Organic Maitake Grain Spawn

Grifola frondosa, Tufted Polypore, Hen of the Woods

The maïtake, Grifola frondosa, is not only a good edible mushroom, but also an excellent medicinal mushroom used for centuries in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicines.

The active ingredients particularly sought after in maitake are the D-Fraction and MD-fraction derived from complex sugars of the beta-glucan type that the can be found in this mushroom. These components are particularly studied for their immunostimulating properties, anti-tumor (1,2), reduction of diabetes (3) and hypertension (4).

Its cultivation is generally done indoors on substrates based on sterilized enriched sawdust, or outdoors on wooden logs inoculated with dowels. His favorite species are chestnuts and oaks.

Please note, the fruiting of this mushroom is relatively more complex than that of most other cultivated mushrooms and is therefore more intended for experienced mushroom growers.

Mycelium storage: 1 month in the fridge

See also: How to use our mycelia

Our quality commitment:

We produce our mycelia under laboratory conditions, guaranteeing purity of the varieties and optimal quality.

Our mycelia are 100% organic and certified “ BE-BIO-01, Agriculture Belgium ” by CERTISYS.

Sources :

(1) A Polysaccharide extracted from Grifola frondosa enhances the anti-tumour activity of bone marrow-derived dendritic cell-based immunotherapy against murine colon cancer. Masuda Y, Ito K, Konishi M, Nanba H. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2010.

(2) Maitake extracts and their therapeutic potential - A review. Mayell M. Alt Med Rev, 2001;6.

(3) Anti-diabetic activity present in the fruit body of Grifola frondosa (Maitake). Kubo K, Aoki H, Nanba H. Biol Pharm Bull. 1994; 17:1106-1110.

(4) Blood pressure lowering activity present in the fruit body of Grifola frondosa. Adachi K, Nanba H, Otsuka M, Kuroda H. Chen Pharm Bull. 1988;36:1000-1006

Growing conditions

Maïtake prefer cool temperatures of 10 to 15-18°C. They need constant high humidity at the beginning of fruiting, which gradually decreases until harvest.

Substrates

Indoor cultivation: pasteurized/sterilized enriched sawdust. We recommend our ready-to-use substrate , particularly suitable for wood-eating varieties.

Outdoor cultivation: Wooden logs (chestnut trees, oaks) semi or completely buried.

Culture settings

Inoculation

5-10% mycelium on grains /moist substrate

Incubation

21-24°C, 2 to 4 weeks + 4 weeks of rest

Primordia formation temperature:

10-16°C

Fruit setting parameters

Productivity

Average of 100-200 g of fresh mushrooms per 1 kg of wet substrate on a harvest.