Complete Guide to Morel Mushroom Cultivation Methods, Detailed Explanation of Growing Techniques
Morel mushroom is a rare and precious edible fungus, divided into wild and cultivated types. Wild morels generally grow in forests and are currently hard to come by; the national production of cultivated morels is also very low: therefore, the market price of morel mushrooms is relatively high. The editor has separately compiled both a simple version and a complete version of two cultivation methods for you to choose from!
1. Simple Version of Morel Mushroom Cultivation Method
(1) Understand the ecological conditions of morel mushrooms. First is soil: the soil in which morel mushrooms grow has a pH of around 6.5-7.5, in neutral or slightly alkaline soil, with the soil being black soil, etc. Then there is the air factor; generally among fallen leaves there is sufficient air. Next, there are relatively high requirements for temperature and humidity. They tend to grow easily in spring and autumn each year, requiring a large temperature difference, with a temperature of around 20 degrees and a humidity of around 70%. Then there is light: weak light is beneficial to the growth of morel mushrooms.
Morel Mushroom Cultivation Methods
(2) Understand what ingredients are needed for growing morel mushrooms. Use whatever resources you have around you: sawdust, bran, phosphate fertilizer, gypsum, humus soil, etc., corn cobs, plant ash, etc., mixed in proportions of about 75%, 20%, 1%, 1%, 4%, with a material-to-water ratio of 1:1.4.
(3) Understand the cultivation method. After the material is mixed, put it in plastic. First, outdoor bag-removal cultivation: choose a location with not-too-strong light, with a width and depth of 20-25cm, unlimited length. After preparing it, water it lightly, then use lime water to kill pests.
(4) Outdoor raw material cultivation: in a half-shaded, half-sunny place with loose soil and good drainage, dig pits of the same size. First water the bottom of the pit, spread one layer of ingredients on top, spread the spawn on top of that, about 4-5cm, then spread a second layer on top, sow using the same method, then cover with humus soil at a thickness of 3-5cm, and add insulation and moisture retention, sprinkling a little water appropriately.
(5) Indoor dehydration bag cultivation: after disinfecting the mushroom house, spread a plastic film on each layer of the bed surface, then spread 3cm-thick humus soil, then arrange them one by one, about 40 in total. After arranging, spray water, add soil, then maintain soil temperature and air humidity.
2. Complete Version of Morel Mushroom Cultivation Method
Morel mushrooms have two modes: greenhouse cultivation and intercropping with wheat. The per-mu benefits of both are relatively high, and the latter mode reaches more than 6000 yuan.
(1) Greenhouse Cultivation
Environmental requirements: Morel mushrooms are low-temperature, high-humidity fungi with a relatively long growth period. In addition to requiring lower temperatures, they also need a large temperature difference to stimulate mycelial differentiation. The mycelial growth temperature is 18-22°C; the fruiting body formation and development temperature is 4.4-16°C, and the relative air humidity is required to be 75%-90%. Strong direct light is taboo; weak scattered light is beneficial to the growth and development of fruiting bodies. Therefore, the greenhouse cultivation site is best chosen in a poplar forest, and the time should be October to December.
Cultivation material formulas: Formula 1: crushed corn cobs 42%, pure sawdust 20%, bean hulls 13%, bran 20%, phosphate fertilizer 1%, gypsum 1%, sugar 1%, plant ash 2%. Formula 2: fine sawdust 75%, bran 20%, phosphate fertilizer 1%, gypsum 1%, decomposed humus soil 3%. Formula 3: cottonseed hulls 75%, bran 20%, gypsum 1%, lime 1%, decomposed humus soil 3%. Formula 4: crop straw powder 75%, bran 20%, phosphate fertilizer 1%, gypsum 1%, lime 1%, decomposed humus soil 2%. Choose any one of the above formulas. The material-to-water ratio of the culture material should be 1:1.4, and the water content should be 60%-70%.
Bag making and inoculation: after mixing the culture material according to the material-to-water ratio, pile it up to ferment for 20 days. Use polypropylene or polyethylene plastic bags of 17 cm × 33 cm to fill the material, 500-600 grams per bag. After sterilizing at 100°C for 8 hours, the spawn can be inoculated. Use the two-end inoculation method. After inoculation, seal the bag opening and place it at 22-25°C for cultivation. The mycelium can fill the bag in 30 days, and cultivation can begin 5-6 days after the mycelium fills the bag.
Cultivating fruiting bodies: after the greenhouse is disinfected, first spread plastic film on each layer of the bed surface, cover it with 3 cm of decomposed humus soil, and cover the soil evenly and flatten it. Then arrange the fungus sticks with the plastic bags removed one by one on the mushroom bed, with 40 per square meter of bed surface. After placing the fungus sticks, spray water evenly once with a spray bottle, then cover with 3-5 cm of fine soil, and cover the surface with 2 cm of broadleaf tree fallen leaves to keep the soil moist. Fruiting bodies can grow after 1 month. Generally, cultivation is carried out from October to December, and mushrooms can be produced from early March to early April of the following year, with a yield of 50-75 kg of morel mushrooms per mu.
(2) Intercropping with Wheat
Morel mushrooms are sown in late October, around the same time as wheat sowing. After the wheat sprouts, the morel mushrooms also gradually grow.
Operation method: after sowing wheat, rake the soil between the rows finely, then mix ingredients in the ratio of sawdust 75%, bran 20%, phosphate fertilizer 3%, gypsum 2%. After mixing evenly, spread evenly on the strip ridges (200-250 kg of ingredients can be spread per mu), then thoroughly turn and mix the ingredients with the soil evenly. Soil lacking water should be evenly irrigated with sufficient water in one go; generally the soil should maintain 70%-90% humidity. After the irrigated water seeps through, directly inoculate the spawn into the soil, cover with 2-3 cm of fine soil and spray an appropriate amount of water to help keep the spawn moist. In the wheat intercropping mode, the yield of morel mushrooms per mu is 75-80 kg, and with good intercropping techniques the yield is even higher.
Environmental requirements: Morel mushrooms can generally grow in decomposed humus soil, yellow loam soil, and sandy mixed soil. For wheat fields intercropped with morel mushrooms, soil with a pH of 6.5-7.5 should be chosen to facilitate the growth of morel mushrooms. Wheat should preferably be planted in north-south row orientation, and sown in wide and narrow rows. Among them, the wide row is 120 cm wide, the middle path is 40 cm wide, and the narrow row is about 20 cm wide.
Spawn material cultivation methods: one is to first cultivate fungus bags and then plant them into the wheat field. The fungus bag culture material can use either of two formulas: crop straw powder 75%, bran 20%, phosphate fertilizer 1%, gypsum 1%, lime 1%, humus soil 2%; or fine sawdust 75%, bran 20%, phosphate fertilizer 1%, gypsum 1%, decomposed humus soil 3%. Mix the material according to a material-to-water ratio of 1:1.3, then pile it up to ferment for 21 days, with a water content of 65%. Use polypropylene or polyethylene plastic bags of 17 cm × 33 cm to fill the material, 550-650 grams per bag. The subsequent sterilization, inoculation, and cultivation methods are the same as greenhouse cultivation. Cultivation in the wheat field can begin 5-6 days after the mycelium fills the bag.
3. Post-Planting Management Techniques
Morel mushrooms like moisture, and a certain humidity must be maintained in the growing environment. Whether greenhouse planting or wheat intercropping, after planting, always check the dryness and humidity of the field, drain water promptly after rain, and spray water promptly during drought. When the temperature drops after autumn, timely measures such as covering with plastic film and covering with rice straw should be taken to increase warmth. In early spring there is more rain and the temperature is suitable, so the mycelium and fruiting bodies grow well. Generally in early spring, if the temperature stays between 4-16°C for several weeks, it can stimulate the formation of morel fruiting bodies; if the temperature changes drastically at this time (below 4°C or above 18°C), it will affect the development of the fruiting bodies. In short, maintaining suitable temperature and humidity for morel mushrooms in early spring is the key to successful cultivation.
For morel mushrooms cultivated in greenhouses, if there is drought in spring, watering must be done at the right time or the frequency of spraying water increased. When the relative air humidity in the field is below 80%, spraying water is needed. For morel mushrooms intercropped with wheat, after the wheat turns green in spring, manual water spraying is generally not needed, because wheat has the advantage of a well-developed root system, which can precisely balance water and maintain humidity.
If it is rainy when harvesting, try to harvest the mushrooms before the rain, or build an arched shed covered with plastic film before the rain to prevent rainwater from splashing mud onto the mushroom bodies and affecting product quality. After harvesting morel mushrooms, clean off the soil immediately, and dry them promptly in the sun or by drying (do not smoke them with firewood, to avoid affecting quality). Sort them by quality grade into sealed bags, and store them in a cool, dry, ventilated place for sale.