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White mushroom is a welcome prey for any mushroom picker. Strong, beautiful boletus is just asking for a basket. But they are found in the forest less and less. This is due to the reduction in forest area, poor ecology and many other reasons. Therefore, many lovers of this forest delicacy are increasingly thinking about how to grow porcini mushrooms at home. And if there is such a desire and opportunity, it must be done, because the regular use of this product brings great health benefits.
The benefits of porcini mushrooms
- Improves immunity.
- Help in the fight against atherosclerosis and angina pectoris.
- Good prevention in the fight against cancer.
- They contain a large amount of vitamins and minerals.
If you decide to organize the cultivation of porcini mushrooms at home, you should familiarize yourself with the biology of boletus so as not to make mistakes.
The mass cultivation of boletus in an industrial way does not justify itself due to the complexity and high cost. But it is quite possible to grow them in a small volume.
Boletus characteristic
The porcini mushroom belongs to the tubular mushrooms and is a symbiont - its mycelium grows together with the root system of the tree under which it grows. They exchange nutrients for mutual benefit. Each boletus species forms a symbiosis with a specific wood species.
This is one of the few mushrooms tolerant of bright sun, it grows well in lighted meadows. Boletus can also live in the shade, but there they feel much worse, in shady places they can only be found in a good year. Boletus does not like very wet places, but it will not grow at all without water. The porcini mushroom does not tolerate extreme heat and low daily temperatures. In summer, it grows best at 15-18 degrees of heat, in autumn 10 degrees are enough for it. It takes a whole week to grow to the size of an adult mushroom (a cap up to 50 cm in diameter and a leg up to 25 cm high and up to 5 cm in diameter). Soils for it are best sandy, sandy loam and loam.
When we know what conditions need to be created for the successful growth of boletus mushrooms, we will try to grow porcini mushrooms at home.
There are two ways to breed this mushroom delicacy:
- extensive - boletus are grown on their own plot in natural conditions;
- intensive - growing indoors, in which the necessary conditions are created by a person.
Let's consider each method in more detail.
How can boletuses grow on the site
This growing method is seasonal. Success in this business can be achieved provided that there are suitable trees on the site, next to which the boletus will be comfortable. In nature, they most often grow under birches, oaks, pines and spruces. Young trees between 5 and 10 years old are most suitable. They may be older, but at least 5 years old. The white fungus does not have symbiosis with the roots of young trees.
On a site suitable for all parameters, we dig up the ground without turning the layer. Weeds must be selected. If there is no rain, the area needs to be moistened.Further preparation of the site depends on the way in which the boletus are going to breed.
Breeding methods for porcini mushrooms
- store-bought mycelium;
- fragments of mycelium brought from the forest;
- mushroom material brought from the forest.
In the first and second cases, the soil needs to be made nutritious with the help of specially prepared compost. It is made from leaves, pieces of bark that begins to rot, with the addition of a small amount of horse manure.
In order for the compost to mature faster, it needs to be moistened from time to time with a weak solution of ammonium nitrate with a concentration of 1%.
Device beds for planting boletus
They take out the earth in the selected place to a depth of 20 cm and put it aside. Fill the bed layer by layer with compost and selected soil. The mycelium of porcini mushrooms is simply laid out on top of the soil, deepening it by 7 cm, in accordance with the norms indicated on the package.
Fresh manure will not work for this. It is much better if it is fully ripe humus. To enrich it with beneficial bacteria, spill it with the EO solution as instructed.
If the mushrooms are propagated by soil with a part of the mycelium, and for this a layer of 15 by 25 cm is sufficient, it is divided into 10-15 fragments, laid out at an equal distance over the area of the garden and also sprinkled with earth a little. The soil is well moistened. The mycelium is taken under the appropriate tree in the forest, under which porcini mushrooms grow. The layer must be cut off carefully and it is imperative to fill the damaged area with fresh earth so that the damage done to nature is minimal.
To keep the moisture longer, it is good to mulch the bed with dry leaves or moss.
Boletus can be propagated by fragments of mushroom bodies. There are two ways - dry and wet.
- With the dry method, whole caps of fully mature mushrooms or their pieces can be laid out in the selected place, the spore layer should be at the bottom. Lightly sprinkle them with earth. You can lay the mushroom caps on a sheet of clean paper and let them dry well in the sun, and then plant them.
- The wet method has been known for a long time. Fully ripe and even overripe porcini mushrooms were put into wooden dishes and poured with soft rainwater for a day. Added 3-4 tbsp. tablespoons of sugar or alcohol. The mixed infusion was filtered through cheesecloth and poured over the bed prepared for planting.
For example, when planting under an oak tree, collect porcini mushrooms from an oak forest.
A crop with a successful early planting can be expected in the first year, but sometimes this process is delayed for 2 or even 3 years.
Growing porcini mushrooms indoors
Greenhouses, basements, hangars, sheds are suitable for this. The main thing is the ability to create conditions suitable for growing mushrooms, namely, a temperature within 8-12 degrees Celsius and a humidity of about 90%.
A very important point is proper lighting. The light should be diffused and dim. It is required by mushrooms after the appearance of fruit bodies. Until this moment, the room may not be lit at all.
Stages of preparation and cultivation of boletus in enclosed spaces
Greenhouses are best suited for this. In the southern regions, a simple polycarbonate greenhouse is sufficient. In the more northern ones, heating will have to be provided. And where it is very cold, it is easier to install it in a room in which it is easy to regulate the temperature.
- Choosing a growing room.
- If necessary, we install a heating system.
- We take care of maintaining the required humidity level.
The easiest way is to place vessels with water, between which there should be a distance of about 2 m, or containers with constantly moistened sawdust. - We achieve the correct illumination. If necessary, we cover the top of the greenhouse with opaque materials or those that only allow diffused light to pass through. For already sprouted mushrooms, it is enough to turn on the light of low intensity for 4 hours a day.
- We install a ventilation system. In cold weather, the supply air must be heated.
- Preparing containers for growing porcini mushrooms. Disinfected wooden boxes installed on special shelves are suitable for this.
- The right soil is one of the most important ingredients for success. It is prepared in advance. Soil components: fertile soil, small amounts of sawdust and horse manure or humus.
- So that the sawdust does not pull off a lot of nitrogen during decomposition, it is better to moisten them with a weak solution of ammonium nitrate. The prepared soil should mature for at least one week.
- We fill the boxes with prepared soil.
- When everything is ready, we buy the mycelium of the mushroom. For growing mushrooms at home, brought from the forest, boletus is not suitable. In the Netherlands, intensive technologies have already been developed for the cultivation of this forest delicacy. Special races of porcini mushrooms, most adapted for home conditions, have also been bred. If possible, it is best to use Dutch mycelium.
- We buy the required amount of mycelium, grind it without removing it from the bags.
- We distribute evenly over the surface of the substrate in accordance with the instructions. Mix with soil. We monitor the moisture content of the substrate. The layer of earth above the mycelium should not be thicker than 7 cm.
- We monitor all the parameters in the room where the mushrooms are grown and wait for the harvest.
To imagine the process of growing mushrooms more clearly, you can watch the video:
The technology of growing porcini mushrooms at home is much more complicated than that for growing mushrooms... It requires a lot of initial investment and time. But all this pays off with the result obtained. For those who have not yet done home mushroom growing, it is better to start by growing mushrooms on the site. Experienced mushroom growers can receive quite tangible income from their plantations indoors.
