6 ms·

I use fungi mycelium to convert woodchips into soil for food production, I document the process here: https://youtu.be/u4w9ir45Ebw https://youtu.be/u4w9ir45Eb

by foxhop 6y ago

I use fungi mycelium to convert woodchips into soil for food production, I document the process here: https://youtu.be/u4w9ir45Ebw https://youtu.be/u4w9ir45Ebw 4 minute video, no capital investment, and no infra required. Truely an amazing and under appreciated lifeform just waiting to be utilized for planetary healing. I'm looking forward to continuing my research, please subscribe if this is of interest to you.

wil421 6y ago
I do a similar thing with leaves. There’s a place where I blow all my leaves in the fall and it’s become a long term composting pit.
- foxhop 6y ago
  Keep up the great work! That said leaf blowers are so loud (make sure everyone around has hearing protection) Have you considered using a rake to make piles on a tarp? The tarp is then dragged to your desired composting location and emptied. I learned this method from my elderly Korean neighbor when I was young and have used it over leaf blowing for the last 20 years.
  - therealx 6y ago
    Electric leaf blowers are a lot quieter, as well.
    - bdamm 6y ago
      I'm really enjoying the new generation of battery powered lawn tools. From chainsaws to leafblowers to lawnmowers, li-ion is taking over. I won't miss the mess and cheapo carbs and tricks like shipping products without a simple fuel filter.
      - clairity 6y ago
        i can't wait either. gas leaf blowers are technically illegal in LA, but yardworkers still use them all over the place without concern. they're loud, but more gravely, emit noxious pollution. all the more, it's not much more work or time to sweep or rake whatever it is they're (more rigorously) blowing up into the air and our lungs.
        therealx 6y ago
        Thank you for inadvertinely informing me that they are illegal in LA :).
        clairity 6y ago
        you're welcome--you can apparently report it, giving regulators the time and place to come check and cite the violation. i haven't done so because i don't want to punish low-wage workers frivolously, but i hate the smell and pollution those things put off.
      - wil421 6y ago
        Good luck when your manufacturer changes their battery system or drops their electric line all together. Or your batteries start to deform. I’ve seen all of the above happen to family members. Keep ethanol fuel out of the equipment to keep the carbs in good shape.
        mmastrac 6y ago
        Third-party battery packs are super common for electric tools, especially for the older generations.
        snark42 6y ago
        There's usually a third party manufacturer you can get replacement batteries from for any decently popular system. My cost on batteries/electricity is probably less than I would have spent on fuel. The noise/size/maintenance-free advantages of electric are huge too.
      - rootusrootus 6y ago
        Electric is nice, but the long term cost seems to be significantly higher. As a practical matter an battery electric mower, for example, is good for a few years. Where a gas powered Honda is good for decades. This is what has stopped me from buying too many electric yard tools. Instead I just pay someone to do the yard and that way the ecological impact of the tools are minimized.
- samstave 6y ago
  I was going to ask this? How compost leaves? Just put in a pile? How add mycillium/fungi to said pile? I just put a bunch of leaves out to green pickup - but I would rather learn how to compost them... off to google - but would love your input
  - wil421 6y ago
    Yes just rake them into a pile. For anaerobic (no oxygen) composting you just leave the pile alone and let nature do it’s work. The spores are already there they just need the right conditions. It will take months to year(s) if you just let it sit. For aerobic composting you should layer leaves and grass clippings. One brown layer, one green layer and so on. It’s best done in a sunny area and you’ll need to turn the compost weekly. It should only take a few months or more and it will be hot. Ever driven by a steaming pile of wood chips or some other steaming earthy pile? Organisms are making heat while they feed on organic matter. Just remember the fungus and organisms are already there they just needs the right conditions to flourish.
    - foxhop 6y ago
      Perfect response.
  - foxhop 6y ago
    Depends on how much work you want to do, but please research the difference between hot and cold compost, you may use either process for leaves, ideally you will want at least 1 meter cubed. For hot compost you will need a feedstock of nitrogen for the bacteria. Grass clippings, coffee grounds, liquid nitrogen (urine). This is bacteria dominant composting (hot composting is fast). On the other hand if you want to do less work just make them in a pile and allow for fungi to process the leaves over a longer period of time. This is fungi dominant composting (cold composting is slower). The soil life is already present on the leaves. Just keep the pile consistently moist but not soaking wet. I have hot composting videos documented on YouTune, although they are from before I upgraded my camera so the quality isn't as good as my newer videos, hopefully still informational.
whoomp12342 6y ago
How is this better than just shoving it in a compost bin?
- foxhop 6y ago
  Great question. The difference is huge, for starters this method uses a slow, cold, and mostly anaerobic environment, the conditions mycelium enjoy. Trying to use a hot compost methods would require epic amounts of nitrogen feedstock for the bacteria to run the process. This is also faster and requires less human input, no need to turn or aerate the pile, no need to carefully monitor the balance the nitrogen to carbon ratios throughout the process. The change in chips I show in the video was 8 months. Leaving the chips for longer in the ditch/trench will yeild better results, I plan to leave this latest batch for a couple years to really let the mycelium break down the materials. A portion of aged fungi composted material can be added to a hot compost pile to let the bacteria take over. Fungi dominant soils are better for food forests and more stable than bacteria dominate soils. I typically use bacteria dominated soils for kitchen gardens. It's all inputs and outputs at the end of the day and simply dropping material into specific conditions can yeild different material outputs. It so much fun to think in terms of systems. I fell in love with computers and networks for this reason. Natural systems are even more impressive to me. Gardening, food production, and nature is all about inputs and outputs over the course of days, months, and years. It's a much slower feedback loop to programming, but a feedback loop nonetheless. Thank you for the question.
samstave 6y ago
DOPE. I am sure you have watched Paul Stamets EVERYTHING - and if you havent, watch his Joe Rogan Podcasts and his Ted Talks... Also start taking Lions Mane pills -- Is your Mycillium natrual - or are you seeding it some how?
- foxhop 6y ago
  I didn't inoculate so I have no clue what species I'm working with. I hope to grow edibles like oyster mushrooms next year.
scruple 6y ago
Just wanted to say, I checked out a few videos and I'm hooked. You have a great and very informative channel going here, keep it up!
- foxhop 6y ago
  Thank you, that is encouraging to hear. If there is anything specific you want to see more of please let me know.
carapace 6y ago
I found this out by accident. I took some woodchips that had been used as bedding in a chicken coup (so it had feathers and poop in it), put down a layer about four inches thick, then covered it in a rich mulch that had lots of mycelium in it already[1], and left it alone for about six weeks. The mycelium went all through there and converted the woodchips to a chalky almost asbestos-like form. I had another experience with this same mycelium mulch[1] where it literally sealed off an area of sandy soil and routed water somewhere: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15059654 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15059654 [1] Kellogg's GROMULCH 2-in-1, it's my secret weapon.
scrooched_moose 6y ago
Any idea how well this would work with sawdust? I generate a ton in my workshop. The city currently takes it in our organics bin, but it's a pain. Have to buy expensive compostable bags, then transfer from the dust collector to the secondary bags which takes a while and is messy.
- nolroz 6y ago
  Sawdust can be a great media to grow mushrooms on. There are species that prefer hardwoods vs softwoods so you might have to do some research. Oysters generally eat anything.
virtue3 6y ago
Lol what's up buddy! It's Tor! SO FUNNY. Just wanted to comment that mushrooms naturally erode wood and decomposing biomass (I used to study environmental science). That's sort of just what they do. Keep em damp and away from sunlight and they should do an even better job!
- foxhop 6y ago
  Hey Tor, I miss you mate! Yup damp and dark, so with the trench method the top is sunny but most of the growing medium (in this case chips) are in the dark since it's underground. Hope things are going well with you!

by foxhop 6y ago

wil421 6y ago

I do a similar thing with leaves. There’s a place where I blow all my leaves in the fall and it’s become a long term composting pit.

foxhop 6y ago
Keep up the great work! That said leaf blowers are so loud (make sure everyone around has hearing protection) Have you considered using a rake to make piles on a tarp? The tarp is then dragged to your desired composting location and emptied. I learned this method from my elderly Korean neighbor when I was young and have used it over leaf blowing for the last 20 years.
- therealx 6y ago
  Electric leaf blowers are a lot quieter, as well.
  - bdamm 6y ago
    I'm really enjoying the new generation of battery powered lawn tools. From chainsaws to leafblowers to lawnmowers, li-ion is taking over. I won't miss the mess and cheapo carbs and tricks like shipping products without a simple fuel filter.
    - clairity 6y ago
      i can't wait either. gas leaf blowers are technically illegal in LA, but yardworkers still use them all over the place without concern. they're loud, but more gravely, emit noxious pollution. all the more, it's not much more work or time to sweep or rake whatever it is they're (more rigorously) blowing up into the air and our lungs.
      - therealx 6y ago
        Thank you for inadvertinely informing me that they are illegal in LA :).
        clairity 6y ago
        you're welcome--you can apparently report it, giving regulators the time and place to come check and cite the violation. i haven't done so because i don't want to punish low-wage workers frivolously, but i hate the smell and pollution those things put off.
    - wil421 6y ago
      Good luck when your manufacturer changes their battery system or drops their electric line all together. Or your batteries start to deform. I’ve seen all of the above happen to family members. Keep ethanol fuel out of the equipment to keep the carbs in good shape.
      - mmastrac 6y ago
        Third-party battery packs are super common for electric tools, especially for the older generations.
      - snark42 6y ago
        There's usually a third party manufacturer you can get replacement batteries from for any decently popular system. My cost on batteries/electricity is probably less than I would have spent on fuel. The noise/size/maintenance-free advantages of electric are huge too.
    - rootusrootus 6y ago
      Electric is nice, but the long term cost seems to be significantly higher. As a practical matter an battery electric mower, for example, is good for a few years. Where a gas powered Honda is good for decades. This is what has stopped me from buying too many electric yard tools. Instead I just pay someone to do the yard and that way the ecological impact of the tools are minimized.
samstave 6y ago
I was going to ask this? How compost leaves? Just put in a pile? How add mycillium/fungi to said pile? I just put a bunch of leaves out to green pickup - but I would rather learn how to compost them... off to google - but would love your input
- wil421 6y ago
  Yes just rake them into a pile. For anaerobic (no oxygen) composting you just leave the pile alone and let nature do it’s work. The spores are already there they just need the right conditions. It will take months to year(s) if you just let it sit. For aerobic composting you should layer leaves and grass clippings. One brown layer, one green layer and so on. It’s best done in a sunny area and you’ll need to turn the compost weekly. It should only take a few months or more and it will be hot. Ever driven by a steaming pile of wood chips or some other steaming earthy pile? Organisms are making heat while they feed on organic matter. Just remember the fungus and organisms are already there they just needs the right conditions to flourish.
  - foxhop 6y ago
    Perfect response.
- foxhop 6y ago
  Depends on how much work you want to do, but please research the difference between hot and cold compost, you may use either process for leaves, ideally you will want at least 1 meter cubed. For hot compost you will need a feedstock of nitrogen for the bacteria. Grass clippings, coffee grounds, liquid nitrogen (urine). This is bacteria dominant composting (hot composting is fast). On the other hand if you want to do less work just make them in a pile and allow for fungi to process the leaves over a longer period of time. This is fungi dominant composting (cold composting is slower). The soil life is already present on the leaves. Just keep the pile consistently moist but not soaking wet. I have hot composting videos documented on YouTune, although they are from before I upgraded my camera so the quality isn't as good as my newer videos, hopefully still informational.

whoomp12342 6y ago

How is this better than just shoving it in a compost bin?

foxhop 6y ago
Great question. The difference is huge, for starters this method uses a slow, cold, and mostly anaerobic environment, the conditions mycelium enjoy. Trying to use a hot compost methods would require epic amounts of nitrogen feedstock for the bacteria to run the process. This is also faster and requires less human input, no need to turn or aerate the pile, no need to carefully monitor the balance the nitrogen to carbon ratios throughout the process. The change in chips I show in the video was 8 months. Leaving the chips for longer in the ditch/trench will yeild better results, I plan to leave this latest batch for a couple years to really let the mycelium break down the materials. A portion of aged fungi composted material can be added to a hot compost pile to let the bacteria take over. Fungi dominant soils are better for food forests and more stable than bacteria dominate soils. I typically use bacteria dominated soils for kitchen gardens. It's all inputs and outputs at the end of the day and simply dropping material into specific conditions can yeild different material outputs. It so much fun to think in terms of systems. I fell in love with computers and networks for this reason. Natural systems are even more impressive to me. Gardening, food production, and nature is all about inputs and outputs over the course of days, months, and years. It's a much slower feedback loop to programming, but a feedback loop nonetheless. Thank you for the question.

samstave 6y ago

DOPE. I am sure you have watched Paul Stamets EVERYTHING - and if you havent, watch his Joe Rogan Podcasts and his Ted Talks... Also start taking Lions Mane pills -- Is your Mycillium natrual - or are you seeding it some how?

foxhop 6y ago
I didn't inoculate so I have no clue what species I'm working with. I hope to grow edibles like oyster mushrooms next year.

scruple 6y ago

Just wanted to say, I checked out a few videos and I'm hooked. You have a great and very informative channel going here, keep it up!

foxhop 6y ago
Thank you, that is encouraging to hear. If there is anything specific you want to see more of please let me know.

carapace 6y ago

I found this out by accident. I took some woodchips that had been used as bedding in a chicken coup (so it had feathers and poop in it), put down a layer about four inches thick, then covered it in a rich mulch that had lots of mycelium in it already[1], and left it alone for about six weeks. The mycelium went all through there and converted the woodchips to a chalky almost asbestos-like form. I had another experience with this same mycelium mulch[1] where it literally sealed off an area of sandy soil and routed water somewhere: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15059654 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15059654 [1] Kellogg's GROMULCH 2-in-1, it's my secret weapon.

scrooched_moose 6y ago

Any idea how well this would work with sawdust? I generate a ton in my workshop. The city currently takes it in our organics bin, but it's a pain. Have to buy expensive compostable bags, then transfer from the dust collector to the secondary bags which takes a while and is messy.

nolroz 6y ago
Sawdust can be a great media to grow mushrooms on. There are species that prefer hardwoods vs softwoods so you might have to do some research. Oysters generally eat anything.

virtue3 6y ago

Lol what's up buddy! It's Tor! SO FUNNY. Just wanted to comment that mushrooms naturally erode wood and decomposing biomass (I used to study environmental science). That's sort of just what they do. Keep em damp and away from sunlight and they should do an even better job!

foxhop 6y ago
Hey Tor, I miss you mate! Yup damp and dark, so with the trench method the top is sunny but most of the growing medium (in this case chips) are in the dark since it's underground. Hope things are going well with you!