Michael Davis
Shiitake mushrooms, native to East Asia, are edible mushrooms that have become synonymous with Japanese cuisine. They are fundamentally different in their growth habits from anything else in your garden. They are fungal spores that are dormant until they find the right conditions to grow in. The process of growing shiitake mushrooms is a fulfilling experience that can be broken down into three specific and straightforward phases: fruiting, harvesting, and storage. It is a fun process and a good way to get new gardeners involved with growing their own food.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Difficulty level | More challenging than growing oyster mushrooms |
| Growing medium | Substrate |
| Substrate | Hardwood logs from trees such as white oak, elm, alder, sweetgum, and maple |
| Log dimensions | Approximately 4-6 inches wide and 3-4 feet long |
| Incubation time | Six to 24 months |
| Fruiting | Logs are ready to fruit when shiitake has colonized the outer cylinder of available sapwood |
| Harvesting | Every 5 weeks for 4 to 6 years |
| Yield | The more bark a log has, the more shiitake mushrooms it will produce |
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What You'll Learn
Choosing a substrate
When selecting a substrate for shiitake mushrooms, one popular option is to use logs from hardwood trees. White oak trees are considered ideal for mushroom growth, but elm, alder, sweetgum, and maple trees can also provide suitable logs. It is important to avoid using coniferous and dogwood trees as they are not suitable for shiitake mushroom cultivation. The size of the logs is another important consideration, with an ideal size of approximately four to six inches wide and three to four feet long. Logs with more bark tend to yield a greater number of mushrooms.
Once you have selected and prepared your logs, you can begin the inoculation process. This involves drilling holes into the moist logs using an eight-and-a-half-millimetre drill bit. These holes should be spaced five inches apart and should be one and a half inches deep. The next step is to insert dowels into the holes, which can be done with a hammer or mallet. To seal the dowels in place, brush molten wax over each hole, with paraffin or cheese wax being recommended. Beeswax can also be used but may attract unwanted bees.
After the inoculation process, the logs need to be shocked and then stacked for fruiting. This is typically done using the high A-frame or lean-to configuration. The stacking arrangement should allow easy access to all sides of each log for harvesting. At six to 24 months post-inoculation, the mycelium will have stored enough nutrients to form mushrooms. You will know the log has been fully colonised when mushrooms start to appear. Temperature and moisture changes can trigger the shiitake fungus to produce mushrooms.
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Preparing the substrate
Shiitake mushrooms are a little more challenging to grow than other varieties, as they require a longer incubation time and are fussier about their food source. Before you start cultivating shiitake mushrooms, you need to decide on a substrate—the growing medium that the mushrooms will use to establish themselves and feed.
If you're growing shiitake mushrooms on logs, you'll need to find out the size of the logs and how much bark is on the tree. Logs should be approximately four to six inches wide and three to four feet long, and the more bark a hardwood log has, the more mushrooms it will produce. White oak trees are ideal, but you can also use elm, alder, sweetgum, and maple trees. Avoid coniferous and dogwood trees, as these do not make good logs for shiitake mushrooms.
Once you've selected your logs, you can begin the inoculation process. Use a drill with an eight-and-a-half-millimetre drill bit to make the first line of holes in your moist logs. Each of these holes should be five inches apart and one-and-a-half inches deep. Then, insert the dowels into the holes using a hammer or mallet. Seal the dowels in place by brushing molten wax over each hole. Paraffin or cheese wax is recommended, although beeswax can also be used, but it may attract unwanted bees.
After the logs are shocked, they are stacked for fruiting, usually in a high A-frame or lean-to configuration. The stacking arrangement should make it easy to access all sides of each log for harvest. At six to 24 months post-inoculation, the mycelium will have stored enough nutrients to form mushrooms. You'll know the log has been fully colonised when mushrooms appear. Growers often notice elastic and spongy bark, logs that no longer "ring" when struck, and the appearance of white mycelium on log ends before the first mushrooms appear.
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Inoculating the logs
Shiitake mushrooms are a little more challenging to grow than other varieties, but the extra preparation and effort are worth it. They are fundamentally different in their growth habits from anything else in your garden. They are fungal spores that are dormant until they find the right conditions to grow in.
Before you start the inoculation process, you need to decide on the type of hardwood trees you will use. A white oak tree is ideal, but elm, alder, sweetgum, and maple trees also make good logs. Coniferous and dogwood trees do not make good logs for growing shiitake mushrooms. The logs should be approximately four to six inches wide and three to four feet long. The more bark a hardwood log has, the more shiitake mushrooms it will produce.
Once you have your logs, you can begin the inoculation process. Use a drill with an 8.5mm drill bit to make the first line of holes in your moist logs. Each of these holes should be five inches apart and one and a half inches deep.
The next step is to insert the dowels into the log. You can use a hammer or mallet to do this. Then, seal the dowels in the holes by brushing molten wax onto each hole. Paraffin or cheese wax is recommended, but beeswax can also work, although it may attract unwanted bees to your shiitake log.
After the logs are shocked, they are stacked for fruiting, normally using the high A-frame or lean-to configuration. The stacking arrangement should make it easy to access all sides of each log for harvest. At six to 24 months post-inoculation, the mycelium has stored enough nutrients to form mushrooms. When mushrooms appear, you know the log has fully colonized. Before a log begins producing mushrooms, growers often notice elastic and spongy bark, logs that no longer “ring” when struck, and the appearance of white mycelium on log ends. Temperature and moisture changes trigger the shiitake fungus to produce mushrooms.
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Fruiting
Shiitake mushrooms are fundamentally different in their growth habits from anything else in your garden. They are fungal spores that remain dormant until they find the right conditions to grow in. To help them spring into life, you need to create a home for the mushroom spores to grow and reproduce in.
Shiitake mushroom production can be divided into three phases: fruiting, harvesting, and storage. The fruiting phase begins when the shiitake has colonized the outer cylinder of available sapwood. This usually occurs six to 24 months post-inoculation when the mycelium has stored enough nutrients to form mushrooms. Temperature and moisture changes trigger the shiitake fungus to produce mushrooms. Before a log begins producing mushrooms, growers often notice elastic and spongy bark, logs that no longer make a ringing sound when struck, and the appearance of white mycelium on log ends.
After the logs are shocked, they are stacked for fruiting, usually in a high A-frame or lean-to configuration. The stacking arrangement should make it easy to access all sides of each log for harvest. If you grow shiitake mushrooms on logs, you can harvest fresh mushrooms every five weeks for four to six years!
To begin the inoculation process, use a drill with an 8.5-millimetre drill bit to make the first line of holes in your moist logs. Each of these holes should be five inches apart and one and a half inches deep. The next step is to insert the dowels into your log. You can use a hammer or mallet to do this. Then, seal the dowels in the holes by brushing molten wax onto each hole. Paraffin or cheese wax is recommended, but beeswax can also be used, although it may attract unwanted bees.
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Harvesting and storage
Shiitake mushrooms are fundamentally different in their growth habits from anything else in your garden. They are fungal spores that remain dormant until they find the right conditions to grow in. Once the right conditions are met, the mycelium has stored enough nutrients to form mushrooms. When mushrooms appear, you know the log has been fully colonized. Before a log begins producing mushrooms, growers often notice elastic and spongy bark, logs that no longer "ring" when struck, and the appearance of white mycelium on log ends. Temperature and moisture changes trigger the shiitake fungus to produce mushrooms.
If you grow them on logs, they can provide you with fresh mushrooms every five weeks for four to six years. The upfront time and monetary investment of growing your own shiitake mushrooms will more than pay for itself. The logs need to be approximately four to six inches wide and three or four feet long. The more bark a hardwood log has, the more shiitake mushrooms it will produce.
To begin the inoculation process, use a drill with an 8.5-millimetre drill bit to make the first line of holes in your moist logs. Each of these holes should be five inches apart and one and a half inches deep. The next step is to insert the dowels into the log. You can use a hammer or mallet to do this. Then, seal the dowels in the holes by brushing molten wax onto each hole. Paraffin or cheese wax is recommended, but beeswax can also be used, although it may attract unwanted bees.
After the logs are shocked, they are stacked for fruiting, normally using the high A-frame or lean-to configuration. The stacking arrangement should make it easy to access all sides of each log for harvest. You can then pick the mushrooms as they spring out of the wood.
Dried mushrooms can be sold and distributed to a wider market due to their longer shelf life but require commercially licensed facilities for dehydration and packaging.
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Frequently asked questions
You need to decide on a growing medium or substrate for your mushrooms. Shiitake mushrooms are picky about what they eat, so a suitable substrate is key. Logs from hardwood trees such as oak, elm, alder, sweetgum, or maple are ideal.
The logs should be around four to six inches wide and three to four feet long. Use a drill to make holes that are five inches apart and one and a half inches deep. Insert dowels into the holes and seal them with molten wax.
The next step is the inoculation process, where you introduce mushroom spores to the substrate. This can be done by purchasing mushroom plug spawn and inserting it into the holes in the logs.
It takes around six to 24 months for the mycelium to store enough nutrients and form mushrooms. Once the mushrooms appear, the log has fully colonized. Temperature and moisture changes trigger the shiitake fungus to produce mushrooms.
If you grow them on logs, you can expect a fresh harvest of mushrooms every five weeks for four to six years!
