Wild Reishi in its natural environment and how to grow it yourself

Reishi mushroom, also known as Ganoderma lucidum, is a saprotrophic bracket or shelf fungi that feeds on dead or dying hardwood stumps and trees. There are around 80 different species of Ganoderma lucidum worldwide, and they have several different names. In the west, reishi is the most popular name, but there are many others. In the east, where people have used these mushrooms for more than 2000 years, they also have several names. The most common being lingzhi or the mushroom of immortality.

In the wild, reishi grows on hardwood trees, most often stumps or fallen logs, though they can sometimes be found on living trees. They are found on trees throughout the Northern hemisphere in China and Europe. Some introduced populations thrive in Utah and California. Reishi may also pop up several feet away from a stump or standing dead tree, but in spite of appearances they’re not growing from the dirt – in that case, they’re growing from the dead roots underneath the ground. Reishi will always be growing on wood.

Reishi mushroom is a medicinal mushroom that is relatively easy and intriguing to grow. It produces beautiful fruiting bodies and you don’t need expensive equipment or specialized grow rooms to grow reishi mushrooms. There are several different methods you can use to grow them both indoors and outdoors.

One of the easiest ways to grow reishi mushrooms is by using a fruiting block. Fruiting blocks can be purchased from local suppliers and mimic natural logs in structure and function. They start as 5-pound blocks made with hardwood sawdust and bran, which get sterilized and then inoculated with grain spawn2. Another easy way to grow reishi is to use a reishi grow kit. You can buy these online from a supplier in your area. Grow kits come with an inoculated and colonized substrate block, meaning you can start the fruiting process as soon as you get your grow kit.

Here are 5 steps to growing reishi mushrooms using a fruiting block:

1. Pasteurizing the substrate: The substrate is where you will be growing Reishi mushrooms.

2. Spawning the Substrate: After draining the excess water, leave the substrate for up to 8 hours to cool.

3. Waiting Time: After mixing the spawn, cover the bucket with plastic wrap.

4. Fruiting: When you see the substrate covered in cobweb-like growths, it means it is fully colonized.

5. Harvesting.

We do not recommend you actually ingest your own experiment, but it could be a fun activity and discovery exercise. If you really want to benefit from this outstanding herbal product, please visit our organic extracts of the most potent red reishi ready for consumption in easy to swallow capsules.