Organic Red Reishi Mushroom Plug Spawn

100 plugs
$19.99
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Bring the striking form of red reishi to your outdoor growing space. This Organic Red Reishi Mushroom Plug Spawn contains Ganoderma lucidum—a traditional medicinal mushroom known as “Ling Zhi” in China and “Reishi” in Japan.

Designed for log and stump cultivation, these colonized wooden plugs provide a practical way to establish reishi in a shaded outdoor environment. As the mushrooms mature, they develop distinctive reddish-brown fruiting bodies with a firm, lacquered appearance.

Reishi is a rewarding project for growers who appreciate seasonal cultivation and long-term results. Hardwood logs, consistent moisture, and a suitable shaded location are essential for successful establishment and fruiting.

This plug spawn is best suited to intermediate and advanced cultivators who are comfortable drilling and inoculating logs. Follow recommended spacing and sealing practices to help protect inoculation points while the mycelium colonizes the wood.

  • Species: Red Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum)
  • Product type: Organic plug spawn for outdoor log cultivation
  • Difficulty: Intermediate/Advanced
  • Best environment: Shaded outdoor areas with hardwood logs or stumps

For detailed timing, log selection, and maintenance recommendations, pair this Organic Red Reishi Mushroom Plug Spawn with North Spore’s outdoor cultivation education and log-growing resources.

Tools you'll need

To grow on logs using plug spawn, you will need:
• Drill Bit
• Sealing Wax
• Wax Daubers

To calculate how much spawn you will need, click here.

Inoculation

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.

For a full chart of log/mushroom compatibility, click here.

For a full tutorial, click here.

Cultivation

Ideal project size: Plug spawn is ideal for smaller projects of 1-10 logs, though some log cultivators will use them for larger projects.

Click here for full instructions

Storing

If you don't plan to use within 3 weeks, you may refrigerate the plug spawn for up to 6 months.

Cooking

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.

Cautions & Considerations

• 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.

• Aside from being kiln dried, our wooden dowels are not treated in any other way.

FAQs

Plug Spawn FAQ 

Log Cultivation FAQ

Related Articles

Get the Right Tools
Emboss-o-tag
Emboss-o-tag (+$15.99)

Keep track of your species

Log Inoculation Drill Bit
Log Inoculation Drill Bit (+$21.99)

The perfect size for our plugs

Angle Grinder Adapter
Angle Grinder Adapter (+$54.99)

Allows 4x faster drilling

Log Sealing Wax
Log Sealing Wax (+$3.50)

1/4 lb - enough for 100 plugs

Wax Daubers
Wax Daubers (+$2.99)

4-pack

Frequently Asked Questions

After inoculation, most logs take 6–12 months before producing their first flush of mushrooms. Colonization depends on temperature, moisture, and wood type. Once established, a log can fruit for 3–7 years.

Always use freshly cut, disease-free logs. Old or rotting wood may contain competing fungi or be too dry for successful colonization. Ideally, inoculate within 2–4 weeks of cutting.

Plug spawn (wooden dowels) is easier for beginners and ideal for smaller projects. Sawdust spawn is faster to colonize and more economical for larger batches or commercial growers.

Store logs in a shady, humid area close to the ground. In dry or hot weather, occasional watering or soaking can help maintain moisture. Avoid full sun or windy spots, which can cause bark cracking.

Cluster of brown-capped mushrooms with long, light-colored stems against a white background.

Your Trusted Source for Premium Mushroom Growing Supplies

Whether you’re growing mushrooms at home, in your garden, or at a commercial scale, we offer everything you need to cultivate success. We start with the highest-quality OMRI-listed ingredients, mix them in our state-of-the-art facility, and inoculate them in our custom-built lab, so you can rest easy knowing your product will yield the best results.

Reviews

  • 5 stars: 6 (100%)
  • 4 stars: 0 (0%)
  • 3 stars: 0 (0%)
  • 2 stars: 0 (0%)
  • 1 star: 0 (0%)
J
Jason Keene
Great mushrooms

Logs are producing great. Best thing I ever did.

M
Max McMahan
Good product

Seriously good plugs and well packaged

Thanks, Max! We really appreciate the kind review.

J
Justin

In good health upon arrival.

W
Wesley Bailey
Reishi Plug Spawn

Have to say this item has the quality expected from North Spore, product arrived quickly and professionally packaged. Trees have been inoculated looking forward to the results.

Thanks, Wesley! We couldn’t do it without customers like you. Please reach out if you ever need anything!

J
Jacob Zieminski
Red reishi plugs

Product arrived on time, quality in check and used them for logs this spring. We look forward to next 12-18 months and seeing what it produces. Always a pleasure at North spore….customer service is always ready to help navigate through any questions and the random issues. Appreciate the support and sticking by your products.

Your review made our day, Jacob! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. Please reach out if you ever need anything.

R
Robbe Baer
Red Reishi

This item was promptly delivered to me in a well kept shipping container. They were easy to plant and I am looking forward to a bumper crop this next spring or summer. Nothing has sprouted yet so I can’t say how well they did but I followed the instruction to a letter. The only drawback was that my wife didn’t appreciate it that I messed up her small crockpot. Haha