How to Grow Shiitake Mushrooms From Spores

Cut a 6-inch-wide hardwood or alder log to 48 inches in length using a saw. Work carefully to avoid damaging the bark. Use a log that is at least three months old. Immerse the log in a tub of water and soak for two hours.

Make holes through the soaked log for inoculation -- the process of inserting shiitake plugs into the holes. Drill 23 to 25 holes in a spiral pattern so the log looks attractive once the mushrooms begin to grow. Ensure each hole is 1 1/2 inches deep, 5/16 inches wide and spaced 3 to 4 inches from the one next to it.

Insert shiitake plugs into the holes. Each plug resembles a wooden dowel and is a colonized shiitake spore. Depending on personal preference, push the pointed end of each plug into a hole until its top is in level with the surrounding wood or pound it lightly with a rubber mallet. Work carefully to avoid damaging the bark.

Seal the holes with cheese wax to keep the plugs from drying. Melt cheese wax to 140 or 150 degrees Fahrenheit and cover each hole using a turkey baster. The cheese wax also serves as the nutrient base for the shiitake plugs.

Extend a length of rope between the trunks of two trees in a shaded part of your yard and stand the log vertically against it, against a shaded wall or under a shade cloth that provides 65 percent shade. Providing the log shade encourages the mycelium, or vegetative growth, to spread and cover it.

Water the log for 10 to 12 hours once a week to maintain moisture at 35 to 45 percent. Ideally, the outer bark of the log should remain dry while the inner wood is moist. If the moisture content becomes low, soak the log thoroughly but leave it to dry naturally to prevent contamination.