Shiitake
Lentinula edodes
Shiitake mushrooms gathered off fallen logs have been the most popular mushroom in Asia for centuries. In the last century, techniques have been developed to cultivate them intentionally, with commercial production at last becoming feasible. Demand for this distinctive, nutritious and sturdy mushroom continues to rise in today's health-conscious cuisine.
Cultivation: Shiitake are cultivated using trees or wood as a growing medium, or sawdust-based substrate. Two viable methods are in wide use today, small-scale "natural" log cultivation, and "synthetic" or sawdust "log" cultivation, used mostly by large-scale commercial operations. Natural log cultivation is the oldest method and imitates nature closely. Low initial costs make it ideal for small scale growers, but the process is physically demanding. It requires "planting" hardwood logs felled in the dormant season... they can be logs or branches freshly-cut from healthy, living hardwood trees, often gathered from timber stand improvement cuts.
For indoor growing, we also offer ready-to-fruit Shiitake Table Top Farms and 8-Block Sets.
More Information and Tips for Growing Shiitake Mushrooms
Click here to view ourhow-to video on Shiitake log inoculation
Shiitake Strains: We offer three fruiting temperature divisions as shown below: Wide Range, Warm Weather, and Cool Weather. And even though deciding which strain to use can be a little confusing, you really can't go wrong... they are all amazing!
For a side-by-side comparison of all of our Shiitake strains, see our Shiitake Mushroom Strain Chart which breaks down all of our Shiitake strains by fruiting temperature and strain characteristics. Note: These divisions indicate the conditions under which each of these strains typically fruit, and NOT an indication of which type of climate they grow best.
Shiitake mushrooms gathered off fallen logs have been the most popular mushroom in Asia for centuries. In the last century, techniques have been developed to cultivate them intentionally, with commercial production at last becoming feasible. Demand for this distinctive, nutritious and sturdy mushroom continues to rise in today's health-conscious cuisine.
Cultivation: Shiitake are cultivated using trees or wood as a growing medium, or sawdust-based substrate. Two viable methods are in wide use today, small-scale "natural" log cultivation, and "synthetic" or sawdust "log" cultivation, used mostly by large-scale commercial operations. Natural log cultivation is the oldest method and imitates nature closely. Low initial costs make it ideal for small scale growers, but the process is physically demanding. It requires "planting" hardwood logs felled in the dormant season... they can be logs or branches freshly-cut from healthy, living hardwood trees, often gathered from timber stand improvement cuts.
For indoor growing, we also offer ready-to-fruit Shiitake Table Top Farms and 8-Block Sets.
More Information and Tips for Growing Shiitake Mushrooms
Click here to view ourhow-to video on Shiitake log inoculation
Shiitake Strains: We offer three fruiting temperature divisions as shown below: Wide Range, Warm Weather, and Cool Weather. And even though deciding which strain to use can be a little confusing, you really can't go wrong... they are all amazing!
For a side-by-side comparison of all of our Shiitake strains, see our Shiitake Mushroom Strain Chart which breaks down all of our Shiitake strains by fruiting temperature and strain characteristics. Note: These divisions indicate the conditions under which each of these strains typically fruit, and NOT an indication of which type of climate they grow best.
