posted 11 years ago
Personally, I wouldn't bother with old, dried out irradiated mushrooms. Most of the spores are probably either dead or are long gone. I recommend purchasing fresh plugs or sawdust spawn from a local spawn producer (organic if possible) and starting your project in your late winter or early spring. Cut fresh hardwood logs before the buds break, inoculate in about 2 weeks with fresh plugs or sawdust spawn, leave the logs in a clean, shady, moist place away from direct sun. I've had excellent results growing Ling Chih (Ganoderma lucidum) on oak logs using sawdust spawn. In the meantime, look around for fresh wild Ling Chih in your local forests. Ancient Ling Chih (Ganoderma applanatum) is a fairly common mushroom around the world and is an excellent substitute for Reishi/Ling Chih (Ganoderma lucidum) Good luck!
"In a fruit forest everyone is happy"- Sepp Holzer