TOPIC: Reishi?

Latt, here are some pictures of those mushrooms that I think are Reishi. Yes, as you can see they do appear shiny on top. The last picture is not very good, but I was trying to show the undersides and that they are spongy on the bottom with no gills. The whole mushrooms are kinda hard. I don't think that this is the right time of year, because most of the ones on the tree look very beat-up from the winter. Many were on the ground and had fallen from the tree. I suspect that they probably grow new ones each year, because I recall that they looked more healthy during the summer months. I'm having some trouble viewing your email address, and so you may have to ask the forum director guy to email it to me.

Well, I'll re-size the pictures, and try again.

another pic

another

100% sure you have reishi. Not a true reishi (Ganoderma Lucidum). Due to it growing on a hemlock stump it would be classed in (Ganoderma tsugae). But still a reishi!

Thanks for the pics MaxPanax.

Trahn007, would you agree these are still good to grind in a food processor? I may still want them if you concur. Let me know MaxPanax what you want for them.
Thanks,
Latt

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Those reishi look old, not worth as much. If I were you I'd come back and have a look at that stump in the spring to see if new reishi mushrooms pop up. I have a tall stump like that on my property that's been making reishi mushrooms for a couple years now.

Latt not prime , but could be still good. I like to harvest mine early fall right after spore drop. I dry mine ASAP and store in glass mason jars. I've harvest many that look like those in winter that where good but I looked them over first. Without being able to look them over it must be considered in the deal IMHO.

Yes, as I said before, I don't think this is the right time of year and these shrooms look kinda old and beat up. Upon closer inspection, some of them are falling off of the trees and starting to get moldy on the undersides. A fungus on a fungus!

But, I am glad to confirm that they are reishi. I''ll take some new pics during the summer of the new and nicer ones as they emerge. For better or worse, I've got lots of dead hemlock trees (due to the wooly adelgid thing). For the trees that don't have reishi growing on them, do you think it would be worth trying to innoculate them with spores?

Tsugae is the strain that will be needed for it to grow on hemlock. All the cultures that are for sale listed for reishi will be lucidum which is a hard wood lover. (Sorry for the latin names it's the only way I can explain). If you want to make your own culture without a clean lab setting, just grind up some of the reishi you do find on the hemlocks and drill and fill the hemlocks you want to innoculate. Not a sure way but I'd give it a 30% chance of working. I've seen whole mountain side hemlock stands hit with adelgid and the reishi tend to grow in a wave from first dead to last dead tree. Reishi mycelium is a slow grower and takes some time until it gains nutrients to fruit. IMHO I'd let nature takes it course.