Morels are highly appreciated for their flavour and texture. In spring, they are ubiquitous in temperate zones, in slightly damp, alkaline, poor, clayey, or sandy soils, where the competition of other microorganisms is low. They feed on dead organic matter and dying roots.
Which species are cultivated outdoors?
Mycoboutique offers the mycelium of various preferred morel species for cultivation. Among these, the fire morel (M. sextelata) is one of the few species that emerge after a forest fire in northwestern Canada. It represents a significant portion of the global market and is absent in the northeastern United States. The landscape black morel (M. importuna) and the blushing morel (M. rufobrunnea) grow on wood chips, the former in Quebec, North America, France, Turkey, and China where commercial cultivation started in 2010, and the latter on the American West Coast. The northern morel (M. septentrionalis), native to the northeastern America, typically grows north of the 44th parallel. This species often grows under large-toothed aspens and American ashes.
Instructions
Planting the kit is done in spring after thawing or in late summer and early fall.
- Choose the location
Choose a shaded spot with well drained, preferably alkaline soil with a pH of 7 to 8, preferably near tree species favoured by the selected species or near old apple trees.
Use 1 kg of colonized substrate per m2 to be seeded. For example, dig two trenches 1 m in length, 50 cm wide, and 30 cm deep, 30 cm apart.
- Sow
Place newspapers at the bottom of the trenches, cover with 20 cm of a mixture of black soil and slightly damp sand. Spread the colonised substrate into the trenches. Cover with another 5 cm layer of black soil or sand mixture. Water generously after seeding. Cover the surface with cardboard or geotextile and protect from animals.
- Maintain
Water generously to keep the soil moist (50-70% humidity). Stop watering if the temperature drops below zero. After 2 weeks, scatter an exogenous source of food on the surface, for example, a slightly perforated plastic bag filled with freshly cooked wheat or fresh apples. Water generously. It's a positive sign when paler circular powdery areas develop near the food sources.
- Harvest
Harvest usually lasts about ten days in spring, after thawing, when the temperature reaches 18°C during the day and drops near the freezing temperature at night. If the daytime temperature exceeds 25°C, fruiting ceases. Outside Morel cultivation remains a challenge and success is not guaranteed. Growers must be aware of potential challenges such as fungal diseases and crop failures and be prepared to face them, which makes the experience all the more interesting.
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