Fungus for Larch

[Mav]

Hi All, I'm curious if anyone knows any cultivatable mushrooms which grow on European larch?
I have a lot of it (poor quality) and lots of stumps to remove to enable replanting.
Any ideas?

[Chris Yeates]

hi

living or dead Larix? Suillus grevillei, the Larch Bolete is passable eating, but that will probably already be there growing in association with the living trees

on dead Larix others will know a lot more than me

cheers

Chris

[Mav]

I'm delibrately killing the larch. It's not a commercially viable product really, considering its cheaper to buy in the raw timber from scotland or siberia, so I'd like to turn much of the poorer quality stuff into mushroom logs and grow the good quality on, finding small high value markets for it as a finished product on a peacemeal basis.

I've found lots of species that will eat other coniferous trees and produce good, edible mushrooms like Laetiporus conifericola (a species of chicken of the woods). But larch is highly resistant to fungal invasion

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by Mav

I've found lots of species that will eat other coniferous trees and produce good, edible mushrooms like Laetiporus conifericola . . . .

ah, so you are not UK-based then!

Chris

[Mav]

Yeh, I'm UK based. The problem is that most of the trees the the forestry commission planted over that last 60 years aren't from the UK. So, sadly I've got to look further afield for fungal solutions to forestry problems!

[Andy Overall]

Originally Posted by Mav

Yeh, I'm UK based. The problem is that most of the trees the the forestry commission planted over that last 60 years aren't from the UK. So, sadly I've got to look further afield for fungal solutions to forestry problems!

To be honest Mav, I think you will have great difficulties in finding an edible species to innoculate Larch with. Apart from maybe various, hard & corky Polypores I can't think anything that grows on Larch that is edible? You could give Shiitake a go, it might work, given that Larch is deciduous.

Andy

[The Woodman]

Originally Posted by Mav

Yeh, I'm UK based. The problem is that most of the trees the the forestry commission planted over that last 60 years aren't from the UK. So, sadly I've got to look further afield for fungal solutions to forestry problems!

Hi Mav
Do you mean that the planted FC trees are non-natives or that the seed provenance of your European Larch come from without the UK?

I'm glad you're considering growing on the quality stems as there are localised markets for EL as there is in the lakes with traditional boat builders and repairers e.g. in Windermere. Finding EL for them is very difficult as nobody grows it commercially. A good stem or two can be found growing in remoter spots of estates, usually owned by the NT.

The species is far more resilient to fungal attack than JL or HL, unless you can find a market for Fomes!

[Mav]

Cheers guys - i've been on the horn to the Agroforestry Research Trust and they reckon that Indian Oyster Pleurotus pulmonarius is a good saprophyte for Larix D.

@ The Woodman: I meant the FC plant non-natives in inappropriate places, rather than commenting on their provenance. The site I'm looking at is more appropriate for growing Ash than Larch, as the soil is thick and based on limestone. I'll probably favour FE in the replanting. But am also considering some climate change resistant southern species... next job is to match mycelial fungi to the seedlings that are to be planted up!