Lentinula edodes

Shiitake Mushroom

A mushroom is the edible fruiting body of a fungus. The edible part consists of a cap, gills and stem, and some grow above ground, some below ground. Care should be taken with identification, as some mushrooms are toxic. Shiitake mushrooms have a brownish colour, the top of the cap being crazed-looking

Contributed by @berwynjones

plant Features

Full sun to partial shade
Occasional watering
Not Frost hardy
Moist and fertile

plant information

Common name

Shiitake Mushroom

Latin name

Lentinula edodes

type

Fungus

family

Marasmiaceae

ph

6.3 - 8.0 Acid - Neutral

Light

Full sun to partial shade
Frost

Not Frost hardy

Soil

Moist and fertile
Water

Occasional watering

Plant & bloom calendar

Best time to plant
When to harvest

full grown dimensions

The size of a fully grown Shiitake Mushroom is 0.15meters x 0.10meters

0.15 M 0.10 M

Lentinula edodes

Propagating by spores outdoors

From Mid Spring TO Early Autumn

Shiitake Mushrooms can be grown outdoors from Spring to Autumn. They are grown in dowels, placed in logs,10-15 cms in diameter, made from hard wood (oak, birch, beech etc.) which need to be cut when the tree is dormant, and holes drilled to take the dowels. A 50 cm log will support 15-20 dowels. (For how to plant the dowels, see "Planting" event)

Planting dowels

From Early Spring TO Late Winter

To plant the dowels containing the mushroom mycelium (spawn), drill holes 6" apart down the length of the log, in rows 3" apart, and push the dowels into the holes until they are flush with the log. Seal with wax - and seal any cut branch ends or damaged areas in the bark, but NOT the log ends. Put the logs in a shady, wooded place, or under evergreen shrubs. If the log shows signs of cracking, soak it in water for a day or two, to wet the bark. Colonisation may take from 6 to 18 months

Subscribe to GardenTags Premium to get personalised planting tasks and more for your entire plant collection