Mushroom Plug Spawn – AUSTRALIAN REISHI (GANODERMA STEYAERTANUM) Approx. 600-700 qty plugs – no shippnig WA

$44.95

4 in stock (can be backordered)

SKU: PLUGSGSAUS4 Category:

Description

Australian Reishi Spawn Plugs Cultivation Guide

Australian Reishi (Ganoderma steyaertanum) is a magnificent native medicinal bracket fungus. When grown with ample fresh air, it develops stunning, deep red, glossy, lacquered “conk” shelves with a vibrant white growing edge.

Reishi is a true test of patience. It takes 6–12 months for the mycelium to fully colonise a log before fruiting, but once established, a single log can fruit seasonally for 5 or more years!

Reishi is a warm-weather loving wood rotter. It requires consistent warmth to incubate and fruit, with ideal fruiting temperatures sitting in the mid-twenties (21–26°C).

(Out of stock? Please allow 2–4 weeks for shipping.)

🛠️ Quick Gear Checklist

  • Fresh Hardwood Logs: Native Eucalypts (such as sugar gum or Tasmanian blue gum with thick bark removed), Oak, or Pecan. Logs should be 10–15 cm in diameter and ~ 1 meter long. Must be freshly cut (ideally 3–5 days old).

  • Australian Reishi Spawn Plugs: Hardwood dowels fully colonised with native Reishi mycelium.

  • Drill & Bit: 8- 8.5 mm

  • Waxing Kit: Food-grade wax, an old pot, and a paintbrush.

🪵 Step-by-Step Process

1. Inoculate Immediately (Fresh Wood)

  • Crucial: Unlike other varieties, Reishi prefers highly fresh hardwood logs. Inoculate within days of cutting the logs.

  • Drill: Drill holes in a staggered diamond pattern all over the log, spaced 5–10 cm apart, to a depth of 1.5 times the plug length. Plan for roughly 50 plugs per meter-long log.

  • Insert: Hammer the Reishi plugs in until they sit completely flush with the bark.

  • Wax: Melt the wax and paint over every plug hole and both cut log ends to trap moisture and block wild competitor fungi.

2. Incubation (6–12 Months)

  • Place the logs stacked off the ground (on clean pallets or bricks) in a shaded, protected outdoor area out of the wind.

  • Keep it wet: Reishi loves moisture. Hose the logs down regularly during dry spells so they never dry out.

🌤️ Environment & The Reishi Shape-Shift

Reishi changes its physical shape based entirely on oxygen levels.

Phase Ideal Conditions The Cultivation Secret
Incubation Shaded, warm, humid space (21–24°C). Protect from direct ground contact to avoid wild soil contamination.
Fruiting Temp Warm and balmy (21–26°C). Naturally fruits outdoors in Australia during warm, humid months.
High CO2 (Low Air) Starved of fresh oxygen. The log will grow long, finger-like Red Antlers.
Low CO2 (High Air) Ample fresh air exchange. The log will form wide, beautiful, flat Red Bracket Conks.

🔪 Harvesting & Medicine Making

  • When to Pick: Harvest when the bright white, velvety growing edge completely disappears, and the entire bracket turns a uniform, deep lacquered red-brown.

  • How to Pick: Because Reishi is as hard as wood, you cannot twist it off. Use a sharp saw or heavy-duty pruners to cleanly slice the bracket off at the base where it meets the log bark.

  • Processing: Reishi is not a cooking mushroom—it is tough and woody. Slice the fresh conk into thin strips immediately (before it completely hardens) and dry it out. Use the dried pieces to simmer into teas or extractions.

  • Ongoing Care: Keep the log out of direct sunlight and heavily hydrate it during summer heatwaves. It will rest in the winter and flush again when the warmth returns!

 

**Please keep in the fridge until you’re ready to use them.

Please note this culture is sold with our Mushroom Spawn and Cultures sale agreement. By purchasing you agree to this agreement

Dimensions: 8mm diameter. Recommended 8.5mm drill bit when preparing logs.

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