Shiitake mushrooms, lentinula edodes, is probably the most popular cultivated mushroom around the world. It's also one of the most commonly used mushrooms in gourmet cooking as it imparts a delicious bold flavor and texture. It's a cool weather mushroom that naturally grows in forest on oaks and beeches typically. Although a popular mushroom for log cultivation, shiitake mushrooms are far easier and faster to grow on sawdust blocks in filter patch bags. Shiitakes do great on fast decomposing broadleaf hardwood sawdust (and chips if desired). Some of the woods shiitakes thrive on for sawdust bags is alder, cottonwood,poplar, willow, aspen, sweetgum and other fast decomposing hardwoods. For log production oak is the wood of choice for shiitakes. Reports show shiitake do not do well on fruit tree woods. The sawdust can be supplemented with rice or rye bran and other cereal grains. A good mixture for shiitake sawdust blocks is: 2 parts sawdust, 1 part wood chips, 1/8th part wheat,rice or oat bran, 1/20th part gypsum.

Growth Parameters

Spore Germination: 50-63°F

Spawn run: 70-80°F, Humidity 95-100%, Time: 35-70 days; 

Primordia Formation: 50-60°F, Time: 1 day then 60-70F 5-7 days

Fruitbody Development: 50-70°F Time:5-8 days

Fruiting Cycle: Usually 2-3 weeks for 16 weeks