UK-Made Kinshi — Fermented Hardwood Substrate with Lion's Mane Mycelium
Kinshi is hardwood substrate that has been inoculated with mushroom mycelium and allowed to ferment. The mycelium colonises the wood, breaking down the tough cellulose and lignin into a softer, nutrient-dense material that detritivorous invertebrates can digest far more easily than raw wood. The result is essentially artificial white rotten wood — the single most important food source for a huge range of invertebrate species.
This kinshi is made here in the UK using Lion's Mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus), a wood-decomposing species that naturally breaks down hardwood in the wild. Lion's Mane is closely related to the polypore fungi that tropical isopods, millipedes, and beetle larvae feed on in their natural habitats — making this one of the most biologically appropriate supplementary foods you can offer your invertebrates.
Available in 100g and 200g bags.
What Kinshi Does and Why It Matters
In nature, detritivores don't eat fresh wood. They can't — the lignin and cellulose in raw hardwood are too tough and nutritionally inaccessible. What they actually eat is wood that has already been partially broken down by fungi. The fungal mycelium does the hard work of decomposing the wood structure, and the resulting material — white rotten wood — becomes the primary food source for isopods, millipedes, beetle larvae, springtails, and other soil-dwelling invertebrates.
Kinshi replicates this process in a controlled way. By inoculating hardwood substrate with Lion's Mane mycelium and allowing it to fully colonise, the wood is pre-digested into a form that's immediately available to your animals. It's more nutrient-dense than standard leaf litter, more readily digestible than raw rotting wood, and more consistent in quality than wild-collected white rot.
For tropical species in particular, this is significant. Many Cubaris isopods and Ardentiella (formerly Merulanella) originate from forest environments where polypore and bracket fungi are a primary food source. Offering kinshi gives these species access to mycelium-colonised wood that closely resembles what they'd encounter in the wild — something that standard substrate mixes, leaf litter, and vegetables alone can't replicate.
Which Species Benefit?
Kinshi is beneficial across a wide range of invertebrates. It's particularly valuable for:
Isopods — especially tropical species. Cubaris species like Rubber Ducky, Cappuccino, and Panda King, as well as Ardentiella morphs like Batman, Lava, Ember Bee, and Pastel, all naturally feed on fungal-decomposed wood. Adding kinshi to their enclosures provides a nutrient-rich food source that supports growth, moulting, and reproduction. Temperate species like Porcellio and Armadillidium will also readily consume it — any detritivorous isopod benefits from access to high-quality decomposed wood.
Beetle larvae. Kinshi has long been established in the beetle-breeding community as one of the best substrates available for rearing stag beetle and flower beetle larvae. It significantly shortens larval development periods and can increase the final size of adult beetles. For stag beetles in particular — species like Dorcus, Phalacrognathus, and Prosopocoilus — kinshi is considered essential by serious breeders. Japanese beetle hobbyists, who pioneered the use of kinshi decades ago, regard it as the gold standard larval substrate.
Millipedes. All species in our millipede collection feed on decomposing wood as a major part of their diet. Kinshi provides this in a pre-processed, nutrient-dense form. It's an excellent supplement alongside standard substrate, leaf litter, and magnolia leaves.
Springtails. Springtail cultures thrive on decomposing organic material, and kinshi provides a long-lasting food source that breaks down gradually over time.
Cockroaches. Wood-feeding species in our cockroach collection will benefit from kinshi as part of a varied diet.
Why Lion's Mane?
Most kinshi available internationally uses oyster mushroom (Pleurotus) or shiitake (Lentinula) mycelium. Our kinshi uses Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus), which is a white-rot fungus — meaning it breaks down lignin specifically, leaving behind the softer cellulose-rich material that invertebrates prefer. This is the same decomposition process that occurs naturally when polypore fungi colonise fallen trees in tropical and temperate forests.
The practical difference for your animals is a substrate that's been broken down in a biologically authentic way, producing a texture and nutritional profile closer to natural white rotten wood than substrates processed by other methods.
How to Use Kinshi
As a substrate additive. Break the kinshi into chunks or crumble it and mix it into your existing substrate. It works alongside organic topsoil, flake soil, leaf litter, and other substrate components. For isopods and millipedes, mixing kinshi into the substrate provides a continuous food source that's always available as the animals burrow and graze.
As a surface food. Place chunks of kinshi directly on the substrate surface. Isopods will graze on it over time, gradually wearing it down. It also serves as a structural element — isopods will hide under and around larger pieces.
As beetle larval substrate. For stag beetle and flower beetle larvae, kinshi can be used as the primary substrate in rearing containers. Pack it firmly around the larvae. The mycelium-colonised wood provides both food and structure for larval tunnelling.
Alongside other enrichment. Kinshi works best as part of a varied setup. Combine it with magnolia leaves for long-lasting surface cover, cuttlebone or limestone for calcium, and flake soil for additional fermented hardwood nutrition. Together, these provide a comprehensive, nutrient-rich environment for your invertebrates.
Storage
Store kinshi in a cool, dry place. It's a living product — the mycelium is present throughout — so keeping it sealed and away from heat prevents premature degradation. If stored properly, it has a long shelf life. If you notice mushroom fruiting bodies beginning to form on the surface, remove them before use — the fruiting process draws nutrients out of the substrate and into the mushroom itself, reducing the food value for your animals.
What You Get
100g or 200g of UK-made kinshi, produced from fermented hardwood inoculated with Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus) mycelium. At £3.25 for 100g or £6 for 200g, it's a cost-effective way to significantly improve the nutritional quality of your invertebrate enclosures.
Pairs Well With
Building a nutrient-rich enclosure means using multiple complementary products together:
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Flake Soil — fermented European hardwood substrate. Flake soil and kinshi work through different processes (yeast fermentation vs mushroom mycelium) to achieve a similar goal — breaking down raw wood into digestible food. Using both together provides the widest range of nutrients.
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Magnolia Leaves — UK-sourced, frozen to sterilise. Long-lasting leaf litter for food and cover.
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Cuttlebone — calcium supplementation for exoskeleton development and moulting.
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Malawi Limestone — passive calcium source and habitat enrichment, especially for cave-origin Cubaris species.
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Screw-in air vents and enclosures — for building properly ventilated setups.
For a complete walkthrough on putting an enclosure together, see our guide to setting up and selecting your first isopods.
