Why mycelium survives drought

We wanted to understand how fungi handle dry conditions - a key question for regenerative systems in subtropical landscapes like the Sunshine Coast.

Here’s how we experimented:

• Set up small logs and substrate bags inoculated with oyster and reishi mushrooms.

• Deliberately reduced water to mimic dry spells, while keeping some logs hydrated as controls.

• Observed how the mycelium behaved over 3–4 weeks.

Observations: the mycelium slowed its growth in dry conditions but maintained life. In some logs, it continued to transport nutrients and reactivated quickly once moisture returned. Fascinatingly, it also formed denser networks in drier areas, almost like it was ‘hunkering down’ to survive.

Insight: this shows why fungi are such critical allies in drought-prone systems - they keep soils alive, support plant partners, and store resilience. Watching the mycelium adapt in real-time also reminded us that experimentation is about listening to the system, not just controlling it.