Reishi Tea – healthy adaptogenic drink by Shroomok

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• Day-to-day Reishi growing diary

  Bottom line and final thoughts It’s time for a sip of reishi tea and let’s get to the conclusions.Was it easy to grow Antler Reishi?Yes, Reishi is one of the easiest in my experience. I’d suggest to grow them to anybody who wants to change perspective a bit and try a new type of mushrooms (other than active ones) And here is why!Are there any differences in the cultivation process?Basically, principles are the same as for almost any species. The colonization part is completely the same as for Cubensis – grain, jars/bags preparation, sterilization, inoculation, grain spawn colonization.But Spawn to Bulk and fruiting period have some differences. This part is similar to Lion’s Mane, Shiitake, or Oysters. As a wood-loving species, Reishi requires a fruiting substrate based on hardwood sawdust and bran. And they need a stump-like block rather than a flat cake.So, you can begin with the part you’ve already familiar with (I assume you have experience with Cubes). Then you need to learn about new substrate and making fruiting blocks. If you have ever cultivated edibles, then Reishi will be an easy run for you.How fast do Reishi grow?Reishi are rapid colonizers. It takes 2-3 weeks for grain colonization. But they are super slow at the fruiting stage. It takes a week to see small changes in mushrooms, while Oysters or Cubensis show the progress within a few hours. Overall you need approximately 9-13 weeks to get the first harvest:2-3 weeks for grain colonization2-3 weeks for bulk colonization5-7 weeks for pinning and fruitingAre Reishi prone to contamination?Reishi are extremely strong and resistant to contaminants. Thanks to their aggressive mycelium. I had so many cases where reishi mycelium created a circle around a contaminated area, sealed it and literally ate it with time. This never happened to my Lion’s Mane though.So, don’t hurry up to get rid of a bag with a small contaminated patch, especially inside the bag (not on the top).Do Reishi need any special equipment for the fruiting period?What a great benefit of growing reishi! They don't need any special equipment or GrowTent. They are highly tolerant to CO2 and low humidity. Reishi are able to fruit in a plastic box or even without it at all.That’s it! Now you know enough to go on with.

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