Includes Four Rye Berry Bags and One 10cc Culture Syringe

Shiitake Mushroom: Lentinula edodes

Cultivation Difficulty: Moderate
Type: Edible/Medicinal
Substrate: hardwood chips and sawdust, hardwood logs
Colonization/Fruiting Temperatures 70-80F/50-70F

Shiitake is a very popular edible mushroom that has been cultivated in Asia for centuries. It is a dense, chewy and meaty flavored mushroom that is good fried or grilled.

Shiitake has wide-ranging health promoting and immunity stimulating properties against cancer, viral infection and high cholesterol.

Our Starter Kit includes everything you need to begin Shiitake generation.

Each bag contains just over 1 pound of precooked and pre-sterilized rye berries that can be used for primary spawn generation with culture injection through the self-healing injection site.

This Rye Berry Bag is specifically designed for primary spawn generation.

Once fully colonized the rye berry spawn may be used to inoculate other bulk mediums such as pasteurized straw, hardwood chips and sawdust, various grains, newspaper and cardboard. One fruiting formula is below.

If you are seeking a Grow Kit product for contained fruiting of Shiitake mushrooms, see our Shroom Bags in the Grow Kit section.

Directions for use:

Unfold the Bag, allowing the extra bag material to stand straight up as pictured in Figure 2.

Locate the small foam disk sealed and attached in a plastic housing near the base of the Bag, the dark button visible in Figures 1-4, the one being touched by the syringe needle in Figure 3. This disc is the self-healing injector site.

The disc will be covered by a small plastic shield. Do not attempt to remove the plastic covering the disc, you will inject through it.

Sterilize a small section of the outside of the Bag, on the plastic shield, directly over the foam disc, with an alcohol soaked wipe. With the same alcohol soaked wipe, sterilize the needle on your culture syringe.

Inoculate the substrate with the culture syringe solution by inserting the needle through the plastic shield and foam disc at the previously sterilized spot and squirting 1cc of culture solution into the mixture.

Mix the culture solution thoroughly by shaking the syringe before injection.

Faster colonization can be achieved by squirting solution into several locations in the substrate mixture.

When injection is finished, slowly remove the needle and the foam disc will seal the injection site (no need to tape).

DO NOT insert the needle through the white filter patch at the top – that is a breather.

Return the inoculated bags back to the shipping box and place in a dark, warm location which maintains the colonization temperature. Allow the bag to remain extended so gaseous exchange through the filter patch is not blocked.

The bags may be gently shaken to distribute the colonizing grains for faster spawn run.

Because colonization will begin in the interior of the substrate material it may take between 14-20 days for you to notice the spreading of colonizing mycelium towards the outside of the Bag. Speed of colonization is directly affected by incubation temperatures, please check to make sure you are incubating the bag at 75-85F. Typical colonization time is 21-30 days when incubated properly.

Once fully colonized the rye berry spawn may be used to inoculate other bulk mediums such as pasteurized straw, hardwood chips and sawdust, various grains, newspaper and cardboard.

Fruiting formula by volume:

100 parts hard wood sawdust/small woodchips
10 parts bran
1 part gypsum (calcium sulfate)

Water until moist and well soaked through. Drain or squeeze out excess water. The substrate should be damp but not wet. Pack into autoclavable bags and sterilized from 1-4 hours at 15 psi depending on the volume of the substrate. Larger volumes need a longer sterilization time to heat the core enough for complete sterilization. Depending on the type of bag and method of inoculation, the bags can be sealed before or after sterilization. Colonization is slow and may take as long as 1-2 months.

Fruiting requires removing or puncturing the bag and providing a cool, well ventilated and humidified environment with indirect light. Hand misting daily and covering the bagless sawdust block loosely with a light plastic grocery bag (to maintain humidity) gives acceptable results on the kitchen counter.