Does freezing hurt winecaps?

Question

I put my wine cap box in the unheated garage all winter in a bed of coffee grounds for inoculation, and it got down to about -20F (MN USA), so I'm wondering how much I hurt my fungi.

The container was in a plastic box with open air on top (carpenter shavings), and growth medium was kept moist. One of my friends from the local mycological society said that he was able to see some mycelium in the growth medium this fall.

Please edit the question and let us know a few things: how were they being contained while in the garage, and have you noted any strangeness? For instance, did the tops of the mushrooms turn black? — Rob, Mar 27 '19 at 18:20

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 28 '19 at 15:16

1

If you are seeing growth in the incubator than there is nothing to me that indicates you have hurt your spawn. You may have slowed down the progression a bit by keeping it in such a state but mushroom spores will not be effected by the cold, they may go dormant, but that's about it.

answered Mar 28 '19 at 15:16

Rob

1,650
5
16

that was before the freeze, what about this year? – black thumb Mar 29 '19 at 04:03

Does freezing hurt winecaps?

1 Answers1