Six pound block of supplemented sawdust colonized with black poplar mushroom, also known as pioppino, Agrocybe aegerita.

This six pound block of colonized sawdust can be used to directly inoculate prepared outdoor mushroom beds. Prepare bed by digging an eight to ten inch deep hole in a shaded well and well drained location. Fill with six to eight inches of moist or freshly chipped hardwood or hardwood shavings. Layer in bits and pieces of mushroom spawn. Cover loosely with fresh mulch, soil, or forest litter. We've also had good luck just buying the block whole in the shade garden, about one or two inches below soil surface. Cover loosely with soil or fresh mulch.

The blocks can also be used to produce a single flush of mushrooms in an indoor terrarium or greenhouse. Mushroom pins (baby mushrooms) will form on the surface of the block, inside the bag, if kept at 60F. This will occur within 1-3 weeks after receiving your block. Once you have a good number of tiny mushroom pins (they will look like dark reddish brown pencil erasers), open the bag by removing the excess bag material above the surface of the block and place the half-bag container and block into your greenhouse or mushroom fruiting terrarium. Harvest when mature, usually within 3-7 days. The block will be reluctant to set pins again, but can still be utilized as spawn in an outdoor garden bed as described above. We've had good luck just burying the "spent" indoor fruited block about on or two inches below soil surface and covering loosely with soil and mulch. Expect a few more flushes form the outdoor patch, more if supplemented with additional freshly chipped hardwood.