Shiitake Mushroom Sawdust Spawn














Skill level | Beginner |
Grow location | Outdoors |
Spawn shelf life | 6 months (refrigerated) |
Flavor profile | Savory, buttery, earthy |
Bag weight | 5.5 lbs |
Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) is a nutritious mushroom that produces medium-to-large, brown, umbrella-shaped caps that tend to fruit throughout the summer to fall growing season. They are a delicious edible fungus from East Asia and their flavor is often described as rich, savory, buttery, and umami. Shiitake tends to produce generous flushes and they are a great mushroom for beginners. They colonize quickly and are the most reliable producers of any species. They are also ideal for commercial cultivation.
Shiitake sawdust spawn is only recommended for log projects.
Sawdust spawn is ideal for larger log projects of 10 or more logs.
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To grow on logs using sawdust spawn, you will need a Log Inoculation Tool, Log Sealing Wax, and Wax Daubers.
For larger log projects you may also want to purchase an Angle Grinder Adapter and specialized 12mm drill bit.
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Click here to download our pamphlet on growing mushrooms on logs and totems.
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Shiitake works best with the log method. Colonization takes at least 9-12 months, and fruiting tends to occur throughout the summer to fall growing seasons and after rainfalls. Preferred wood species are oak, maple, or beech.
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- 9-12 months (logs)
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If you don’t plan to use your shiitake sawdust spawn right away, store in the refrigerator. Use within 6 months of receipt.
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Shiitake has a meaty texture when cooked and is good for drying and reconstituting in winter soups. It pairs beautifully with tamari, ginger, and garlic and can bring needed umami to many different dishes. These mushrooms are delicious sauteed and can be used in stir-fries, risottos, ramens, on pizzas, or simply eaten by themselves.
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All our spawn is made using organic cultures from our own culture bank. Our sawdust spawn is handmade from a blend of locally sourced, all-natural, organic, and non-GMO woods and supplements from farms and forests in New England and North America.
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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.
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Great results
This will be my second year using North Spore's shiitake sawdust spawn. I used shaggy bark hickory to inoculate and have had decent results. The mushrooms that spawned were huge but few in quantity.

Reliable spawn
I've ordered Northspore's Shiitake spawn for several years now and have never been disappointed with its reliable vitality and willingness to grow. I've used this spawn to inoculate about 130 logs over the past 3 years and have not lost a single one. Furthermore the abundance of production from this strain, especially after being soaked for 24+ hours and is fully colonized is exceptional.

Best Shiitake Spawn
I bought 2 bags maybe this time last year. With 1.5 bags I was able to innoculate about 110 logs (varying sizes but mostly 3 feet) in March/April of last year. I split them and grew half at my place and half at my partners. The ones at my partners house all got infected with Trichoderma (he had them nearish to the compost that he dumps coffee grounds into and doesn't cover *eyeroll!*). About 90% of the ones at my house are now completely run through and look like they'll be ready to go spring! I think that the ones that didn't do well was because they needed more water during the dry heat of the summer, the ones that were partially buried did the best. The thicker the log, the better it did for whatever reason. Ultimately, I've bought a few products from North Spore, and I'm always happy with them it's my go to supplier <3

A second review-still going strong!
I reviewed this product a month or so after I received it, but I had an update now, maybe 3 months later. I just wanted to vouch for the resilience of the shiitake spawn. I inoculated logs and all logs have actively growing mycelium. I had a little extra spawn, and I just drilled it into the stump of the tree I cut the logs from. I then forgot to visit it. I didn’t even bother to put wax on the holes and I ignored it for a few months. There is even spreading mycelium through that stump! I included a photo of the logs from several weeks ago and a photo of the stump from last week. I did this as a way to use up the small amount of spawn I had left that wasn’t enough for a full log. I would suggest anyone making logs do this to make good use of your stumps. I could also see this stump treatment as an alternative to digging/stump grinding during tree removal or could be something done in a small home firewood lot as a value-added use of the land. Such a successful colonization experiment so far!

Great stuff
The Shiitake spawn is great, easy to use with the inoculation tool and allows you to inoculate a lot of logs. I've ordered spawn for a few years now and am always impressed. Love the abundance of information and education North Spore offers.