Organic Red Reishi Mushroom Plug Spawn
Skill level | Advanced |
Grow location | Outdoors |
Spawn shelf life | 6 months (refrigerated) |
Incubation | 12-24 months |
Fruiting temps | 65-80°F |
Best log type | See wood chart below |
Red reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) is an edible medicinal mushroom known as “Ling Zhi” in China and “Reishi" or "Manetake” in Japan. It produces beautiful, reddish-brown, shelf-like fruiting bodies that are highly prized for their wellness properties. When fresh, the flat cap is soft and cork-like. Because it releases spores via pores, it lacks gills on its underside. And, depending on the age of the mushroom, the pores may appear brown, cream, or white.
Because red reishi can be difficult to cultivate, it is recommended for advanced and enthusiast growers. However, it can be extremely rewarding for those who have had some success growing other mushrooms.
Note: Dowel may be fluted or spiral. Aside from being kiln dried, our wooden dowels are not treated in any other way.
Red Reishi wood chart:
BEST WOOD SPECIES* | Hard Maple, Sweetgum |
OTHER SUITABLE SPECIES | Alder, Beech, Elm, Soft Maple, Mimosa, Mulberry, Oak, Peach, Sycamore, Willow |
AVOID | Hemlock, Pine |
Ideal project size:
Plug spawn is ideal for smaller projects of 1-10 logs, though some log cultivators will use them for larger projects.
That's not mold, it's mycelium!
Your kit includes plug spawn colonized with mushroom mycelium. It may appear covered with a soft, white, mold-like substance - that's the mushroom mycelium! It is completely normal. The mycelium of some species is more prominent than others.
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To grow on logs using plug spawn, you will need a Drill Bit, Log Sealing Wax, and Wax Daubers.
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Click here to download our pamphlet on growing mushrooms on logs and totems.
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This species of reishi mushroom grows well on oak, maple, and other hardwoods. Reishi works best when fully colonized logs are buried underground. Reishi likes any of the three log methods and colonizes in 12-24 months. It prefers oak logs and fruits in the summer. After a 1-year colonization period above ground, Reishi logs may be buried under 2 inches of topsoil to mimic its natural method of production. Mushrooms will fruit from the logs and emerge from the soil.
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If you don’t plan to use your reishi sawdust spawn right away, store in the refrigerator. Use within 6 months of receipt.
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Red reishi is tough, woody, and bitter. For this reason, we don’t recommend it for culinary use. However, it can be dried and made into teas or powders. It can also be extracted to make tinctures.
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If you’re going to consume home-grown mushrooms, make sure to cook your fresh mushrooms thoroughly with heat. If it is your first time eating this species, it is best to start with a small amount to check for allergies, even if cooked.
*Recommendations are based on our own testing. You may have different results experimenting with other wood species.