Morel Growing Technology
Morels belong to the family of Morels (Morschellae). high, s. conical, with steppe, s. edible (real) and a morel cap. All of these species can be bred in culture.
Where do mores and how morels look?
In the wild, mushrooms of the morel family grow in the temperate climate of the Northern Hemisphere from Europe to America, are also found in Australia and on several islands of the Southern Hemisphere. Morels grow mainly in the forest zone, preferring broad-leaved or mixed forests, but sometimes vegetate among pine trees, and often live in parks and forest-park zones. All 5 of the most famous types of morels grow in Russia, they are found almost everywhere - from the forest-tundra zone in the south to the forest-steppe strip in the north, from the western outskirts of the European part to the Far East, and are widespread in the Urals and Siberia. In the southern regions of Russia, they often vegetate in front gardens and on lawns, preferring sandy soils, therefore they often grow in floodplains of rivers, along the banks of streams, like to settle on clearings and forest ashes.
Morels are traditionally considered spring mushrooms, in the southern zone of the European part of Russia they grow from April - early May, in the middle and northern zones they begin to bear fruit from the second half of May to June. Under favorable weather conditions, mushrooms can also be found in warm autumn.
By the nature of their nutrition, morels are characteristic representatives of saprophytes, therefore, mushrooms of this family prefer fertile calcareous soils for growth among grass enriched with plant litter, but can also be found in urban landfills, usually rich in decaying organic compounds.
In Europe, morels began to grow in their own gardens, parks and just in the beds in the middle of the XIX century. The Germans were among the first to notice that morels grow better in the ashes, and began to sprinkle ash with beds.
In industrial mushroom cultivation, mainly 3 types of morels are cultivated: morel more present, morel conic and morel hat - as the most common representatives of this family.
Outwardly, morels look different than other hat mushrooms. The morel cap, depending on its type, has either a conical or an egg-visible-rounded elongated shape, the surface of which is covered with a network of deep folds. The color of the mushroom varies from gray-brown to dark chocolate, almost black. The edges of the cap in some species grow to the stem. The leg is cylindrical, like a hat, inside is hollow.
The height of the mushroom reaches 10 cm. The morel flesh is brittle, easily breaks and crumbles, tastes good, but does not have a pronounced mushroom smell. In most countries of Europe and America, morel conic is a delicacy.
All types of morels are considered conditionally edible mushrooms, suitable for consumption after their preliminary boiling.
How to breed morels
You can grow morels using one of two technologies: French - in specially created beds - and German, in the garden. Both methods relate to extensive mushroom cultivation, which requires large areas to produce high yields. Intensive methods of cultivating this fungus on nutrient substrates in enclosed spaces are currently being actively developed by American scientists, but these methods for cultivating mushrooms have not yet been widely used.
Morels in nature prefer well-lit areas with organic soils; mushrooms are very responsive to the introduction of ash and nutrient-rich apples into the soil. It is these features of natural mushrooms that formed the basis of the French and German methods of their cultivation.
Morels are best planted in a fruit orchard or on a specially designated area of broad-leaved forest, where the natural shade from the trees provides the mushrooms with the necessary level of lighting and at the same time protects them from direct sunlight. When creating beds, it should be borne in mind that mushrooms do not tolerate spring stagnation of water, therefore, a good drainage system is required to drain melt water in the allocated area.
Before you start growing morels on the site, the topsoil must be replaced with a specially prepared substrate. It is prepared from garden soil for flowers mixed with sawdust and ash according to the following formula: for every six volumes of garden soil you need to add half the amount of sawdust and a single volume of ash. The prepared soil mixture should be mixed and laid out with a 10-centimeter layer on the equipped beds. The laid substrate must be poured at the rate of 10 liters of water for each 1 m of beds.
As with the cultivation of other types of mushrooms, for planting it is better to use not mature mushrooms collected in the forest, but morel acquired from verified suppliers of mycelium. After the garden bed is prepared, mycelium is distributed over its entire surface, then they are covered with a 6-centimeter layer of earth removed from the garden beds. The soil is slightly moistened with a shallow watering can or a special sprinkler, after which the bed is covered with stored natural material: straw mats, small branches, foliage; You can use, as the French do, apple squeezes.
After sowing the beds with mycelium, it is necessary to monitor the moisture level of the substrate. As the soil dries, it should be moistened with special nutrient concentrates that contribute to the accelerated and enhanced growth of mushrooms. One of these compounds called Baikal-EM-1 produces domestic agricultural industry. To enhance fruiting, the top of the bed is sprinkled with a thin layer of ash. When using apple pomace, ash can be optionally not used. Fruiting occurs a year after sowing, lasts in one place from 3 to 5 years, and practically does not require large expenses and is especially suitable for small mushroom farms or amateur mushroom growers. In autumn, beds planted with mycelium must be additionally covered with straw, grass, leaves. In the spring, immediately after the snow melts and a positive temperature is established, this protective cover is removed, leaving a thin layer of plant material. As a rule, in 2-3 weeks after removal of the protective cover, the mushrooms begin to bear fruit.
Morels are collected because of their fragility very carefully, twisting the mushroom, holding it by the leg or cutting it with a knife. Ready-made mushrooms can be dried or delivered to the markets raw, but morels, due to their fragility, quickly lose their presentation during transportation.
