Trial: Black Poplar (LC to Grain)

Progress Log

Start Date: Late May 2026

Method: Older LC syringe inoculated directly into sterilized grain jars.

Status: Success! The culture has proven its resilience and is colonizing the grain aggressively.

6-5-2026 (Update): The jar is looking very strong and is almost ready for a Grain to Grain (G2G) transfer to expand the spawn. It's great to see another older culture performing well after being put to grain.

Jar 1: Almost ready for G2G (6-05-2026).

6-10-2026 (Update): Colonization is nearly complete. In the latest photo, the jar on the left is looking very strong and is officially ready for a Grain to Grain (G2G) transfer. We're moving fast with these Pioppino cultures!

The jar on the left is fully colonized and ready for expansion (6-10-2026).

6-16-2026 (Update): Major milestone reached! The Black Poplar master jar is officially 100% colonized. I performed a final Break and Shake to ensure the grains pour freely, then transferred them to multiple new grain jars. The expansion is officially underway.

Fully colonized grain jar (6-16-2026).

Master jar after Break and Shake, ready for G2G (6-16-2026).

The next generation: Multiple grain jars inoculated via G2G (6-16-2026).

6-18-2026 (Update): The bounceback from the G2G transfers is already visible! It only took about 48 hours for the mycelium to recover from the shock and start reaching out to colonize the fresh grains. I'm seeing healthy, fuzzy white threads starting to jump across the grains in all the new jars.

Mycelium bouncing back and starting to colonize the new grains (6-18-2026).

Next Steps

As soon as this jar reaches 100% colonization, I'll be performing G2G transfers to build up enough spawn for a wood-based substrate trial. Black Poplar is known for its excellent flavor and unique texture, so I'm excited to get this one into fruiting.