John Miller
Shiitake mushrooms, native to East Asia, are edible mushrooms that have become synonymous with Japanese cuisine. They are considered a medicinal mushroom, offering a host of health benefits, and are delicious, with a deep savoury flavour. They can be grown at home, in your backyard, or even your bathroom! They are a little more challenging to grow than other mushrooms, requiring a longer incubation time, but the extra work is worth it. To grow shiitake mushrooms, you'll need to decide on a substrate—usually a freshly cut log or sawdust—and buy the necessary supplies.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Difficulty level | More challenging to grow than oyster mushrooms |
| Incubation time | Longer than other mushrooms |
| Substrate | Wood-based medium, usually logs or sawdust |
| Strains | Cold weather, warm weather, and wide range |
| Wood choice | Castanopsis cuspidata, oak, beech, maple, ironwood, alder, or poplar |
| Harvesting | 3-5 flushes of fresh mushrooms on sawdust or grain; fresh mushrooms every 5 weeks for 4-6 years when grown on logs |
| Fruiting | Occurs when the shiitake colonizes the outer cylinder of available sapwood |
| Harvesting time | 6-24 months post-inoculation |
| Forced fruiting | Log shocking or soaking in water of a different temperature than the ambient temperature |
| Soaking time | 6-24 hours in summer; 2-3 days in spring or fall |
| Stacking arrangement | High A-frame or lean-to configuration |
| Health benefits | Good source of fiber, B vitamins, minerals, and amino acids; may help fight cancer, improve heart health, and boost the immune system |
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What You'll Learn
- Choosing a substrate: shiitake mushrooms need a wood-based medium like logs or sawdust
- Selecting a strain: choose a strain that suits the growing conditions, e.g. cold weather or wide range
- Preparing the substrate: the substrate must be inoculated with spawn, e.g. wooden dowels
- Incubation: shiitake mushrooms require a long incubation period of up to 24 months
- Harvesting: fruiting can be triggered by temperature and moisture changes, and mushrooms can be harvested every 5 weeks for years
Choosing a substrate: shiitake mushrooms need a wood-based medium like logs or sawdust
Shiitake mushrooms are picky about their growing medium, requiring a wood-based substrate to thrive and obtain the nutrients they need. The two most common options for substrates are logs or sawdust.
If you're growing shiitake mushrooms on logs, you'll need logs that are 3-4 feet long. Ideally, use the native Castanopsis cuspidata wood, but if that's unavailable, you can choose from oak, beech, maple, ironwood, alder, or poplar. Be sure to use hardwood, as the mycelium struggles in softwood, especially fruit trees and pine. Before fruiting, the logs are shocked or soaked to trigger mushroom production. This is known as "forced fruiting". The length of the soak depends on various factors, such as air and water temperatures, the age of the log, and the thickness of the bark. Logs are then stacked for fruiting, using configurations like the high A-frame or lean-to method.
For a smaller or quicker harvest, sawdust blocks are a better option. These tightly packed bricks of fungi cultures will produce 5-6 harvests over a year and are suitable for growers of all skill levels.
Hobbyist growers often use inoculated wooden dowels, also called plug spawn, which can be hammered into holes drilled into the logs.
Shiitake mushrooms grown on sawdust produce 3-5 flushes of fresh mushrooms on average, while logs can provide fresh mushrooms every 5 weeks for 4-6 years.
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Selecting a strain: choose a strain that suits the growing conditions, e.g. cold weather or wide range
Shiitake mushrooms are a little more challenging to grow than other mushrooms, but the extra effort is worth it. They are delicious, nutritious, and can save you money at the supermarket.
When selecting a strain, it's important to choose one that suits your growing conditions. Shiitake mushroom strains differ in the conditions they prefer. There are cold-weather, warm-weather, and wide-range strains. If you're a beginner, it's recommended to go for a wide-range strain, which is also the most common choice for year-round commercial cultivation. WR46 is a good beginner-friendly strain.
If you're growing your shiitake mushrooms on logs, you'll want to use hardwoods such as oak, beech, maple, ironwood, alder, or poplar. The native Castanopsis cuspidata is best, but if that's not available, you can choose from the other hardwood options. Make sure to avoid softwoods, especially fruit trees and pine, as the mycelium struggles in these.
For a smaller or quicker harvest, you can grow shiitake in sawdust blocks. These tightly packed bricks of fungi cultures will produce around 5-6 harvests per year and are suitable for growers of all skill levels.
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Preparing the substrate: the substrate must be inoculated with spawn, e.g. wooden dowels
Preparing the substrate is a crucial step in cultivating shiitake mushrooms. As shiitake mushrooms require a wood-based growing medium, the substrate must be inoculated with spawn, such as wooden dowels.
Hobbyist growers often opt for wooden dowels, also known as plug spawn. These dowels are hammered into holes drilled into logs, providing an ideal environment for the mushrooms to grow. The length of the logs is typically around 3 to 4 feet, and it's important to use hardwood varieties such as oak, beech, maple, ironwood, alder, or poplar.
When preparing the substrate, it is essential to ensure the logs are fresh. This provides the shiitake mushrooms with a blank slate, free from competing wild fungi. Native Castanopsis cuspidata is the ideal wood choice, but other hardwood options can also be used.
In addition to logs, shiitake mushrooms can also be grown on artificial sawdust logs or blocks. This method is suitable for growers seeking a smaller or quicker harvest, as sawdust blocks can produce multiple harvests in a single year. However, logs remain the traditional and preferred method for many growers.
By inoculating the substrate with spawn, you create a conducive environment for the shiitake mushrooms to establish themselves and begin their growth journey. This step is fundamental to successful shiitake mushroom cultivation, ensuring the mushrooms have the necessary conditions to thrive and providing a rewarding experience for growers.
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Incubation: shiitake mushrooms require a long incubation period of up to 24 months
Shiitake mushrooms require a long incubation period of up to 24 months. This is because the mycelium needs time to colonize their new environment and compete against wild fungi. To encourage this process, growers can use "fresh logs" or bolts that are around 3-4 feet in length, made from the native Castanopsis cuspidata tree, or, if unavailable, oak, beech, maple, ironwood, alder, or poplar. Mycelium struggles in softwood, so it is important to use hardwood.
The incubation period is a critical phase in the shiitake mushroom cultivation process. It is during this time that the mycelium establishes itself and begins to colonize the outer cylinder of available sapwood. This colonization process can take anywhere from six to 24 months, and once complete, the mycelium has stored enough nutrients to form mushrooms.
Before the mushrooms begin to appear, growers may notice a few signs indicating that the log has been fully colonized. These signs include elastic and spongy bark, logs that no longer produce a ringing sound when struck, and the appearance of white mycelium on the ends of the logs.
To accelerate the fruiting process, growers can employ a technique called "log shocking" or "soaking," which involves soaking the logs in water to trigger mushroom production. The water temperature should be significantly different from the ambient temperature, and the length of soaking depends on various factors such as air and water temperature, log age, and bark thickness. For example, in the summer, the soaking time is usually between six and 24 hours, while in spring or fall, it can be up to two to three days.
After the shocking process, the logs are stacked for fruiting, typically using an A-frame or lean-to configuration. This stacking arrangement allows easy access to all sides of each log for harvesting. Logs stacked outdoors may require a protective covering to minimize wind and rain, stabilize temperatures, and localize humidity.
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Harvesting: fruiting can be triggered by temperature and moisture changes, and mushrooms can be harvested every 5 weeks for years
Shiitake mushrooms are native to East Asia and are now cultivated worldwide. They are edible and have a distinctively savoury, umami flavour. They are also classified as medicinal mushrooms, as they are packed with vitamins, minerals, and cholesterol-lowering compounds.
Shiitake mushrooms can be grown on logs or sawdust blocks. Logs should be around 3-4 feet in length and made of hardwood such as oak, beech, maple, ironwood, alder, poplar, or the native Castanopsis cuspidata. Before fruiting, the logs should be shocked by soaking them in water. The water should be significantly cooler or warmer than the ambient temperature, and the length of the soak depends on the air and water temperatures, the log's age, and the thickness of its bark. For example, in summer, the logs should be soaked for 6 to 24 hours, while in spring or fall, the soak time is usually two to three days.
After shocking, the logs are stacked for fruiting, using the A-frame or lean-to configuration. The stacking arrangement should make it easy to access all sides of each log for harvest. Fruiting can be triggered by temperature and moisture changes, and the mushrooms can be harvested every five weeks for up to six years.
If you're looking for a smaller or quicker harvest, sawdust blocks are a better option. These tightly packed bricks of fungi cultures will produce 5-6 harvests over a single year and are suitable for growers of all skill levels.
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Frequently asked questions
Shiitake mushrooms require a wood-based substrate, such as logs or blocks of sawdust. Logs should be around 3-4 ft. in length and made from a hardwood such as oak, beech, maple, ironwood, alder, poplar, or, ideally, Castanopsis cuspidata.
The steps to cultivating shiitake mushrooms are: preparing your substrate, inoculating your substrate, the incubation period, shiitake fruiting, and harvesting your mushrooms.
Shiitake mushrooms require a longer incubation time than other mushrooms. It takes six to 24 months for the mycelium to colonise the substrate and store enough nutrients to form mushrooms.
