Product Description
Shiitake mushrooms are among the most popular and widely used mushrooms worldwide. They have a strong earthy taste and velvety texture as well as a host of health benefits. Shiitake are one of the few food sources naturally rich in Vitamin D.
They are particularly good in casseroles, soups and oriental stir fries. Growing your own Shiitake mushrooms is a great way to get the full Shiitake flavour experience that can’t be found with shop bought Shiitake mushrooms.
If you wish to reconnect with your roots and enjoy harvesting from a fully natural process, then the cultivation of mushrooms from logs is the method for you.
Our spawn is stored in optimum conditions using specialist breathable bags. This means that the organism is always at its healthiest and ready for inoculation.
For larger quantities check out out wholesale collection.
- The ideal growing conditions for the shiitake mushrooms are: 14-17 C
- We recommend a storage temperature of no higher than 5 C
- First harvest: Seasonally in Autumn or Spring
- Harvest: 4-6 times a year for up to 6 years!
- Strain: Lentinula edodes
More Info
Growing your own Shiitake mushrooms is a very simple process and involves drilling into the wood and implanting a dowel that holds the living mycelium. This will then occupy the log and when the conditions are right, produce mushrooms that are ready for eating. A damp shady position is ideal for cultivation using this method meaning that it is not only suitable for use in the countryside but in our cities too! An in depth guide on how to inoculate logs and further care is available.
Log types: Logs of healthy freshly cut (0-2 months) hardwoods are most suitable such as Oak, Ash, Birch and Chestnut. While soft woods like poplar will produce and may even colonise faster they likely wont yield as much or for as many years. Avoid coniferous wood types.
Log size: Up to 1.25m long and 10-20cm diameter is ideal (the larger the log the longer to colonisation and the greater the production)
How to inoculate: Use roughly 40-50 plugs per 50cm length (you can speed up colonisation by increasing the density). Use an 8mm drill bit to a depth of 5-6cm and spacing of 10-15cm between holes. Seal with a natural food grade wax to help retain moisture and keep out competing organisms.
When to inoculate: Logs can be plugged anytime although not in frosty conditions is best. Best time to cut is when trees are dormant (winter and early spring).
Fruiting Season: Spring and Autumn with roughly 3 months rest period between flushes
Cultivation Info
MUSHROOM PRODUCTION
| Binomial nomenclature | Lentinula edodes | |
| Old nomenclature | None | |
| Inoculation rate | mix with ± 1% spawn | |
| Natural substrate | composition: | 80% hardwood, mixed fine + coarse 10% cereals 10% bran |
| humidity: | 62-63 % | |
| Incubation | room temperature: | 23 °C |
| substrate temperature: | 25 °C | |
| duration: | 13-15 days | |
| Primordia induction | (night time)* temperature: | |
| relative humidity: | ||
| Fruiting conditions | room temperature: | 14-17 °C |
| relative humidity: | 85% | |
| CO2-concentration: | 400-800 ppm | |
| light: | 500-1000 lux | |
| Flushes | number: | 3-5 |
| interval: | 14 à 16 days | |
| between flushes: | temperature increase up to 19-24 °C, CO2 up to 1500-2500 ppm, humidity down to 85% | |
| bud induction: | immerse or irrigate substrate for 12 hours | |
| Total production cycle | ||
| Average yield | 200 g to 250 g saleable mushrooms per kg fresh substrate† | |
*Primordia are induced by a shock. For most mushroom species, this is done with a thermal shock, which is defined by the minimum temperature during the day-night cycle.
†Mushroom weight immediately after harvesting, and wetted substrate weight prior to inoculation.
Important remark: the cultivation guidelines in our technical data sheets are a compilation of the data given to us by experienced cultivators. Individual differences in the cultivation conditions can seriously affect the results.
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