How to Grow Morel Mushrooms? A Full Breakdown of the Key Technical Points

First prepare the cultivation substrate, using sawdust, bran, corn cobs and crop straw as the main materials; then carry out substrate bag-removal cultivation, bagging the fermented substrate, sterilizing it, and then inoculating with mycelium; finally, once the mycelium has finished growing, cultivation can begin, and it is best to choose greenhouse cultivation. Generally after about a month, fruiting bodies will grow.

The following points should be noted during the fruiting period of morel mushrooms:

1. First is temperature control. Because the temperature difference between day and night in spring is large, it helps promote the growth of fruiting bodies. Moreover, the suitable temperatures and abundant rainfall in early spring provide good conditions for the sprouting and growth of morel fruiting bodies. Morel fruiting bodies can grow within 10°C to 18°C, and the most suitable growth temperature is 12°C to 15°C. When the temperature is below 10°C or above 18°C, the growth of morel fruiting bodies slows down. Morel fruiting bodies grown in flat sheds emerge from the soil relatively quickly due to good air circulation.

2. In terms of light, light has a certain promoting effect on the formation of fruiting bodies. Especially during the development stage of fruiting bodies, light plays an important role. During the growth and development of fruiting bodies, moderate scattered light is an indispensable condition for producing high-quality morel mushrooms. Morel fruiting bodies are phototropic and often grow bending toward the direction of light.

The intensity of scattered light also has a certain effect on the color of the fruiting bodies. When the light is relatively strong, the color is darker; when the light is weak, the color is lighter. During the fruiting period, it is most suitable to control the light at 30% sunlight and 70% shade.

3. During the fruiting stage, the relative soil moisture content is required to be controlled at 50%—70%, so that morel mushrooms can grow smoothly. In management, pay attention to controlling two extreme humidity levels: first, the relative air humidity should not be lower than 70%; second, the relative air humidity should not exceed 90%.

4. Field management mainly involves the control of light and humidity. The seedbed must not be weeded or loosened. Morel mushrooms can coexist with weeds, so daily weeding work is not necessary. When the cap surface of the morel fruiting body has fully expanded and shows morel-like pits, it can be harvested.

Greenhouse cultivation of morel mushrooms is generally sown from late September to early October, with fruiting from mid-to-late March to late April; solar greenhouse cultivation is generally sown from late October to early November, with fruiting from December to March of the following year.