So im about to begin work on site preparation for beginning my truffle orchard. Ive received close to 200 acres of farm and field land, along with all the major equipment I will need to cultivate it. Cant believe everything is falling into place so easily for once in my life
Ive been keeping correspondence with both Tom Michaels (of Tennessee Truffles fame) and Gerard Chevalier (THE truffle expert from France) who have both provided invaluable help. I will be starting a new thread soon which will detail the growth and progress of my opperation, but for now I will lay out some general info to give everybody something to chew on and to also help me get this shit out of my brain lol been obsessively researching all things Truffle related for some time now.. Lord knows the girlfriend is Fn tired of even hearing the word spoken God bless er' lol.
Next week, after my soul raping final exams are over with, I will begin construction of two large greenhouses in which Oak and Filbert saplings will be sprouted and inoculated in. After finishing construction, I will begin land preperation which includes tilling the land, and spreading approximately 1 ton of lime per acre to achieve the proper PH. Thankfully one of my friends owns a Grading company and has very cheap access to bulk amounts of lime ($50 per 1/2ton!) and also a spreader that holds 1/2 ton per load. Next, I will begin fertilizing the land, which ingredients will remain somewhat secret but you can get a pretty good idea by studying patents and research papers on the subject at university libraries .
Site selection for truffle orchard development is also very important.. ideally you should look for land that is similar to any that would be ideal for farming.. large open areas that would be easy to irrigate and most importantly, land that has not had prior tree growth recently. This helps limit the amount of domestic mycorhizal competition for the truffle to overcome. Tree selection is also very important. In the primary testing and selection stage, one should test several species prevalent in truffle preduction in France with native candidates (usually those of the Oak variety). Excellent info on this subject can be found in Tom Micheals research thesis on Invitro Truffle Growth. Once ideal host candidates are determined through random statistical analysis on growth vigor and mycorhizal abundance you should be feeling like a certified bad ass.
Next I will describe a simple method for developing the mycorhizal symbiosis between the tree and the truffle fungis. First, oak seeds must be surface sterilized with a .1% solution of silver nitrate for 20 minutes and then rinsed well with sterile water to remove all remaining traces of the substance. Next one must acquire fresh or frozen truffles allowing them to thaw if frozen then place in a jar or similar container filled with water allowing the truffle to degredate slightly. After degredation, dissolve 1 kg of dextrose or similar simple sugar per 20 liters of truffle suspension, creating what is called a truffle slurry. Some truffliers (growers of the truffle, duh ) like to add snail enzymes to the slurry claiming beneficial effects on mycorhization rates.
Next, you must prepare the potting soil. Each trufflier has their own secret potting mix, but a simple example is 20% loess soil, 30% organic material, 50% vermiculite, dolemite to raise PH and slow release Osmocoat fertilizer. The soil mix should then be pastuerized to remove detrimental microorganisms. Mix the truffle slurry into the potting soil mix (again, many ideal soil preperations can be found in many truffle patents and research papers) once the tree outgrows its pot after a few months, remove it and gently wash the roots with water to view its inoculation process, noting growth rates and statistical differences between other saplings. Next, dip the roots in a second mix of truffle slurry before adding it to a larger pot. This should all be done in an enclosed greenhouse or a lab/controlled grow room to minimize contam rates and controlled environmental factors to reduce sapling deaths and increase inoculation rates. After saplings have reached a year or two in age, they may be transferred to the previously prepared land to hopefully live long and happy truffle bearing years, preferably while you sip lemonade and laugh at wall street douche bags.
After 4-10 years you will hopefully begin to notice the ground to begin to knot around the trees, followed by burn circles causing the death of the grass around the trees. You should begin to notice a sweet pungent odor in the air, next tell any low life, favor asking, money borrowing brother in law to go frack a swine flu infested Panama hooker... while you and Chittlins (your prize winning truffle finding pig) cruise town in your drop-top 67 Vette!
Appologies for all the spelling/gramatical errors.. 3am and taking a study break from finals, figured I would share a cliff notes version of my future truffle orchard. Hope everyone enjoys the read, and keep a look out for the picture tutorial ill be making in the next couple weeks! Wish me luck, ill sure as hell need it!
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Koopa OutOfThisWorld,SmilingDownOnOurs: BirsdEyeView,NeverNewLife,PastsFastAsCars
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