Mushroom Food Plot™ Spawn

Myco-Habitat

High-Nutrient Mushroom Food Plots

Mushroom food plots™ are a terrific complement to traditional food plots, and can be used to attract, guide, and influence deer behavior to help your hunt, while also quickly improving soil quality on your hunting land. While the square footage is much smaller than traditional plots, the amount of food produced per square footage makes up for the difference in bed size.

Your Mushroom Food Plot™ can be planted anytime the ground is above freezing for at least a month. Southern states can start their mushroom food plot anytime throughout the year, while we recommend planting in the spring or early summer for Northern states. Northern state hunters can start their mushroom food plot in the late summer or fall (at least a month before the ground freezes), but they may not see mushrooms until the following year.

Local sawmills and tree trimming companies will often provide wood chips for a very reasonable price, otherwise they can be obtained from your local lawn and garden center. It is just fine if the wood chips are mixed with pine needles, small sticks, or other natural debris as long as the load is at least 50% wood chips.  

Pick an area of your property where your bed will be created.  The best locations for mushrooms are areas where moss grows, this means there is adequate moisture and the proper amount of shade.  

It's best to create your mushroom food plot just prior to rain or when the forecast is calling for a rainy period and the soil is above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Create multiple layers of wood chips, presoaked straw, and spawn on your mushroom bed, alternating between wood chips, soaked straw, and MycoHabitat mushroom spawn similar to making a lasagna. The finished bed should be at least 4-6" thick.

The amount of growth depends heavily on the amount of rain your area receives and the season.  Expect to see mushrooms anywhere from a few months to the following year after mushroom bed planting.  They will continue to grow as long as temperatures stay in the 50-80 degree range (when above or below this range, they go dormant and will reemerge when the temperature goes in range).