GROWING GOURMET - Anto2ni.it

360 GROWTH PARAMETERS
Figure 322. G. lucidum fruiting trom pots containing inoculated oak logs topped with soil.
the mycelium becomes difficult to cut and typically tears during transfer. Culture slants can be stored
for periods of 5 years at 35° F. (1-2° C.).
Fragrance Signature: Musty, mealy, not sweet, notpleasant.
Natural Method of Cultivation: G. lucidum can be grown via a wide variety of methods. In China
and Japan, the traditional method is to inoculate logs and lay them on the ground or shallowly bury
them. (See Figures 3 19—321). The logs are placed in a shady, naturally moist location. By covering
hoop-frames with shade cloth, light exposure and evaporation is reduced, creating an ambient environment
conducive for fruitbody development. Typically six months to two years pass before
substantial harvests begin, and continue for four to five years. (For more infonnation, see Hengshan
eta!. (1991.)) This method gives rise to natural-looking mushrooms.
Using Nature as an example, this mushroom grows prolifically on stumps. Hardwood stumps can
be inoculated using any of the various methods described in this book. Cultivators living in high humidity
climates with prolonged growing seasons (such as Louisiana and elsewhere in the humid
southeastern United States) have success growing Ganoderma lucidurn on hardwood logs laid directly
onto the ground. Individual preferences vary amongst cultivators who, by nature, tend be a
secretive or reluctant-to-communicate breed.
A quasi-natural method is to inoculate short hardwoodlogs and place them into nursery style pots.
(See Figure 322.) The pots are then filled with hardwood sawdust and topped with soil. Large greenhouses,
covered with dense shade-cloth, can house thousands of these individual containers that are
simply laid out as a single layer over a gravel rock floor.
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