Growing and caring for porcini mushrooms. How to grow porcini mushrooms in the country

Porcini mushrooms are valued for their unique aromatic and taste properties. This is one of the most popular types of boletus among gourmets around the world. globe. They contain a huge amount of useful substances, fiber and vegetable proteins. The only drawback is the seasonality of this species, because you can only see them on sale warm autumn, in the midst of mushroom season. Of course, it’s very nice to go looking for mushrooms in the forest or buy them from experienced mushroom pickers, but it’s even nicer when they grow in your dacha.

In this article you will learn how in a parallel universe you can grow porcini mushrooms at home using personal plot, but in practice this idea will end an absolute failure. Let's try to figure out why.

Features and methods of growing porcini mushrooms

To grow White mushroom at home you will have to sweat a lot and uselessly. The thing is that this variety is in close symbiosis with its habitat, namely trees (spruce, oak, pine, birch). They do not grow under leaves, but in places with moss cover.

Boletuses are very demanding on the climate, and their largest harvest can be observed after a foggy night, when high humidity air. The place for growing porcini mushrooms should be well lit and warm. However, to recreate such climatic conditions for home growing impossible!

Do not pay attention to the articles and videos found on the Internet, this is all pure deception, just read the comments!

Requirements for the premises and conditions for growing porcini mushrooms at home: necessary equipment

As a rule, various articles write that porcini mushrooms can be grown in personal plots by recreating them natural environment or in greenhouses (specially equipped premises). An ordinary greenhouse, which is empty after the last harvest, is also suitable.

Many desperate advisers suggest growing porcini mushrooms even at home on the windowsill.

However, you should not consider the option of growing porcini mushrooms at home on window sills or on the balcony - this is just a waste of time. We repeat once again, home conditions are absolutely unsuitable for this lesson.

In some articles you can read that an insulated basement would be an ideal option for intensively growing porcini mushrooms, as it retains temperature and humidity well. But this is not enough! To grow mushrooms at home you will need special equipment, which includes:

1. Heating system with temperature regulator. Optimal temperature for growing porcini mushrooms is 15° - 18°C. To maintain the required temperature level you will need a heating system.
2. Air conditioning system. Any varieties of mushrooms, including porcini mushrooms, grow exclusively in the fresh air. Indoors, with high temperature and high humidity, the air becomes stale and saturated with carbon dioxide, which significantly slows down their development. The room must be systematically ventilated. For this purpose, special hoods are installed that remove dirty air and supply fresh air.
3. Fluorescent lamps. Porcini mushrooms are very light-loving, as they naturally grow in open areas. That is why their myceliums have to be illuminated. It is best to use special lamps with diffused lighting for greenhouses. They can be purchased at any large garden center.
4. Shelving. To optimize the space in the room, special racks are installed on which containers with the substrate are placed. This allows you to fill the area more efficiently and significantly increase the number of landing places. Naturally, you can do without shelving by placing containers on the floor, but with this method, significantly fewer containers will fit. Plastic pots can be used as growing containers, plastic bottles volume 6 l, felt bags.

Before you start planting mycelium, it is necessary to disinfect the room. The floor and shelving are treated with a 0.4% sulfate solution, and the walls and ceiling are covered with a mixture of lime and copper sulfate. Additionally, the room is treated with a smoke bomb.

Note! You should not believe these tips; no equipment will help you grow porcini mushrooms at home. Another thing - or!

How to grow porcini mushrooms at home: growing technology

Equipping a basement into a greenhouse for growing mushrooms should not break the budget. All materials are available and easily replaceable. It is important to do everything correctly so that the invested funds do not go to waste, but pay off and generate income. To do this, you must strictly follow the technology for growing porcini mushrooms.

Note! There is no technology for growing porcini mushrooms at home! Everything that is written below is an invention of storytellers!

Substrate preparation

As mentioned earlier, the difficulty of growing porcini mushrooms lies in recreating the conditions for their natural habitat, namely in fertile soil. Specialized stores sell ready-made soil for growing mushrooms, but not a single manufacturer will give you a guarantee of the quality of such a substrate. You can prepare a fertile, natural and high-quality mixture yourself, and most importantly, it will be completely free. To do this, you need to collect dry field grass, dry leaves of trees (birch, oak, acorn), small twigs with needles of coniferous plants. It is recommended to add some dried moss to the substrate. All components must be dry, as they must be crushed in a special garden harvester. The porcini mushroom grows in sandy and loamy soils. Add a little sifted sand and dry clay to the already crushed mixture in a ratio of 4:1. The substrate for growing porcini mushrooms should sit for about two weeks in a dry and warm place before planting.

Selection and purchase of mycelium

For ready-made substrates, purchased mycelium of various varieties is used. Plant it according to the manufacturer's instructions. If you prepared the soil yourself, then the planting material should be prepared accordingly. Already formed porcini mushrooms are suitable as seedlings; you can even use a spoiled mushroom, the main thing is that the cap remains intact. Next, you need to separate the caps and twist them into a meat grinder or chop them very finely with a knife. The crushed caps are placed for 4 hours in a weak solution of manganese (1 gram per 10 liters) and sugar (10 cubes). Thus, you get a nutrient mixture that contains fungal spores.

Landing

The ready-made substrate must be distributed among planting containers. The substrate is poured in an even layer of 30 - 35 centimeters, lightly pressing down upper layer to create a more even surface. It is necessary to place drainage at the bottom of the container, which will provide an air gap, and the fertile soil will breathe, because this is very important for mushrooms. Next, planting material is distributed evenly over the surface, which must again be covered with substrate (about 3–4 cm from above), without pressing down. At the time of planting, the room temperature should be 27° and remain at this level until the first shoots.

Further care

After planting, the first shoots appear already on the 7-9th day. It is very important to maintain the correct climatic conditions, temperature, humidity and lighting. The entire period from planting to germination the temperature is maintained at the same level. It is necessary to regularly moisten the soil and indoor air. To do this, you can use ordinary sprayers and spray the soil with them. It is recommended to place containers of water near heating devices or hang wet towels, sheets, and rags. This way you will achieve optimal air humidity. It is necessary to ventilate the room twice a day to ensure a good flow of oxygen. Porcini mushrooms are light-loving, so they will have to be illuminated with fluorescent lamps (5-6 hours a day). After germination, the temperature in the room should be lowered by 10°, to approximately 16° - 17°. After the first harvest, the mycelium will come out and will be above the level of fertile soil. To avoid drying out, the mycelium should be sprinkled with the remaining substrate. For larger offspring, add a fifth of ammonium nitrate to the substrate. The soil is scattered evenly, covering the stems of the mushrooms.

Harvesting

Already 22–25 days after planting, the first harvest can be harvested. The fruiting period of porcini mushrooms is 40–45 days with a frequency of 10–12 days. It is recommended not to cut the mushrooms with a knife, as many people prefer, but to carefully twist them so as not to damage the mycelium. The hole that remains after removing the mushroom must be sprinkled; a new one will grow in that place. If you follow all the growing rules, you can harvest about 20 - 25 kg from one m²!

You will get such a harvest of porcini mushrooms only if you go around the entire forest yourself!

Important! Don't believe videos like this, but rather just read the comments under it.

Video: how to grow a lot of porcini mushrooms on your plot

Having decided to start growing porcini mushrooms in a greenhouse at home, you need to be prepared for various consequences and results, namely failure. White mushrooms do not grow in an artificially created environment , unlike the same or . That is why we highly recommend starting to grow the latter.

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Growing porcini mushrooms in the country is not a myth, but a reality. The main thing is to know some of the features and then your work will be effective (it would be surprising if this king of mushrooms did not have its own requirements for caring for it). This article is about how to grow porcini mushrooms using two methods. The first method is cultivation using mycelium, the second is using fresh mushroom caps.

But first, a little about the mushroom itself

The porcini mushroom is rightfully considered the most valuable among edible mushrooms. It has a fleshy large cap and a thick swollen white leg. It is tastier and more aromatic than other mushrooms. And it is called white because it does not darken during preparation and cooking. Wonderful aromatic light sauces, broths and soups, as well as many other dishes, are prepared with this mushroom.

All these qualities make it possible to call the porcini mushroom the most desirable in a mushroom picker’s basket. And if it grows in your own garden, then that’s even better.

Well, now about growing porcini mushrooms in the country

Growing porcini mushrooms from mycelium

This is the first growing method in case you don’t have time to look for mushrooms in the forest. To grow this way, firstly, you need to purchase porcini mushroom mycelium. Fortunately, the Internet will help in finding sellers.

In addition to the mycelium, you need:

• growing deciduous trees or coniferous species, better not very old (about 8-10 years);
• branches, moss, fallen leaves;
• compost.

By the way, from May to September is the best time to plant porcini mushroom mycelium.

Well, everything is prepared, the season is right, we begin planting.

First, let's prepare the landing site. To do this, near the tree trunk you need to remove the top layer of earth (10-20 cm thick) with a shovel so as to obtain an approximately round bare area from 1 to 1.5 m in diameter with the tree in the center.

Then lay either compost or soil with a high peat content 1 to 2 cm thick on the bare area, and place pieces of porcini mushroom mycelium on top. Place the mycelium in a checkerboard pattern every 25-30 cm. One package of mycelium should be enough for one tree.

After this, cover everything with the layer of soil that was removed at the very beginning. Now water the planting site. Water must be poured carefully through a sprayer so as not to wash away the soil. One tree needs 2 to 3 buckets of water.

It is recommended to cover the area where porcini mushrooms are planted with a 20-40 centimeter layer of straw to maintain soil moisture at 40%. The mycelium should not dry out. The area will need to be watered from time to time to maintain the required humidity. It is recommended to add effective microorganisms to the water when watering (for example, Baikal EM-1). This increases the likelihood of germination.

To protect from frost, cover the area with mycelium with straw, moss, fallen leaves or spruce branches. Covering radius is about 2m. In the spring, when there is no longer any chance of severe frosts returning, remove the “cover”.

The first mushrooms will appear a year after the mycelium takes root. And so porcini mushrooms in the country will delight you for about 3-4 years. If you water the soil with mycelium from time to time with water containing effective microorganisms (EM), you can harvest the crop longer – sometimes even up to 7 years.

As you can see, the technology for growing porcini mushrooms from mycelium is not very complicated.

Growing Porcini Mushrooms Using Fresh Mushroom Caps

As in the first option, you need coniferous or deciduous trees between 8 and 10 years old. If you don’t have these on your site, you’ll have to look in a neighboring forest or forest plantation.

And now it’s time to go to the forest for mushrooms, that is, for the so-called “seed material”. Such material is the fruiting bodies of porcini mushrooms and, of course, the caps. Your goal is more mature mushrooms (at least 5-10 pieces) with caps 10-20 cm in diameter. When broken, the pulp should have a slight greenish tint. If the mushrooms are infected with insect larvae, it’s not scary.

Now let's get down to the planting process itself.

Growing porcini mushrooms using caps is in some ways similar to growing the previous method, but it also has its own characteristics. To grow this way we need:

1. Prepare the collected mushrooms for sowing;
2. Prepare a place for sowing;
3. “Sow” mushrooms.

And now about this in more detail.

How to prepare the “seed material” of porcini mushrooms?

Place the porcini mushrooms collected for sowing (5-10 pcs.) in a bucket of water (preferably rainwater) and leave them to soak for a day. After steeping, mash the mushrooms with your hands directly in the bucket. You should get a homogeneous mass. Now strain this solution through a sieve or finely pore cloth. Do not throw away any remaining pulp. She will also need to be planted. Thus, you received a solution with spores and the mushroom tissue itself.

Preparing the place for sowing and the “sowing” of porcini mushrooms

The place for sowing is prepared in the same way as in the previous planting method. But the sowing process is different.

With this method of planting on a bare piece of land, it is necessary to pour a strained solution (about 2 liters per square meter) onto the roots of the tree. After watering, place the mushroom tissue that remains after straining on top of the roots. After this, cover everything with the earth that was previously removed near this tree and water it with water. As with the previous planting method, water very carefully. The amount of water per tree is 4-5 buckets.

Take care of the area as in the case of planting porcini mushrooms using mycelium. That is, keep the soil moist (especially in summer), and in winter (and especially before the first winter after planting) cover the soil around the tree. In spring, remove the covering material.

It is enough to water once a week with 4-5 buckets of water for each tree. Although it all depends on the area where you live. If it rains often, then, of course, you can reduce watering.

After a year or two, if the mycelium has taken root, you will collect your porcini mushrooms. They can be from 2 to 5 kg.

By the way, if you “sow” mushrooms in August, and the mushrooms appear the following fall, then parts of the porcini mushroom caps have taken root. Well, if mushrooms appear after 2 years, then the spores have taken root.

As with the mycelium growing method, you will be collecting mushrooms for about 3-4 years. So if you enjoy picking your own porcini mushrooms, plant them again using the same method in a few years.

What do you need to know to increase the chances of mycelium taking root?

Mushrooms may do better if you use the following tips (some of them will work for both growing methods).

1. When looking for mushrooms for further planting, choose mushrooms that grow near the same tree species that you plan to plant near. That is, if an oak tree grows on your site, then look for porcini mushrooms also near the oak tree. If you have different trees on your site, then also collect “seed material” near different trees, but preferably in different bags or baskets. The trees themselves must be healthy.
2. After picking the mushrooms, they need to be soaked immediately (maximum 10 hours after picking) and sowed the next day. Before soaking, mushrooms cannot be stored for longer than 10 hours. They decompose quickly. You won't grow anything from frozen mushrooms, so don't even try to freeze them to plant later.
3. When soaking mushrooms (during preparation seed material) you can add sugar or alcohol to the water. This will help the mycelium take root better. You just need to remember that alcohol is added first, mixed with water, and only then the caps are placed for soaking. The amount of alcohol is 3-4 tbsp. spoons per 10 liters of water. If you use sugar, it should only be granulated sugar. Refined sugar cannot be used. You need 50 g of sugar per 10 liters of water.
4. 2-3 hours before planting mushrooms, the bare area of ​​soil should be watered with a special solution for disinfection. But don't be afraid, these are all natural substances and your eco-garden will not suffer. But pathogenic fungi and bacteria will partially lose their hyperactivity and will not be able to harm your porcini mushrooms.
   A solution of tannins is used to disinfect the area. One tree needs 2-3 liters of this solution. It can be prepared either from black tea or from oak bark. You can water the area only with a cooled solution.
   You can prepare a tanning solution like this:
   - from black tea
   To prepare 1 liter of the finished solution, you need to pour 50-100 g of low-grade tea with one liter of boiling water and wait for it to cool.
   - from oak bark
   For 1 liter of water, take 30 g of oak bark. Boil for an hour. During the boiling process, add water to the original volume.
5. The deadline for planting mushrooms is until mid-September. Later they will take root less well or will not take root at all. 1-1.5 months before frost, the mycelium can take root and grow. This will ensure her better wintering.
   The best time to plant porcini mushrooms is August to mid-September.

And again: monitor the humidity in the area of ​​the planted mushrooms. In hot summers, water the area with mushrooms with 3-4 buckets of water once a week.

Well, now you know how to grow porcini mushrooms. It will take a little work, but this is the king of mushrooms and it’s worth it. And imagine how you watch the growth of mushrooms, without fear that someone else will pick them, because they grow on your territory...

Growing porcini mushrooms in the country will provide you with a personal “forest” harvest.

Have you not noticed how much there is Lately Are there programs on TV dedicated to the preparation of various dishes? And after the release of the series “Kitchen,” the profession of a cook, according to Forbes magazine, generally rose sharply in the ranking of the highest paid professions. In parallel with this, prices for various delicacies have also risen (of course, a large share of the blame for this lies with the current crisis). But what’s interesting is that despite the “jump” in prices for gourmet products, their cost for the manufacturer has hardly increased for many product categories. Take, for example, the cultivation of porcini mushrooms - tell me, how can this business depend on supplies from the West? Right! No way!

Porcini mushrooms have always been considered the “elite” of the mushroom kingdom, and their price has always been an order of magnitude higher than, say, chanterelles, honey mushrooms, or boletus. That is why growing porcini mushrooms is the most profitable option. Some time ago I told my readers about how to organize a business for growing mushrooms on stumps (oyster mushrooms and honey mushrooms). In response, I received quite a lot of letters with questions and requests for information on how to grow porcini mushrooms, and so I finally decided to consider this issue in detail.

Brief business analysis:
Costs of setting up a business:10,000 - 40,000 rubles
Relevant for cities with the population: no limits
Industry situation:the market is poorly developed
Difficulty of organizing a business: 3/5
Payback: 1 year

In the “mushroom business,” of course, residents of rural areas have all the advantages; there are land areas and natural conditions that are perfectly suitable for growing mushrooms. But this does not mean at all that city residents cannot try this business. In the end, many have their own dachas, plots of land with greenhouses in villages, and simply basements in apartment buildings.

It is immediately necessary to make a reservation that there is a lot of specialized literature on large-scale cultivation of porcini mushrooms, which, if desired, can be found on the Internet, or purchased in bookstores, and the acquired knowledge can be applied in practice. But in order to try your hand at this business, to evaluate its “taste”, the knowledge that you will find in this article will be quite enough.

Why grow and not collect?

A completely logical question: why do mushrooms need to be grown? After all, with the same success you can simply collect them in the forest! I agree, but mushrooms are a seasonal product and in winter you will have to look for another source of income until next summer. There are other advantages:

• Grown mushrooms are an environmentally friendly product. Currently, due to the almost widespread pollution of forests, even natural mushrooms, grew up in natural conditions, are in doubt about their usefulness.
• If the necessary conditions are created, porcini mushrooms can be grown all year round.
• In case of surplus production, which, due to the huge demand for them, I very much doubt (but still, suddenly!), mushrooms can be frozen, pickled, or dried. By the way, the cost of dried porcini mushrooms is 2-3 times higher than fresh ones. In Moscow, their price reaches 5-7 thousand per 1 kilogram.
• There are no problems or restrictions if you want to expand production.
• Mushrooms don't require a lot of daily grooming, which means you'll have plenty of free time.

This is interesting: in some countries you cannot pick mushrooms as freely as in Russia. For example, in the Czech Republic you need to obtain permission from the municipal authorities and pay a special tax for this right.

Growing scheme

At the end of the century before last, there was such a method of breeding porcini mushrooms: young mushrooms were placed in wooden barrels, filled with rainwater, and left to brew for 24 hours. After which they were mixed so that they broke into small pieces and filtered through a sieve. The resulting infusion was used to water the areas near the trees, and next year they reaped a bountiful harvest.

Nowadays, there is an almost completely similar technology, in which you need to break the cap of an adult porcini mushroom into small pieces, also soak it in water for a day, and then water the soil in the place of cultivation.

Growing porcini mushrooms indoors is a bit of a hassle. In this case, to grow porcini mushrooms, you need to prepare compost in advance. To do this take:

• Dry chopped straw
• fine sawdust
• Sunflower seed husks
• You can add a little chalk or plaster there
• Use as fertilizer chicken droppings(can be replaced with cow or horse)

The entire mixture must be poured hot water, and leave for 2-3 weeks. During this time, the compost needs to be watered and shaken several times. After which you can add the mycelium of porcini mushrooms and place them in the prepared places.

For reference: mycelium is a mycelium, the thinnest threads, a kind of roots of mushrooms, with which they connect with each other and are used for reproduction.

The mycelium of any mushroom is freely sold in specialized stores and costs from 100 to 700 rubles, depending on the variety. Porcini mushroom mycelium in Moscow can be purchased for 150-180 rubles.

The necessary conditions

Let's look at exactly what conditions are needed in order for the “return” of mushrooms to be maximum.

Porcini mushrooms can be grown in a greenhouse, in boxes in the basement, on old farms, or in storage buildings. In principle, it is possible to grow porcini mushrooms at home, perhaps even in an apartment, but it is better to do it on a personal plot - I’m afraid that your household will not support your desire to establish “mushroom production” in the house.

Cultivation of porcini mushrooms in industrial conditions most often occurs in large greenhouses, which requires considerable costs. We are considering a small, one might say, “home” business, but “a bad soldier is the one who does not dream of becoming a general”? Who knows, maybe after some time you will start growing porcini mushrooms not on your own plot, but on huge areas.

An important condition for the room is its ventilation. Mushrooms, almost like all living organisms, need oxygen; in addition, they emit a lot of carbon dioxide, so ventilation in the room should be ensured.

Another important factor for growing mushrooms - maintaining a constant, stable temperature. The optimal temperature is considered to be 8-12 0 C. If necessary, you can install a small stove in the room, or, if possible, connect 1-2 heating radiators.

The next point that requires attention is humidity. Mushrooms are delicate organisms and can dry out very quickly, so you should always maintain high air humidity - approximately 90-92%. Containers installed in the place where mushrooms are grown can cope with this task. Filled with water.

When planting mycelium, it practically does not need light; growing mushrooms will only need daytime natural light, or short-term artificial lighting if mushrooms are grown in the basement. In winter, mushrooms also need to be “highlighted” a little. But keep in mind that mushrooms prefer darkness.

What documents are needed for growing and marketing porcini mushrooms?

In order to be able to sell your products to stores or trade them on the market, you will need to obtain:

• The conclusion of Rospotrebnadzor, for which you will need to submit samples of your products to the service’s laboratory. Here you will be given a radiology protocol, according to which anyone can make sure that your mushrooms are free of heavy metals, radionuclides, pesticides, etc.
• Mandatory - a product quality certificate from Rosstandart.
• Approved Rules for the storage and transportation of mushrooms and mushroom products.

Where to sell mushrooms

Where to sell your products? This. Perhaps the most “sick” for any businessman. With mushrooms, things are somewhat simpler in this regard - such products do not stay stale. And quite often orders are given for mushrooms that have not yet grown.

But one way or another, you will still have to look for sales points - you need to somehow make yourself known to wholesale buyers, which you may become.

The porcini mushroom is the most famous mushroom in Russia. Every person has heard about it since childhood, seen it in fairy tales and cartoons, and eaten it. Taste qualities This product is great. It is used to prepare a huge number of dishes, some recipes of which have been tested for generations. However, collecting porcini mushrooms in the forest today is a very troublesome task, and for many, impossible. Therefore, savvy gardeners have found a way to grow them themselves in their own plots.

The porcini mushroom is the most famous representative of the Borovik genus, which is where its second name, boletus, comes from. But he has many other names that have come down to us from antiquity: bear, belevik, belovik, cow, podkorovnik, pechura. It is impossible to confuse it with other mushrooms due to its spherical brown cap and “pot-bellied” white stem.

The mushroom received its official name due to its characteristic property: during the process of heat treatment and drying, its flesh retains its natural white color. Average weight one boletus is 200-300 g, in some specimens - up to 2-3 kg.

Porcini mushrooms tend to change their appearance as they grow. While he is young, his leg is low and shaped like a barrel white surrounded by a tubular layer of the same color. The cap is small, rather convex, light brown or milky white. The pulp is juicy and aromatic.

Gradually, during the aging process, the leg stretches up to 10-20 cm and is covered with a fine mesh of veins one tone lighter. The cap becomes darker, flatter, spreading, reaching a diameter of 25-30 cm in favorable conditions. It is velvety to the touch, and in humid weather it is covered with a thin layer of mucus. In dry weather, roughness and cracks form in the surface. The pulp acquires a yellowish color and a fibrous structure.

What varieties exist

The porcini mushroom as a species includes edible subspecies, grouped by appearance and growing conditions:

There is another one interesting view – bronze boletus, also called copper or hornbeam. His Latin name- Boletus aereus. This rare representative, which occurs in mixed forests in the south of our country. In countries such as Denmark and Norway it is listed in the Red Book. It is distinguished by a very dark cap with a whitish coating. The grayish tubular layer turns yellow over time. The leg is slightly wrinkled, hard, with a brown mesh.

How porcini mushrooms grow

Boletus is one of those mushrooms whose growth is based on symbiosis with tree roots. Mycorrhiza or fungal root helps them in this. Such an existence is beneficial for both parties. Thanks to trees, mushrooms have access to amino acids, vitamins, carbohydrates and other substances. Trees, in turn, extract mineral and nitrogen compounds and water through mycorrhiza. Without mutual support, their growth and development may stop.

Certain subspecies of porcini mushrooms are tied to specific tree species. This explains their “varietal” differences: spruce, pine, oak... The distribution area of ​​the entire species is very wide and affects four continents, except Australia. In Russia, boletus is found in the middle and southern zone, affecting the northern regions of Siberia and the European part of the country, the Far East.

When they grow

The time of active growth of porcini mushrooms is related to their place of growth. The first mushrooms appear already in May, and the collection lasts until October-November. But this is in the southern regions. In colder regions mushroom season continues from June to September, with the peak of collection occurring in August, when ideal weather without temperature changes.

The growth phase of boletus is quite long. In summer, when daylight hours are long, it lasts 6-8 days, which is twice as long compared to other families. However, in late summer and autumn this period can increase to two weeks, as a result of which the mushroom can grow to enormous sizes. The most valuable are boletus mushrooms with a cap diameter of only 4 cm.

What soils do they prefer?

It is known that the growth of boletus is stimulated by the tree itself when it needs the necessary nutrients from the soil. minerals. Therefore, despite the fact that the white mushroom itself prefers fertile, warm, drained soils, it is able to grow on poor sandstones. The main thing is the absence of waterlogging, although the presence of moss and lichen is welcome.

The porcini mushroom does not grow well in the vicinity of ferns and hoofweeds.

Typically, boletus grows under trees that are more than 20 years old. But in summer they can be seen in a relatively young pine forest or birch grove. In autumn, mushrooms grow mainly in deep forests, along paths and paths. If the summer is rainy, they appear in illuminated areas where the soil warms up under the rays of the sun.

Methods for growing porcini mushrooms at home

All of the above gives a general idea of ​​the growth of boletus and the necessary natural conditions. To grow these mushrooms on your own land, you will have to independently recreate the conditions, the main basis of which will be the symbiotic tree-mushroom relationship.

There is also another way to grow porcini mushrooms, namely in greenhouses and other enclosed spaces. But then, most likely, you will have to use climate control equipment to maintain optimal humidity, temperature and lighting. This method will require some financial investments, but no business can exist without investments.

Growing porcini mushrooms at home is carried out in two ways. Which one to choose will have to be decided based on your goals and available resources.

Growing porcini mushrooms in the garden

When there are sufficiently mature pine, spruce, birch, oak, hornbeam or beech trees on the site, you can use one of the proven planting methods. But it is important to remember that under spruce trees you need to plant those subspecies that are associated specifically with spruce trees, under pine trees - with pine trees, etc. Otherwise there will be no effect from the landing. The first year may not bring a harvest, or there will be isolated mushrooms. Mass fruiting will begin only in the second year. Mushrooms are grown in the following ways:

From dispute

This method is good for those who can pick up several overripe porcini mushrooms in the nearest forest. They take their caps (even those with wormholes), soak them in a bucket of water and leave them warm for a day. If desired, add 2-3 tablespoons of sugar to the water per 1 liter of water. After a day, the caps are crushed to a homogeneous mass and allowed to stand in the same water for several more hours. Then they are filtered, obtaining a separate mushroom mass and water with mushroom spores activated in it.

In the old days, mushrooms were placed in wooden tubs and filled with settled spring or rain water, but without adding sugar. Optimal time for such planting work - from August to September.

While the caps are soaking, prepare the area for planting. The space around trees with a radius of up to 1.5 m is carefully dug up, removing the top layer of soil of about 15-20 cm. At the same time, the integrity of the tree roots, which play a leading role in the development of the mycelium, is monitored.

Then the strained infusion with spores is poured onto the bare roots, calculating 2 liters of solution per 1 m 2 of soil. The mushroom mass remaining after straining is laid on top and sprinkled with soil. Watering will definitely be required, carefully, without eroding the earth. One tree will require about 3-5 buckets of water.

From mycelium

Mycelium has recently been increasingly purchased in specialized stores. But, if possible, it is better to dig up the mycelium yourself, under the same trees and the same age that grow on the site. Dig carefully, without shaking the soil from the mycelium. Planting work can be carried out throughout the warm season.

When purchasing mycelium at a gardening store, you need to pay attention to its condition. Healthy material should have a rich red color, possibly with yellowish splashes. The presence of dark spots, as well as an unpleasant ammonia smell, indicates a spoiled product. Store the mycelium in the refrigerator at a temperature not exceeding 4 °C for no longer than three months.

The landing site is prepared in the same way as described in the previous paragraph. After this, compost from the leaves is spread on the roots and sawdust. If the mycelium was brought from the forest, you can put soil taken from under the tree where the mycelium was dug up at the bottom. Pieces of mycelium are placed on top, but no closer than 30 cm from each other. Then sprinkle with earth and water. In the first year, the area with mycelium is covered with straw, spruce branches, and moss for the winter.

From tubular layer

This method requires mature boletus mushrooms, from which the tubular layer is separated, crushed into 2 cm cubes, and then dried for 1.5-2 hours. When the planting material is ready, use a wooden spatula to carefully lift the top layer of soil in the selected area, place 2-3 mushroom pieces there, then carefully lower it and water it.

How to care

The main care for mushrooms is regular watering. The soil should not be allowed to dry out or become waterlogged. If the summer is dry, the area can be mulched with straw or hay to maintain moisture. But you need to water at regular intervals in equal volumes - 3-5 buckets of water once a week. It's good if there is a drip irrigation system.

To improve germination, experienced mushroom growers recommend using preparations containing cultures of beneficial microorganisms. They significantly improve soil quality, which affects yields. You can feed the plantings coffee grounds with the addition of a mineral complex. It should be calculated as 1 tbsp. per 1 m 2.

Growing porcini mushrooms indoors

Growing porcini mushrooms indoors, be it a greenhouse, basement or loggia, is much more difficult. Here you will have to artificially create suitable conditions, so it is important that the room allows this to be done. For planting, it is more convenient to use purchased mycelium, although the method of propagation by spores is also allowed. The Dutch boletus variety, resistant to the artificial environment, is popular among mushroom growers. The entire process of growing mushrooms at home can be divided into stages.

Preparing the premises

The first condition for growing mushrooms is a sterile room. This can be achieved by regularly treating all surfaces with a 1% chlorine solution to prevent pests and mold. Sanitation must be carried out every day due to very high humidity - from 90%. All work must be carried out with gloves.

Humidity and temperature control is possible using climate control equipment. But if it is not there, it is recommended to install several open containers with water and boxes with sawdust around the perimeter. Sawdust is regularly moistened: it perfectly retains moisture and thereby maintains humidity in the room.

Shelves for bags of substrate will also be useful in the greenhouse. Ventilation holes must be made next to each of them to ensure air circulation during the active growth phase of mushrooms. The hole, if necessary, should close easily and tightly. If we talk about planting lighting, it should be dim. Lamps can be used daylight low power.

Substrate preparation

Next important stage– preparing the substrate in which boletus mushrooms will grow. For it, waste of wood and plant origin is taken: husks of seeds and buckwheat, straw of cereal crops, corn stalks and cobs, sawdust and shavings of oak, pine or birch. Additionally, oak leaves, pine needles and bark are added. The whole mass is thoroughly mixed and crushed.

Next, the substrate is sterilized, but not by boiling, which will destroy most of the beneficial substances. The mass is steamed for three hours with hot water at a temperature of 70-80°C. After processing is completed, all excess water is drained and the mass is left to cool to room temperature 22-25°C.

There should be no mold or rot in the substrate!

The cooled substrate is checked for readiness - take a handful of it and squeeze. A properly prepared substrate should spring back when compressed without releasing water. If excess moisture is present, it must be allowed to drain, even if this takes several days. Over-watering is unacceptable!

The finished substrate is taken to a sterile room, where it is carefully mixed with mycelium. Work must be carried out with sterile gloves, ventilation must be turned off, and doors must be closed. Then the planting material is placed in sterilized polypropylene bags or specially prepared boxes.

The mycelium is placed in the substrate in the following quantity: 3-5% of the total mass of the substrate if the mycelium is domestic, and 1.5-2.5% if it is Dutch.

The weight of the bags can be about 8-12 kg. Small slits of 0.5-1.5 cm are made in them on the sides with a sterile knife or blade, you can cross them. The bags are then placed on shelves at a distance of more than 5 cm from each other so that access to the perforation remains open.

Growing mushrooms

When the bags are placed on the shelves, the process of growing mushrooms begins. The incubation period will be from
10 days, during which the mycelium will take root and grow. At this time, room ventilation and lighting are not needed, the temperature should be 22-25°C, humidity should be above 90%.

As soon as the first mushroom caps hatch, the temperature is reduced to 10°C and ventilation is turned on, which is required for the growth of boletus mushrooms. Duration daylight hours- no more than 5-6 hours. Mushrooms are sprayed with a spray bottle twice a day. The first harvest is harvested approximately 3-4 weeks after planting.

• It is recommended to disinfect the area where porcini mushrooms will be planted. A couple of hours before planting, the ground is watered with a solution of tannins, which is obtained from black tea (50 g of tea leaves per 1 liter of water) or oak bark (30 g of dry mass per 1 liter of water).
• You cannot freeze seed material; it will not sprout. The collected caps are filled with water in the next few hours.
• Mushrooms should be planted under healthy trees, without the slightest signs of disease.
• Porcini mushrooms are not planted under fruit trees. They won't take root.
• In hot weather, you need to monitor soil moisture, otherwise you may not get a harvest.

Growing porcini mushrooms on the plot will provide summer residents not only with their own environmentally friendly product, but will also allow them to receive a certain financial profit. In the end, it’s just fun to grow mushrooms and be happy with the results.