Culinary Profile
How to grow Reishi at home
Ganoderma lucidum, Red reishi
Updated
Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), also called lingzhi or varnished conk, takes about 77 days to grow at home, from spawn to the end of the first harvest. Colonize at 27 °C (81 °F) in the dark, then fruit at 23 °C (73 °F) and 85% humidity with moderate fresh air and 12 h of light a day.
Antlers under high CO2, then consoles when fresh air increases.
Use this profile on your chamber
What conditions does Reishi need at each stage?
| Stage | Days | Temperature | Humidity | Fresh air | Light |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colonization | 21 | 27 °C (81 °F) | 88% | little fresh air: fan runs 15 s every 60 min | Dark |
| Antler / primordia | 21 | 24 °C (75 °F) | 90% | little fresh air: fan runs 20 s every 90 min | 12 h a day, white 37%, blue 80% |
| Console formation | 35 | 23 °C (73 °F) | 85% | moderate fresh air: fan runs 30 s every 20 min | 12 h a day, white 37%, blue 80% |
How long does Reishi take to grow?
About 77 days from the start of colonization to the end of the first harvest window.
- Day 1 to 21: Colonization
- Day 22 to 42: Antler / primordia
Little fresh air keeps growth as antlers.
- Day 43 to 77: Console formation
Increase fresh air and light to flatten antlers into consoles.
Get dates for each stage from your own start day with the grow timeline calculator, or compare every species in how long mushrooms take to grow.
Light recipe
Dark while it colonizes, then 12 h a day of cool white with some blue.
Light details
Colonization is dark. Fruiting uses 12 h and 37% white, mapped from 500 lux in the Corvinus literature table (200 to 500 lux early, 500 to 1000 lux later). Blue is the general photomorphogenesis mix. A 2024 paper found green raised weight and red delayed caps; we do not invent a green-heavy mix from that.
WS2812 blue is roughly 465 to 475 nm. The RGB mix is an approximation of cited wavelengths, not a measured spectrum.
| Phase | Hours on | White | RGB mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| colonization | 0 h on | white 0% | RGB 0 / 0 / 0 |
| fruiting | 12 h on | white 37% | RGB 0 / 0 / 80 |
| pinning | 12 h on | white 37% | RGB 0 / 0 / 80 |
What goes wrong when growing Reishi?
What does this profile watch for?
Original Shrooly reishi LUA used a very long quiet fan period. Match that for antlers; raise fresh air for kidney-shaped consoles.
No pins after colonization
Make sure the block is fully colonized first. Then check that the chamber reaches the antler / primordia conditions: 24 °C (75 °F), 90% humidity, and little fresh air. Pins need more fresh air than colonization. More on this.
Green, black, or slimy patches
Patches that are not white mycelium are usually contamination such as green mold or bacteria. Bag the block, take it out of the chamber, and clean the chamber before the next grow. More on this.
Kit or block doing nothing? Work through grow kit not growing. To check your fresh air, put your chamber size and fan into the fresh air planner.
Reishi growing FAQ
What temperature does Reishi grow at?
In this profile Reishi colonizes at 27 °C (81 °F) and fruits at 23 °C (73 °F). Colonization: 27 °C (81 °F). Antler / primordia: 24 °C (75 °F). Console formation: 23 °C (73 °F).
What humidity does Reishi need?
85% while fruiting. Colonization: 88%. Antler / primordia: 90%. Console formation: 85%.
How long does Reishi take to grow?
About 77 days with this profile: 21 days of colonization, 21 days of antler / primordia, 35 days of console formation. Real blocks vary, so move on when the block is ready, not only when the days run out.
How much light does Reishi need?
Colonization: dark. Antler / primordia: 12 h a day, white 37%, blue 80%. Console formation: 12 h a day, white 37%, blue 80%.
How much fresh air does Reishi need?
Moderate fresh air: fan runs 30 s every 20 min while fruiting. Colonization runs with little fresh air.
Is Reishi good for beginners?
It is one of the harder species in this library. Try an oyster first if you have never grown before.
Related grow guides
- How to grow Cordyceps militaris
- How to grow Cordyceps: deep orange under pink light
- How to grow Button / Cremini
- How to grow Enoki
- How to grow mushrooms at home
- What is the easiest mushroom to grow at home?
- Grow kit vs monotub vs smart chamber
- How much humidity and fresh air do mushrooms need?
- All species and conditions
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Sources
- Corvinus University reishi thesis. Petra Maszlaver, Cultivation possibilities for production of reishi mushroom Ganoderma lucidum, Corvinus University of Budapest PhD (2011). Literature table: 200 to 500 lux in early fruiting, 500 to 1000 lux later. 500 lux maps to 37% white.
- Agriculture 2024 Ganoderma light. Study on the Effects of Different Light Supply Modes on Ganoderma lucidum, Agriculture 14 (2024). 12 h / 12 h at 15 umol/m2/s. Red delayed or blocked differentiation. Green raised fruit weight. Blue is still used here as the general photomorphogenesis mix; this paper did not give a lux number for our white channel.
- Oregon State Extension reishi. OSU Extension EM 9364, Reishi Mushroom Growing Guide. Antler versus shelf form is tied to oxygen, not a lux number. Colonize blocks before opening them to fruiting.
- Stamets. Paul Stamets, Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms, Ten Speed Press. Used here as a general cultivation reference. This recipe does not take a photoperiod or lux number from a cited page in that book.