Shiitake var. for logs

Lentinula edodes

Available as

Mother cultures (Petri dish)
Sawdust spawn
Plug spawn

About this strain

A classic shiitake strain for log cultivation — for growers who want to harvest from their own logs for several seasons. The mycelium colonises wood quickly and vigorously: soft hardwood such as birch in 3–5 months, dense hardwood like oak or beech in 7–12 months. Fully colonised logs are triggered into fruiting by soaking them in cold water, and crop most heavily in spring and autumn, when nights turn noticeably cooler.

The mushrooms are of excellent quality, with dark brown caps (lighter in warm weather), domed at first and almost flat when fully mature. They taste best picked while the cap margin is still tightly curled under. Intense, characteristic shiitake aroma.

How to grow it

Growing stages

Spawn run (incubation)
Temperature
approx. 20°C (optimum)
Duration
3–12 months, depending on wood and temperature
Fruiting
Temperature
12–18°C
Humidity
80–90%
Fresh air
good fresh air
Light
500–2,000 lx
Fruiting trigger: soak in cold water for 24–48 h; drop in night temperature.

Harvest

Flushes: 6–10
Between flushes: irregular — mostly in spring and autumn, occasionally in summer

Logs keep fruiting for several seasons and are soaked again before each new flush.

Please note: these growing parameters bring together the experience of practising growers — a starting point, not a guarantee of results. Every grow has its own substrate, climate and equipment, and even small differences can noticeably change the yield. Adjust these values to your own conditions.