Dear Kirti S For your attention please

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agrinoob

New Member
In answer to my query regarding mushroom farming at Patiala you suggested morrel farming.I'm confused.I heard morrels cannot be cultivated and that they are found only in higher reaches of J&K,Himachal and U'Khand.Please enlighten me on the technique if it is possible to cultivate morrels

Regards
Agrinoob
 

Ashwini

Well-Known Member
HI
Yes, mushroom growers have worked out ways to cultivate morels, but these mushrooms are still among the most difficult to grow, at least in any quantity. It is quite complicated. For outdoor growing, some companies are selling morel "kits." With these, you prepare an outdoor space according to specifications and inoculate with morel spawn. Then, if you are lucky and weather conditions cooperate, you may see morels the following season. Agar cultures of morel mycelium and morel spawn can both be prepared by the peroxide method following the same procedures used for other mushrooms. Morel spores germinate very quickly, and the mycelium grows faster than virtually any other mushroom mycelium, covering an agar plate in 3 days or so. But the difficulty with morels is getting the mushrooms to form.

One of the most popular ways of growing morel mushrooms is with purchased spawn.

Spawn is simply the mycelium, or "vegetative growth" of the mushroom, and the material on which it was grown. Spawn can come in the form of grain (such as rye berries), sawdust, woodchips, etc. This mycelium-infused material is then used to inoculate larger batches of substrate to create a mushroom bed.

The easiest way to get spawn is by purchasing a morel mushroom kit, which you can do online. Your kit will arrive with some type of spawn or spores, and instructions on how to plant them.

Follow the instructions that come with your kit. Regardless of the company you purchase from, most will tell you to do some variation of these similar steps:

Prepare your morel bed:

* The site should be made between the summer and fall in a climate where there is an actual change of seasons. Morel mushroom kits don't do well in tropical environments with no real winter or spring.
* Choose a shady spot and measure the dimensions. Most kits seem to be enough for a 4-foot by 4-foot square.
* Prepare the soil. You want a sandy soil mix with adequate drainage, not too much clay or rock. A sandy soil with some gypsum and peat moss mixed in seems to work well.
* Add some ashes from burned wood to your soil. Morels are known to spring up after forest fires, and ashes add nutrients and mimic a post-forest fire habitat.

Plant your spawn:

* Mix your morel spawn/spores into the prepared bed according to the instructions. This isn't complicated, and usually just involves spreading it through the top layer.
* Mix some hardwood chips on top of the spawn bed. Morels grow near elm, ash, old apple, and tulip trees so use chips from one of these trees (preferably elm or ash).

Wait:

* The worst part! Although the mycelium is a fast colonizer, it may take a few years before it produces any actual mushrooms. Growing morel mushrooms is not a hobby for the impatient.

REgards
Ashwini
 

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