Fungi as decomposers in a Food forest

Hello everyone, 

First off, Welcome to the Green Haven Nursery Website and Blog. This site has been a work in progress for many Months over the winter and we are very excited to share our Advice, Plant specific tips and plethora of knowledge  through this Blog to help you in your gardening journey. If there is anything you would like me to specifically discuss, feel free to share in the comments.

I thought with the arrival of Spring, It would be an great time to discuss a important part of creating a Food Forest, which is the maintenance of a living, breathing mulch layer. Of course everyone is aware of the multitude of benefits around using woodchips mulch. 

1. Maintaining a steady state of moisture in the soil, ensuring roots and microorganisms do not dry out
2. Providing a home for microorganisms to populate and proliferate, which is especially important in places where these populations are depleted or in infertile soil. 
3. Providing a long term nutrient source for plants as the wood chips break down into Humus.

While this is ultimately great all said and done, many people often lament the slow, gradual breakdown of woodchips. Which puts a damper on the benefits above. 

But did you know that by harnessing a completely different kingdom of life that not only can you break down woodchips faster, but get a secondary crop from the woodchips themselves?  

Fungi are the answer! Fungi are adapted specifically to break down Lignin and other difficult to decompose compounds found in wood, which bacteria are generally poorer at. Colonizing and breaking down the woodchip, much faster than without. Using a edible, vigorous species of Fungi like Wine Cap mushrooms (King Stropharia) provide the amazing added benefit of converting this substrate into a source of food, even within a couple of months. 

What you can expect in the mulch layer of your food forest, after a few months

Things to keep in mind if you plan of using Fungi in the garden to decompose woodchip.

1. Use a vigorous species of mushroom (we have had good experience with King Stropharia) to outcompete other types of Fungi. 
2. Apply mushroom spawn to fresh/near fresh wood chips, allowing them to establish and outcompete other species present
3. Ensure the innoculated woodchips (specifically the mycelium) are kept adequately moist, as a general rule of thumb Fungi do like shade (which makes them an ideal decomposer in the understory of a food forest!)
4. Please ensure that if you innoculate a specific species of mushrooms into a woodchip path you can confidently Identify the species if you plan on eating them! It is inevitable that you will have other types of Fungi growing so careful identification is a must. 
5. Some types of Fungi are vigorous and spread around the garden wherever there is a carbon source like Wine Cap mushrooms. We have even seen them colonize a Coconut Coir hanger left on the Mulch for a week too long. Something to keep in mind if you want some locations without mycelium colonization.

We have definitely experienced positive results from incoporating Fungi around our subtropical fruit trees, especially the growth of Papaya, the dense mat of mycelium that forms also stabilizes and protects the soil structure underneath. Hopefully with this, we have made you aware of the benefits of using Fungi in the Garden. Check back next week for another Post!

Bharat from Green Haven Nursery.