Scientific name Lingzhi / Ganoderma Lingzhi.
Reishi is a polypore fungus belonging to the genus Ganoderma.
Reishi will grow all year round, but prefer warmer temperatures and want to be very wet. The ideal time for Reisi is late Spring to early Autumn. They start colonising around September and grow well until April.
They have very slow growth when it is cold. You can create a warm space to assist growth. On sunny days you can put them in a sunny spot under a black box or keep them near a heating apparatus inside (like a gas heater), keep moisture high as the heating apparatus can dry them out.
Reishi does not even need to be opened, it will start growing through the hole in the middle. If you do want to open Reishi you only open it on a small spot. Reishi needs to be kept very wet. The ideal conditions for Reishi are warm and very moist.
If the oxygen is high enough the tail is flat and kidney-shaped, otherwise, the Reishi is antler shape.
Reishi is made into tea or soaked in liquor.
Reishi helps enhance the immune system, reduces stress, improves sleep, and lessens fatigue. It is also used for high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The most common way to prepare Reishi is a strong tea. Use thinly sliced mushrooms simmered for 1 to 2 hours to extract the water-soluble constituents. The medicinal components can also be extracted in an alcohol-based tincture.
Special instructions:
Reishi requires very different growing instructions. DO NOT open the whole top of the log. It dries out too quickly and easily. Remove the plug in the middle
Reishi will even grow without opening. If you just remove the woolen plug and keep that area moist it can grow from there. If you want to open it you can very carefully cut an “X” in the plastic on the top of the log. The cut should about 3mm deep and each line between 2 and 2,5cm long. Open the cut plastic area only.
Water this small exposed area four to five times a day, as well as the hole on the top – it must remain moist at all times!
A stalk will grow at the opened area or through the middle hole and the mushroom will develop from this. DO NOT enlarge the hole any further once the stalk starts to grow! (This will damage the substrate and the stalk will dry out and that section of the substrate will die.)
Reishi, like all medicinal mushrooms, is a slow grower. Once harvested, remove any remaining stalk and cover the open area with a patch of cling film to seal it.
Allow the log to rest for two weeks before opening the next section and following the same procedure.
What can I do if my Reishi kit remains dry?
One possibility is burying it in soil, the soil will keep it wet. The fruiting body can grow from the ground. In China Reishi is mostly grown this way. The soil can support lots of mineral elements which can make Reishi fruit well. This can only be done in the warm months when there is no rain.
What is the main reason my Reishi stopped growing?
The most common reason is the pins are too dry and the pins stopped growing. You can cut off the dry pins or cut open on another area and keep it very wet. The warmer the area the more the pins will grow again.
What is the best way to make use of Reishi?
The most common way to prepare Reishi is by making a very strong tea. The tea can be made by simmering thinly sliced Reishi mushrooms for an extended period (1 to 2 hours) to extract their water-soluble constituents.
The medicinal components of Reishi can also be extracted in an alcohol-based tincture.
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