Maitake – (Grifola frondosa) Sawdust Spawn

Maitake mushroom spores

Maitake mushroom spores, also known as Sheepshead or Hen of the Woods, are widely appreciated for its culinary and medicinal properties. Maitake is slow to colonize logs, so we highly recommend sterilizing the wood first to help avoid competitors. Cut oak pieces that measure about 8 inches in diameter by 8 inches in length during the dormant season.

Maitake mushroom growing kit

A single piece is then placed inside each autoclavable bag and the bag is closed using the collar and plugs and sterilized at 15 psi for 1.5 hours. Allow the wood to cool inside the pressure cooker. Once cooled, aseptically inoculate the wood by pouring a heavy dose of sawdust spawns into the bag.

Grow maitake mushrooms

Reseal bag and incubate at room temperature for 3-4 months. After incubation, remove log from the bag and bury it vertically in a shaded spot so that the top of the log is one inch below the soil surface. Mark the location of the buried log. Fruiting may occur as early as the fall of the first season.