When do you cut wood for mushrooms? A grower's calendar
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Anyone allowed to saw a tree or thick branch for mushroom logs always gets the same first question back from us: when? Not to be difficult, but because the moment of cutting decides the harvests of the years to come. This is the calendar we keep ourselves, from the saw to the first mushroom.
The short answer
Cut broadleaf wood during winter dormancy, from late November to early March, preferably on a dry day without frost. Let the logs rest two to six weeks, then inoculate. In one sentence: saw in winter, inoculate in early spring, harvest from the following year.
Why during dormancy?
In autumn a broadleaf tree stores its reserves in trunk and branches and then halts its sap flow. Wood cut in that resting period is full of stored sugar and starch, exactly the food mycelium needs to conquer it. The bark also sits tight, and tight bark keeps moisture in and competitors out. Once the buds swell, some time in March, the sap runs again and the wood changes character: wetter, poorer, quicker to spoil. Hence the hard limit of early March.
The yearly calendar for mushroom logs
| Month | What you do |
|---|---|
| Late November to January | Cut or source wood. Saw into 50 to 100 cm lengths, lay in the shade, tarp loosely over the top. |
| February and March | Inoculate with plug spawn, two to six weeks after cutting. The busiest moment of the year. |
| April to June | Move logs to their final spot, in the shade. Spray occasionally during dry spells. |
| July and August | Watch the moisture. A log should not sit bone dry for weeks, but does not need daily watering either. |
| September and October | Fast species on fresh wood sometimes give a small first flush. Usually not: patience. |
| Winter | Do nothing. The mycelium keeps working as long as it is not freezing, and survives the frost. |
| Next spring and autumn | The first real harvest, 6 to 18 months after inoculation. From then on every spring and autumn. |
Can you cut in October?
Cutting in October works if the leaves are already falling. The wood is then close to winter quality. The problem is the next step: wood cut in October has to wait until February for inoculation, and that is too long. Over those months the moisture leaves and the first wild fungi move in. If you cut in October, you are better off inoculating straight away in November and accepting a slow winter start for the mycelium, or storing the wood in a cool, shaded spot under a tarp and hoping it keeps until January. Better still is simply waiting until winter to saw.
Does the weather on cutting day matter?
A little. Saw on a dry day if you can, and not in hard frost; frozen wood splinters and the bark damages more easily. Rain is no disaster, but a soaking wet log put straight under a tarp is an invitation for mould on the bark. Let it dry for a day before covering.
How do you store logs between cutting and inoculating?
On the ground in the shade, ideally on a few thin branches so they do not sit in mud, with a tarp draped loosely over them. Do not wrap tightly, or they will sweat. Not in a heated shed, or they will dry out. Two to four weeks is ideal, six weeks is the limit. Anything still lying there after six weeks deserves an honest look at the cut end before any plugs go in: discolouration means tenants have already arrived. More on that inspection in our piece on the inoculation season.
And if you missed the calendar?
Then there is another winter next year. In the meantime a grow kit or a bucket with spawn is a fine way to practise patience. Anyone standing next to a fresh log in June can try oyster mushroom, the most forgiving species, but has to accept that the odds are lower than in March. It is not forbidden territory, it is just less clever.