How to grow porcini mushrooms on the site

Cultivation of mushrooms on the site attracts many summer residents. Of course, avid mushroom pickers prefer to search for mushrooms in the forest. And for other lovers of mushroom dishes, it is more attractive to collect a basket without leaving the yard.

Mushrooms have always been considered a festive product, and white mushrooms, in general, are a delicacy on the table. It is not always possible to buy borovichi on the market, but growing it yourself is not only profitable, but also exciting. The main thing is to create conditions that are as close to natural as possible in order to get a good harvest. Growing white mushrooms is more difficult than oyster mushrooms, but with a little effort, the result will please.

Mistresses love porcini mushroom for its fleshiness, rich taste and also because the mushroom does not darken during processing. That’s why they call him white.

Growing porcini mushrooms in a personal plot is possible in two ways:

• from mycelium;
• from fresh caps of adult mushrooms.

You can get a crop both in a greenhouse or in another room, and in the open air.

To understand why gardeners love porcini mushrooms so much, just look at an adult boletus and try it.

What will we see and feel?

1. A huge beautiful brown hat on a thick white leg. The older the white mushroom, the darker the cap becomes.
2. The pulp of the porcini mushroom is juicy and dense. Does not change its color when cut, remains yellowish. In some cases, it may turn slightly pink.
3. The taste is so rich and pleasant that lovers of porcini mushrooms do not use other types for preparing snacks.
4. When cooked, porcini mushrooms spread a very tasty aroma that overshadows the smell of other products.

If you decide to start growing porcini mushrooms, then you first need to familiarize yourself with the requirements of forest beauties for growing conditions.

Features and conditions for growing mushrooms

Under natural conditions, the white fungus grows in close interaction with trees or symbiosis. The most favorite for white boletus are conifers – spruce and pine, as well as birch and oak. In addition, the preferred age of trees is at least 35-50 years, so in young pine forests you can not harvest too much.

He loves the white mushroom of the forest, where:

• the soil is covered with mosses and lichens;
• no sudden temperature changes;
• there are comfortable neighbors – chanterelles, greenfinches, green russula;
• the average air temperature at the end of summer is 18°C, and in September – 10°C;
• sunlight penetrates well;
• the composition of the soil refers to sandy loam or, in general, well-drained sand;
• there are no ferns and hoof in the neighborhood.

How to grow a lot of white mushrooms? To do this, you need to follow certain rules so that the mushroom is in its usual conditions.

It is necessary to choose a place for growing porcini mushrooms on the site, taking into account all the parameters, so that the result does not disappoint and the efforts spent are not wasted. It’s great if there are already mature trees no younger than 7-10 years old, and the place is well lit and humidified /

It is good to bring the soil from the place where the parent white mushroom is taken. Mushrooms will not grow in any land, they are demanding on the composition of the soil and do not grow well in uncomfortable conditions for them. You need to know that sudden changes in temperature, excessive shade or moisture, lack of fresh air will negatively affect the growth of white mushrooms. Therefore, before you start growing porcini mushrooms on the site, double-check the availability of all the necessary conditions.

If you decide to grow a mushroom crop indoors, then:

• the selected space should be well ventilated;
• it should be possible to maintain the optimum temperature (from +8°С to +12°С);
• the humidity level should not go beyond 90% -92%;
• it will have to be provided with artificial light sources with low brightness.

For indoor cultivation, a greenhouse structure, basement, warehouse or utility building is suitable.

How to grow white mushrooms

A variant of growing boletus mushrooms on a plot of mycelium

This method helps lovers of porcini mushrooms when there is no time to look for forest “parents” or there is no forest nearby at all. To grow porcini mushrooms in this way, you will need to purchase mycelium.

At the time of purchase of the mycelium, immediately specify the following information about it:

• variety and strain;
• mold resistance;
• fouling rates;
• shelf life.

You can independently determine the quality of mycelium by its appearance and smell. A good mycelium of porcini mushrooms has a rich red color with small yellow patches. But if the spots are black or green and there is a smell of ammonia, then the purchased product should be returned. After purchase, store the mycelium on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator at a temperature of + 4 ° C, but not more than 3 months.

In addition to the finished mycelium, you will need to prepare:

• a plot with growing coniferous or deciduous trees;
• fallen leaves, moss, small branches;
• mature compost.

Now we begin to prepare the substrate in which the planted porcini mushroom will grow. A high-quality substrate consists of sawdust of hardwood trees, straw, sunflower husks, buckwheat. There may be other components, but one important condition – no rotten inclusions or mold!

Before planting the mycelium of porcini mushrooms, the substrate is saturated with moisture. This is done in two ways of processing – steam or boiling water. You can process the mixture in plastic bags.

The ideal time for planting porcini mushrooms on the site is the warm season from May to September.

When everything is ready, we proceed to the next stage – landing.

At the chosen place for planting around the tree, we remove the top layer of earth as thick as a spade bayonet (20 cm). We leave the tree in the center, and around it we expose a plot with a diameter of 1 m to 1,5 m.

We put compost on top of the bare circle. It can be replaced with soil that contains a lot of peat. The thickness of the bookmark is no more than 2 cm. Now we place the mycelium in a checkerboard pattern after 30 cm. One pack of mycelium is used per tree.

Cover with soil and water. We take the soil that was removed earlier under the tree, pour water through the sprayer. For one bookmark (1 tree) we spend 2-3 buckets.

The area where the mycelium of porcini mushrooms was planted is covered with straw to maintain humidity. Water periodically so that our mycelium does not dry out. Gardeners add biological preparations (Baikal EM-1) to the water during irrigation to increase germination.

In the winter months, we cover the mycelium with spruce branches, fallen leaves or straw. The radius of the shelter should be at least 2 m. In the spring, do not forget to remove it after the threat of return frosts has passed.

We get the first mushroom harvest a year after the mycelium takes root. The growth of white mushrooms will continue for 4 years. Irrigation with the use of biological products increases the harvest time up to 7 years.

Mushroom hat planting option

This method also needs trees around which you will grow porcini mushrooms on the site. But the seed material will have to be independently extracted in the forest. It is necessary to collect caps of mature porcini mushrooms.

The minimum quantity is 7-10 pieces. Choose specimens with cap diameters of at least 15-20 cm. Break one cap and look at the color of the flesh on the break. It should be greenish in color. If the white fungus is infected with insect larvae, you should not pay attention to it.

We start landing.

First, prepare the material – mushroom caps:

We put them in a bucket filled with water and leave for a day. Well, if it is rainwater.

After getting wet, knead the hats directly in the water. The pieces should be small to get a homogeneous mass. We filter it through a sieve. The remaining pulp is also left for planting.

We prepare a place under the tree, as in the previous version.

The landing process is slightly different. We do not cover the bare area with a layer of soil, but pour the spores of porcini mushrooms directly onto the roots of the tree. Spread the remaining mushroom pulp on top.

Cover with soil and water. Also neat and plentiful (up to 5 buckets).

Care requirements remain the same – we maintain humidity, heat and shelter for the winter.

One watering requires 4-5 buckets of water. Naturally, in the rainy season it is reduced.

In one place they harvest 3-4 years. Then new spores are planted using the same technology.

When growing porcini mushrooms in a greenhouse, be sure to monitor the humidity of the room and lighting.

Tips and Tricks

To improve the survival rate of porcini mushrooms, you can use the advice of experienced gardeners:

1. Try to collect white mushrooms under trees that are identical to where you will plant them on the site. Use separate bags for seed from different trees.
2. The collected hats are soaked immediately after collection, and sown the next day. Due to rapid decomposition, storage is not recommended.
3. Don’t freeze mushrooms for later planting – that won’t work. You won’t get any harvest or sprouts.
4. Add alcohol or sugar to the water for soaking mushroom caps to increase their chances of survival. It will take 4 tbsp. spoons of alcohol or 50 g of granulated sugar in a bucket of water.
5. Be sure to disinfect the area prepared for planting. An infusion of black tea (1 g of tea leaves per 50 liter of boiling water) or oak bark (boil 1 g of bark in 30 liter of water for an hour) is well suited. Processing is done with a cooled infusion.
6. Plant porcini mushrooms on the site no later than mid-September.
7. For white champignon, horse manure is considered the best compost.

Of course, growing porcini mushrooms on the site requires patience and effort, but the resulting harvest will make you forget about the hassle. This process succeeds the first time, even for beginner gardeners.