Mushroom Plug Spawn – Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor) Approx. 600-700 qty plugs

Description

Turkey Tail Spawn Plugs Cultivation Guide

Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor) is one of the most famous, deeply researched, and visually striking medicinal mushrooms in the world. It forms beautiful, overlapping, shelf-like brackets featuring concentric zones of rich browns, greys, tans, and creams that mimic a wild turkey’s tail.

Because Turkey Tail is a highly aggressive, ultra-resilient white-rot fungus, it colonises logs incredibly fast. It stands out as one of the easiest varieties to grow from plugs, often rewarding you with your first harvest in just 4–8 months instead of over a year! Once established, a hardy log will fruit abundantly for 3–5 years.

Turkey Tail is extremely adaptable and cold-hardy, making it a fantastic choice for beginners. While it grows best in warm incubation weather, it fruits readily across a wide temperature range (10–24°C) whenever conditions are damp and humid.

(Out of stock? Please allow 2–4 weeks for shipping.)

🛠️ Quick Gear Checklist

• Fresh Hardwood Logs: It loves almost any hardwood! Oak, maple, birch, beech, alder, and cherry are fantastic choices. Logs should be 10–15 cm in diameter and ~1 meter long.

• Turkey Tail Spawn Plugs: Wooden dowels fully colonised with aggressive Turkey Tail mycelium.

• Drill & Bit: Sized to match the plug diameter for a tight, snug fit.

• Waxing Kit: Food-grade wax, an old pot, and a paintbrush.

🪵 Step-by-Step Process

1. Age the Wood (2–3 Weeks)

• Let your freshly cut logs rest off the ground in a shady spot for 2–3 weeks. This allows the tree’s initial natural anti-fungal defences to drop so the mushroom mycelium can safely move in. Keep the logs moist during this resting phase by hosing them down.

2. Inoculate & Seal

• Drill: Drill holes in a staggered diamond pattern all over the log, spacing them 5–10 cm apart, to a depth of 1.5 times the plug length. Plan for roughly 50 plugs per meter-long log.

• Insert: Hammer the spawn plugs into the pre-drilled holes until they sit completely flush with the bark layer.

• Wax: Melt your wax in an old pot and paint generously over every single plug hole and both cut ends of the log. This creates a tight moisture seal and bars competitor wild fungi out.

3. Incubation (4–8 Months)

• Place the log back in a shaded, damp outdoor area protected from harsh, drying winds.

• Never let it dry out! Turkey Tail is tough, but it relies on wood moisture to run fast. Hose the logs down thoroughly once or twice a week (more often during dry summer heatwaves). The vigorous white mycelium will rapidly weave through the wood structure.

🌤️ Environment & Fruiting Quick-Reference

Turkey Tails grow in dense, cascading tiers of thin, leathery brackets directly out of the sides of the log bark or cut ends.

🔪 Harvesting & Preperation

• When to Pick: Harvest when the brackets are fully formed, display distinct coloured rings, and the active white or cream-coloured outer growing edge begins to fade or turn uniform in colour.

• How to Pick: Because Turkey Tail is a tough, leathery polypore, it will not easily twist off. Use a sharp pair of pruning shears or a clean knife to slice the brackets away flush with the log bark.

• Processing: Turkey Tail is not a culinary mushroom, it is too tough and woody to eat. Wash the fresh brackets thoroughly to remove any outdoor debris, chop or slice them, and dry them completely. The dried pieces are traditionally simmered into teas and broths.

• The Rest Period: Let the log rest for 6–8 weeks between flushes so the mycelium can recover and digest more wood nutrients before your next forced cold soak. Keep it in the shade and hydrated!

**Please keep in the fridge until you’re ready to use them.

Please note this culture is sold with our Mushroom Spawn and Cultures sale agreement. By purchasing you agree to this agreement

Dimensions: 8mm diameter. Recommended 8.5mm drill bit when preparing logs.