Lingzhi
Reishi
Ganoderma lingzhi
Available as
Mother cultures (Petri dish)
Grain spawn
Sawdust spawn
Plug spawn
About this strain
Lingzhi is the reishi that has held a special place in Chinese tradition for more than two thousand years — it is this species, not the European Ganoderma lucidum, that is grown in Asia as the “mushroom of immortality”. Research has confirmed that our strain is Ganoderma lingzhi with an elevated triterpene content. It readily and reliably forms glossy, red-brown, shelf-like caps.
It resists competing moulds, which makes it easier to grow. It grows on sterilised hardwood sawdust blocks with a small addition of bran, as well as on logs and stumps.
How to grow it
Preparation
- Substrate
- hardwood sawdust (fine and coarse) with approx. 10–15% bran, sterilised — more bran inhibits fruiting; outdoors: hardwood logs and stumps
- Spawn rate
- 1–2% on sterilised sawdust
Growing stages
Spawn run (incubation)
- Temperature
- 21–27°C
- Humidity
- 95–100%
- Duration
- 10–20 days
- CO₂
- tolerates up to approx. 50,000 ppm
- Fresh air
- 0–1 per hour
Primordia (“antlers”)
- Temperature
- 18–24°C
- Humidity
- 95–100%
- Duration
- 2–4 weeks
- CO₂
- 20,000–40,000 ppm
- Fresh air
- 0–1 per hour
- Light
- 200–500 lx, 4–8 h / 24 h
High CO₂ stretches the growths into “antlers”; the light source sets the direction of growth.
Cap formation
- Temperature
- 21–27°C
- Humidity
- 95–100%
- Duration
- 2–4 weeks
- CO₂
- lower gradually from approx. 5,000 to 2,000 ppm
- Fresh air
- as needed to hold the target CO₂
- Light
- 500–1,000 lx, 12 h / 24 h
Lower CO₂ and more light make caps start to form at the tips of the growths.
Fruiting
- Temperature
- 21–27°C
- Humidity
- 90–95%
- Duration
- approx. 2 months
- CO₂
- <2,000 ppm
- Fresh air
- as required
- Light
- 750–1,500 lx, 12 h / 24 h
Harvest
- Flushes
- 2
- Between flushes
- 2 crops within 90–120 days
Harvest when the pale growing rim at the cap edge disappears and the cap starts shedding brown spores. Dry the mushrooms; they are hard and woody and are not eaten fresh.
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.
Available products
Prices are set individually — tell us what you need and how much, and we will send a quote including delivery.
Mother cultures (Petri dish)
- 1 pc.
Grain spawn
- 5 l
Sawdust spawn
- 5 l
Plug spawn
6 × 30 mm
- 30 pcs.
- 1000 pcs.
Want to order this spawn?
Tell us what you need — we will reply with a quote and a shipping date.