.

If you want to add them to your daily health regimen, you need to know how to grow turkey tail mushrooms. The turkey tail mushroom is a very popular mushroom known for its powerful and calming therapeutic properties.

You might have a few of these in your yard right now, depending on where you live and what time of year it is. If not, you’ve almost certainly seen them growing in nature, as they’re quite common.

How To Grow Turkey Tail Mushrooms
Turkey Tail Mushrooms via Flickr

A Complete Guide on How To Grow Turkey Tail Mushrooms

The Best Way to Grow Turkey Tail Mushrooms at Home is in a Cooler Environment. Turkey tail mushrooms are very sensitive to fluctuations in temperature.

They do best in temperatures between 40 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which means it’s likely not the best mushroom type for your home unless you have a constantly cool environment. However, they can grow in nature in pretty much any climate.

Method 1

Whether you’ve found a wild turkey tail mushroom or you want to grow them yourself from scratch, there are some steps you need to follow for success. Turkey tail mushrooms are known for the turkey-tail shape of their caps, making them easy to distinguish.

They can usually be found growing in clusters together on decaying wood or tree stumps, so this is where you will want to begin your search if you’re trying to find one to grow at home.

To get started with growing your turkey tail mushrooms, gather some fresh specimens. To do this, you will need to scout out the right substrate for your mushrooms to grow on; they like decaying wood or tree stumps that are slightly damp but not too wet.

1: Select a cool, damp area in your yard or garden for the fungus to grow on.

2: Find some fresh specimens of turkey tail mushrooms; these mushrooms can often be found growing in clusters together on decaying wood or tree stumps.

3: Chop the specimens into small pieces with a sharp knife. Make sure not to chop them up too finely, as they need some texture to grow.

4: Drill holes in the bottom of your cooler and fit the pieces inside so that they sit upright and can breathe.

5: Put a loose-fitting lid on top and keep them in a cool, dark place for about two weeks.

6: After two weeks, open the cooler and check on the progress of your new crop of turkey tail mushrooms. If there are any growing yet, close the cooler back up for another week or so to allow them to continue growing. If not, leave it closed for at least another month before checking again.

7: The fungus’s fruiting bodies (mushrooms) will begin to form after a month. These can be harvested and used fresh or dried for later use.

8: Once these mushrooms start fruiting, you may need to drill more holes in your cooler or reposition the mushroom pieces if they are not all growing in the same direction. This is due to how these mushrooms grow, which means they won’t all fit through the holes at once.

Method 2

The exact process of how to grow turkey tail mushrooms using a stump or a log is pretty simple. It all starts with a few steps you need to follow to help you find the right kind of host tree.

The type of wood it grows on is extremely important, so make sure that you have the correct supplies before growing your mushrooms at home.

How To Grow Turkey Tail Mushrooms 2
Turkey Tail Mushrooms via Reddit

1: To begin, search the garden for a tree stump from a hardwood tree such as oak, maple, or pine. Choose a stump for the growth since the roots will feed water to the wood and eliminate the need for watering.

2: Acquire a little 3 to 8-inch oak, maple, or pine log.

3: When choosing a stump, make sure it’s in a semi-shaded region, as this will assist the mushroom to grow.

4: Clean the area to eliminate the potential of additional fungus invading the region afterward.

5: Once you’ve found the perfect spot for your stump, you’ll want to start inoculating it with turkey tail spawn plugs. To do so, disinfect a 5/16-inch drill bit with rubbing alcohol before inserting it into the drill.

6: Drill a hole approximately 2 inches from the edge of one side of the stump’s top and about 1 1/4 inch deep. Hammer the plug spawns into the holes once you’ve finished.

7: Continue drilling a line of holes into the stump at 4-inch intervals, putting and hammering in the plug spawns as you go. You must now drill a fresh roll of holes 3 inches from the previous row and insert spawn plugs in the same way as before.

8: Continue this method until the top of the stump is completely covered in spawn plugs.

9: Heat the cheese wax to a temperature of around 145 degrees F. Apply the wax to each hole with a paintbrush as it melts. The spawn plug will be sealed into the wood due to this action. 1-2 inches of water per week should suffice to keep your new plant happy.

Method 3

Buying them as a kit is the most convenient method to grow them. All you have to do now is slit open the bag and keep them moist for the turkey tail mushrooms to grow.


Final Remarks

Turkey tail mushrooms can grow wild almost anywhere worldwide except for the North and South Poles. The most common place to find turkey tail mushrooms is in the forests, where they grow around decaying wood or tree stumps.

If you have never grown your mushrooms before, this is the best type to start with because of its simple requirements and unique health benefits.

Now that you know how to grow turkey tail mushrooms, you can enjoy the health benefits of these fungi in your favorite recipes. Because they’re so easy to grow at home, you can also have a steady supply of them when you need them.

It’s important to note that growing these delicious and healthy mushrooms in your home is possible; it takes some preparation. You need to get the right kind of wood for them to grow on.

These are usually found growing in nature on fallen logs or decaying tree stumps, but occasionally they can also pop up on living trees. The fungi that give turkey tail mushrooms their unique color digest organic matter, breaking down complex carbohydrates into simpler sugars.

This makes turkey tail mushrooms a great addition to soups or stews, as they can provide their unique flavors in addition to the health benefits.