Growing Reishi Mushrooms

More and more people are growing Reishi mushrooms (also known as Lingzhi mushrooms) at home. These strange looking mushrooms have been revered for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine for their purported health benefits. Cultivating these mushrooms at home can be a rewarding and relatively straightforward process, provided you have the right materials and follow the proper techniques.

We’ll try to walk you through here what you need to know about growing Reishi mushrooms in your own home, but it’s also worth understanding the different types of Reishi mushrooms and their characteristics. Reishi mushrooms typically belong to the genus Ganoderma, with Ganoderma lucidum being the most commonly cultivated species. Reishi mushrooms can be seen in different forms, with either a distinctive flat, fan or shelf-like shape, these are often referred to as “Lingzhi” in Chinese culture, or ‘Antler Reishi’ which are grown with a more elongated, branching growth pattern resembling deer antlers. While Ganoderma lucidum is the most popular strain, other species within the Ganoderma genus, such as Ganoderma tsugae, which is very similar, may also be cultivated at home.

Growing Reishi Mushrooms

There are effectively three different ways you can try growing Reishi mushrooms;

Using purchased ‘all in one’ grow bags with substrate and grain pre-sterilised and ready for inoculation
Using separate grain and substrate – colonising the grain before mixing with substrate in a suitable container* to finish colonisation
Using logs – inoculating hardwood logs with colonised spawn (dowel or grain) and allowing to incubate in your garden – this route will take several months

*Suitable containers include glass jars, plastic bins or tubs or mushroom grow bags.

For the sake of convenience and to stop this page becoming book-length, we’re going to assume you are preparing and colonising grain spawn separately and are then mixing that with substrate in your chosen container type.

Spawn inoculation and incubation

No matter what type of mushroom you plan to grow, you need live mycelium and, with that, you need to inoculate some form of grain in order to create grain spawn. Grain spawn is grain that has been fully colonised with mycelium. You can buy colonised grain spawn – we sell a limited range of it for certain mushroom types including Reishi – or you can create your own.

Common types of grain suitable for use as spawn include rye grain, millet, or wheat berries. Before it can be used, your grain needs to be soaked for 24 hours, boiled to kill endospores and then sterilised in a pressure cooker or autoclave. If using a pressure cooker it must be able to reach 15psi (which is 121 degrees celcius). However, the most convenient way to begin is to buy ready-sterilised grain, such as the sterilised rye grain packs we sell! Then you can inject your sterilised grain with is few ml of Reishi liquid culture to inoculate it. Your grain should then be stored in a warm dark place with a stable temperature of around 24-29°C for optimal mycelial growth. Monitor the bags or jars regularly for signs of contamination and shake them occasionally to encourage uniform colonization.

Tip: You cannot truly see if your grain is fully colonised – you only see what is on the outside of the grain bag/jar. When you believe it is fully colonised, set it aside for another 5-7 days to allow it to consolidate and give any unseen uncolonised areas a chance to catch up.

Substrate Selection

Choosing the right substrate is crucial for successful Reishi mushroom cultivation. Reishi mushrooms are primarily cultivated on hardwood substrates such as oak, maple, or beech. If you can’t get your hands on a good supply of hardwood sawdust, hardwood fuel pellets are perfect for the job and are available at most DIY stores and garden centres – hardwood, not softwood.

A good recipe is to mix hardwood sawdust (hardwood fuel pellets) with wheat bran or rice bran at a ratio of 5:1. You will of course find a variety of similar or even different substrate recipes online but before choosing to adopt one, be sure first that it is suitable for growing Reishi mushrooms. Regardless of the actual recipe used, your substrate needs to be properly sterilised to prevent contamination from competing fungi or bacteria. Failing to sterilise your substrate is a recipe for tears.

Inoculating the substrate

Fruiting Stage

Once the substrate is fully colonized with Reishi mycelium, it’s time to initiate the fruiting stage. Fruiting means growing Reishi mushrooms! This process involves exposing your colonized substrate to fresh air, light, and lower temperatures to stimulate mushroom formation. Here’s how to fruit your Reishi mushrooms:

Transfer the colonized substrate to a suitable fruiting container, such as a plastic bag or a humidity-controlled chamber. Humidity controllers and automated foggers (to add humidity when needed) are readily available on Amazon and similar sites.

Cut small holes or make slits in the container to allow for air exchange and place the container in a well-ventilated area with indirect light. Keep your container at a stable temperature of between 18-24°C and maintain humidity levels at around 80-90%.

Harvesting

Growing Reishi mushrooms isn’t a quick experience and it will typically take Reishi mushrooms several weeks to mature, depending on the environmental conditions you provide. You should harvest your mushrooms when they reach their full size and develop a deep reddish-brown color. Use a sharp knife to cut the mushrooms close to the substrate surface.

Hope to be successful?
Enhance your chances of successfully growing Reishi mushrooms by remembering these things:

Sterility: Maintain strict sterilization practices throughout the cultivation process to prevent contamination.
Ventilation: Ensure adequate air exchange during the fruiting stage to prevent the buildup of carbon dioxide.
Patience: Reishi mushrooms can take several months to mature, so be patient and monitor their progress regularly.

Flat or Antler Reishi?

Flat Reishi and Antler Reishi are the same species of mushroom, but they are grown under different environmental conditions, which result in the distinct forms observed. By understanding and manipulating these environmental factors, you can grow either Flat Reishi or Antler Reishi, depending on your preference. Both forms have similar medicinal properties and are valued for their health benefits.

Flat Reishi Mushrooms

Flat Reishi:
Flat Reishi mushrooms are typically grown in conditions with higher levels of carbon dioxide and less air circulation. This environment encourages the mushroom to grow in a flat, fan-like shape, which is the traditional form often associated with Reishi or Lingzhi mushrooms. Flat Reishi tends to be exposed to some light, which helps in developing its broad, flat shape and often a lacquered surface appearance.

Antler Reishi:
Antler Reishi, on the other hand, is cultivated in an environment with lower carbon dioxide levels and better air circulation. These conditions stimulate the mushroom to grow in an elongated, branched manner, resembling antlers. This form is sometimes referred to as “antler mushrooms” or “antler Reishi.” Antler Reishi is usually grown with less light exposure, contributing to its vertical, branched growth.

Here’s How

When growing Reishi mushrooms, you can control the shape by manipulating the growing environment:

For Flat Reishi:
Use hardwood sawdust mixed with bran (5:1 ratio) or hardwood logs and inoculate with Reishi spawn.  Keep the substrate in a warm (24-29°C), dark place with high humidity. Once the substrate is fully colonized, move it to a fruiting chamber with moderate light and higher carbon dioxide levels. Limited fresh air exchange helps maintain these conditions. Harvest when the mushrooms develop their characteristic flat, shiny surface.

For Antler Reishi:
Use the same substrate preparation as for flat Reishi and inoculate with Reishi spawn the same way. Similar to flat Reishi, incubate in a warm (75-85°F), dark place with high humidity. Once colonized, move the substrate to a fruiting chamber with good air circulation and lower carbon dioxide levels. Reduced light exposure also promotes the antler form. Harvest when the antler-shaped structures are well-developed.

This is a guide specifically for those of you interested in growing Reishi mushrooms, but we have growing guides for other mushroom species here on our mushroom growing guides page.