Organic Maitake - Grifola frondosa - Pure Culture

Organic Maitake - Grifola frondosa - Pure Culture

Synonyms: Hen of the Woods, Ram's Head, Sheep's Head, Signorina mushroom, Maitake, Kumotake, Huai Su Gu

The Maitake is considered a particular marvel in Asia, already centuries ago. This was due in part to its unusual bush-like shape, which allowed the mushroom to adapt exceptionally well to its surroundings. providing excellent camouflage. Additionally, it was considered so valuable (because of its properties) that its locations were kept strictly secret by collectors. Today, the Maitake is known in both Asian and European-American regions as a delicious, meaty edible mushroom, distinguished by its high nutritional value. Because of this, it has garnered significant interest in the pharma industry, and has been a valuable research subject in Korean, Japanese and American studies for several years.
The fruit bodies have a brownish to dark grey color, many overlapping caps sprout from each mushroom stalk, with diameters ranging 2 - 10cm. The young fruit bodies are particularly delicate in flavor. Fully matured Maitake can be dried and prepared as tea. Under particularly favorable conditions, Grifola frondosa fruit bodies can weigh 500g or more.

Production time is 3 - 6 weeks, as this material is made fresh on demand.​
The material should be processed immediately after delivery.
It can otherwise be stored in the refrigerator at 4 °C for up to 2 weeks.
Please consider these timings when placing the order.

Suitable cultivation methods: 
wood logs, spawn bags for indoor greenhouse 

Suitable substrates: hardwood
Suitable woods:  poplar, oak, alder, aspen, maple, birch, ash, beech, willow, elm
Outdoors: this strain produces fruiting bodies in late summer and early autumn 

You receive living, actively growing, axenic cell culture, entirely free of other strains or contaminating organisms, for further propagation. Our pure cultures are custom-made and produced freshly after ordering -  in a class 100 clean room environment on a solid nutrient medium (MEA) based on plant-derived raw materials. The pure culture needs around 2-3 weeks until its mature enough for shipping. The culture is supplied in special cell culture flasks (Filling volume: 15 ml culture medium, Growth area: 25 cm², Measurements: L x W x H = 79,7 x 42,6 x 26,53 mm) with breathable, hydrophobic membrane. This special design prevents introduction of contaminants and facilitates optimum gas exchange thanks to the high air flow rate of the membrane. With this packaging, the mushroom culture can withstand longer shipping distances and time without compromising quality or germination ability.

This product is intended for professional production of grain spawn  to further propagate this strain of fungi. Working with pure cell cultures requires detailed mushroom cultivation skills. For beginners and hobby growers we recommend starting with grain spawn or sawdust spawn.

We highly recommend reading this book - gain further detailed knowledge for successful mushroom cultivation:
- Growing Gourmet & Medicinal Mushrooms, Dr. Paul Stamets, ISBN: 978-1580081757 (English)

Taxonomy:
Division: Basidiomycetes
Class: Agaricomycetidae
Order: Polyporales
Family:  Meripilaceae
Genus: Grifola
Species: Grifola frondosa
Spores: white, slightly elliptic, smooth and glassy; 6 - 7 x 3,5 - 5 µm


Growing conditions:
Phase 1: Mycelial growth
Temperature: 21 - 24 °C
Humidity: 95 - 100 %
Duration: 14 - 30 days
CO2: 20.000 - 40.000 ppm
Fresh air exchange: 0 - 1 per hour
Light: n/a

Phase 2: Primordia formation / Fruiting initiation
Temperature: 10 - 15,6 °C
Humidity: 95 %
Duration: 5 - 10 days
CO2: 2.000 - 5.000 ppm
Fresh air exchange: 4 - 8 per hour
Light: 100 - 500 Lux

Phase 2: Frond formation
Temperature: 10 - 15,6 °C
Humidity: 90 - 95 %
Duration: 10 - 14 days
CO2: 2.000 - 5.000 ppm
Fresh air exchange: 4 - 8 per hour
Light: 100 - 500 Lux

Phase 3: Fruiting and harvest
Temperature: 13 - 16 °C (18 °C)
Humidity: 75 - 85 %
Duration: 14 - 21 days
CO2: < 1.000 ppm
Fresh air exchange : 4 - 8 per hour
Light: 500 - 1.000 Lux

Harvesting cycle: 2 crops, every 3 - 4 weeks