Reishi — this mushroom is used in folk medicine for therapeutic purposes, both fresh and dried, finely chopped mushrooms are brewed. In traditional Chinese medicine, "the mushroom of immortality" is considered a miraculous remedy for many diseases.
Grows: in mixed and broad-leaved forests, on dead wood of coniferous and deciduous species (spruce, larch in northern regions), at the roots of weakened trees (oak, poplar, chestnut in southern regions), on submerged wood, singly and in groups. Causes white rot. Cap: 5-16 cm in size, initially the fruiting body is knob-shaped, 1-3 cm in size, or stalk-like, 1-5 cm high, matte, whitish-yellow, with a shiny yellow-brown or purple-brown base, then with an upturned cap, thick, round, matte, light edge. Later, the cap becomes lateral or eccentric fan-shaped, with concentric swellings (growth rings), thin edge, glossy, as if lacquered, reddish, brown-chestnut, with a lighter, sometimes whitish edge. Stem: 3-10(15) cm long and 1-2(3) cm in diameter, lateral, rarely central, with an uneven surface, glossy, chestnut, lilac-brown. Flesh: dense, firm, cork-like or woody, initially whitish, later brown.
Two methods of growing Reishi on stumps.
First — stumps inoculated with mycelium, covered with plastic film, placed in a room with air temperature of 20-26°C for incubation. Incubation is carried out for three months. During this time, the surface of the stumps is covered with light-brown Reishi mycelium. After that, the film is removed, and the stumps are placed in a shaded area.
Second — in the ground, dig a trench 1 m wide and 15 cm deep, of arbitrary length. Then carefully place inoculated stumps in two rows at the same level in the trench. The distance between rows is 40-50 cm, and between stumps 5-7 cm. The free space in the trench is filled with soil up to the top of the stumps. On top of the wood cut, spread mulching material to a layer of 2-3 cm (sawdust, straw, etc.). A week before planting, it is desirable to treat the trench with fungicides.
If the soil is cold (early spring), cover the trench with plastic film, creating a greenhouse-like structure. During the mycelium growth in the trench, it is necessary to maintain a sufficiently high temperature (20-26°C). Fruiting. Fruiting bodies usually appear after one year of inoculation. For fruiting, a sufficiently high air humidity (70-80%) and temperature within 14-26°C are required.
