|
 Some of these posts are very old and might contain outdated information. You may wish to search for newer posts instead.
|
 Workman
1999 Spore War Veteran
 
Registered: 03/01/01
Posts: 3,603
Loc: Oregon, USA
Last seen: 13 hours, 22 minutes
|
 Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) 
#2663824 - 05/11/04 03:12 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
|
|
I've been dabbling in morel cultivation for quite awhile with almost no success. But this year I finally managed to produce a few in my garden.
I am not certain what it was about this particular experiment that caused the success but I can at least describe what I did.
The image below is a close-up of black morel sclerotia forming in a petri dish of malt agar.
A small wedge of the above culture was placed in a sterile jar of dilute malt water and incubated for 5 days. The resulting mycelial brew was injected into a presealable Mycobag with the self healing injection port. I made the morel substrate myself which was basically a cup of soaked grass seed on the bottom near the injection site and a thick layer of moist sawdust on top. This was sealed and then sterilized at 15psi for 3 hours (maybe overkill). After it cooled, I injected the mycelium into the grass seed and let it colonize at 60F for 3 weeks. There was plenty of the small orange sclerotia visible. In November, I dug a small depression in my garden and sprinkled it heavily with garden lime. I dumped out the sawdust layer into the depression and covered it with garden soil mixed with a few handfuls of lime and forgot about it until spring. Hopefully I can replicate this with a larger bed for next spring. The morel strain is from a wild collection. Maybe I just got lucky and was able to stumble into an easy to fruit strain. At least it seems to be well adapted to my area. Total number of mushrooms harvested was 15.
--------------------
Research funded by the patrons of
The Spore Works
Exotic Spore Supply
My Instagram
Reinvesting 25% of Sales Towards Basic Research and Species Identification  
|
Anonymous
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: Workman]
#2663833 - 05/11/04 03:15 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
|
|
Hey thats great!
|
 flameclown
totality is amust
Registered: 04/04/04
Posts: 956
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) *DELETED* [Re: Workman]
#2663874 - 05/11/04 03:28 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
|
|
Post deleted by flameclownReason for deletion: [this post is damn old]
--------------------
You're right. I should make MY living dancing around like a mongoloid on a bad acid-trip for a bunch of spoiled little dickheads. - Vulgar
|
MycoFactory
Mr MycoBag
Registered: 04/02/03
Posts: 549
Loc: NC, USA
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: Workman]
#2664840 - 05/11/04 06:51 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
|
|
That is totally AWESOME!!!!
Good job Workman. I am again inspired 
MycoBag
|
YidakiMan
Stranger
Registered: 09/28/02
Posts: 2,023
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: MycoFactory]
#2664850 - 05/11/04 06:52 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
|
|
Would you be interested in sharing with an east-coaster a culture for testing?
|
charlieXxXxX
Stranger
Registered: 03/29/04
Posts: 80
Loc: Earth, USA, WI, Madison
Last seen: 19 years, 2 months
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: Workman]
#2667766 - 05/12/04 07:29 AM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
|
|
Congratulations!
I am surprised that you didn't even try using wood ashes.
What was your reasoning using so much lime? (Apparently correct
reasoning BTW.)
|
charlieXxXxX
Stranger
Registered: 03/29/04
Posts: 80
Loc: Earth, USA, WI, Madison
Last seen: 19 years, 2 months
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: YidakiMan]
#2667776 - 05/12/04 07:34 AM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
|
|
I'll send you a black morel culture if you like.
I should have a yellow morel culture also in a week or two.
|
Olgualion
Shaman-In-Training
Registered: 11/13/01
Posts: 1,253
Loc: Currently Earth...
|
 Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: Workman]
#2667930 - 05/12/04 09:01 AM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
|
|
Fantastic, Workman!
Wonderful work as always, thanks for the inspiration.
One question though, was the bed created in November 2003?
--------------------
Study the past...
See the future...
|
cateyes
Registered: 12/16/03
Posts: 2,754
|
 Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: Workman]
#2669442 - 05/12/04 04:11 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
|
|
This is a cool thread! 
|
Mycena
mycoexplorer
Registered: 05/02/03
Posts: 270
Loc: indonesia
Last seen: 12 years, 2 days
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: flameclown]
#2672154 - 05/13/04 02:14 AM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
|
|
Well the Morels in Western Australia live up in the Jarrah forests and on the coast near limetone areas, also in the CBD on mulch
The weather there is very very dry in summer from december to march there rarely rain at all and everything gets really hot and parched.
Yet morels spring up in Autumn
The species is Morchella elata
i had a culture but lost it - i now know better way to store it than agar
I will try and get a culture in july when i go back there as i know a spot where they regularly come up.
perhaps it would be more suited to California - our eucalypts and many fungi associated withe them seem to like it...
|
GGreatOne234
Stranger
Registered: 12/23/99
Posts: 8,946
|
 Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: Workman]
#2674758 - 05/13/04 04:56 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
|
|
Wow workman, that's awesome. !
|
YidakiMan
Stranger
Registered: 09/28/02
Posts: 2,023
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: Workman]
#2675156 - 05/13/04 06:34 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
|
|
Spooooooooooooooon!
|
Hooty
Reality isRelative
Registered: 02/24/03
Posts: 2,467
Last seen: 12 years, 11 months
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: YidakiMan]
#2675492 - 05/13/04 07:45 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
|
|
very nice my friend, morels are an incredibly beautiful mushroom...
--------------------
Without love in the dream
It will never come true
|
ATWAR
Connoisseur
Registered: 01/26/03
Posts: 1,640
Loc: #108768 in line...
|
 Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: Workman]
#2680645 - 05/14/04 11:42 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
|
|
I also have succeeded in cultivating morels outdoors:
Now, I only grew 2 but I will explain my methods as well. Last year during morel season I harvested mycelium from the base of a good cluster. I probably dug up about a quart of dirt and proceeded to spawn this to a custom substrate. Here is what I used:
Dead trees (dead but still standing poplar and aspen) where taken from the same area as the morels were found fruiting. I then smashed these logs up and burned them (I would say only half burned). I then took the partial mix of ashes, charcoal, and partially burned wood, then mixed it with washed sand, dirt, and composted spent substrate (wood + straw based). I took the harvested mycelium and mixed it in with this substrate, and put it in a hole under my deck. I also collected the moss that grows under my deck and placed it around the patch. Early in the spring this year (right after the snow melted) I sort-of disturbed the patch surface to see if there was any growth (I couldn't tell). Then I proceeded to forget about it until the weather warmed up.
On a nice spring day I decided to clean out my mushroom beds from last year and move the spent substrate to my vegetable garden. When I went out to do said work those little morels stopped me dead in my tracks. Now, I don't know if I actually cultivated these, or if I harvested enough sclerotia to just produce the two. But, I have succeeded in taking a tissue clone (damn does the mycelium grow fast!), and once I propagate this further, I plan on making a much larger bed for next season. At the very least I ended up with the best indicator that morels were coming...
--------------------
To give is to live...
|
Anonymous
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: Workman]
#2681590 - 05/15/04 08:25 AM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
|
|
Post History Deleted Upon User's Request
|
YidakiMan
Stranger
Registered: 09/28/02
Posts: 2,023
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: ]
#2681863 - 05/15/04 10:20 AM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
|
|
I was told by a northern WI farmer that the morel farm is called Morel Mountain and is based in No. Michigan. But he said he visited some years ago and they had been experiencing horrific strain degneration.
A quick scan on google found this http://www.rirdc.gov.au/reports/NPP/98-44sum.html But it only indicates that they are the owners of the patent. But http://www.mushroomcompany.com/bi1994.html says they were sold in July 1994.
|
Anonymous
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: YidakiMan]
#2686191 - 05/16/04 11:38 AM (19 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
Post History Deleted Upon User's Request
|
Speeker
Registered: 02/11/04
Posts: 882
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: Workman]
#2686568 - 05/16/04 01:13 PM (19 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
How about buying a transfer of Chinese patent at the lowest price!
Then one could cultivate these in rows...
 
 <------ 
A Brief Introduction Of The Patent Transfer Of The Artificial Cultivation Of Morchella Escullenta
|
YidakiMan
Stranger
Registered: 09/28/02
Posts: 2,023
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: Speeker]
#2688395 - 05/16/04 07:32 PM (19 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
I wont buy that patent, but I sure want to recreate his results!
|
Speeker
Registered: 02/11/04
Posts: 882
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: YidakiMan]
#2690146 - 05/17/04 04:05 AM (19 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
Then all you need to do is "fifteen years research and 918 experiments and tests".
Good luck! 
That price for the right to use their method and strains has dropped quite a lot
(older version of that page cached by Google):
[url=http://66.102.11.104/search?q=cache:www.chinavivers.com/1/papereng.htm]http://66.102.11.104/search?q=cache:www.chinavivers.com/1/papereng.htm[/url]
On the other hand even that first price was not that big...
"anually we can supply tens tons of Morchella esculenta dried with high qualities. At present , Morchella esculenta's price is $150 per kilogrm in bulk."
They seem to produce other rareties too, like
edit:
Specialty Mushroom Production Systems: Maitake and Morels
Edited by speeker (05/17/04 04:27 AM)
|
brainbreath
perpetual newbie
Registered: 06/13/03
Posts: 67
Loc: down on the corner
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: YidakiMan]
#2690720 - 05/17/04 10:35 AM (19 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
Neogen (the parent co. of morel mountain) sold the patent to Terry Farms in '94, the production facility is located in Auburn, Alabama. I have contact info somewhere but can't find it. If I locate it I'll post it.
|
psilocyber
old hand
Registered: 06/08/99
Posts: 1,839
Last seen: 1 year, 4 months
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: Workman]
#2697485 - 05/18/04 04:21 PM (19 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
Culture syringes isolated from this fruiting patch are now available at Sporeworks.
www.sporeworks.com/morchella.html
Thanks!
|
Speeker
Registered: 02/11/04
Posts: 882
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: Speeker]
#2700093 - 05/19/04 06:44 AM (19 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
That pic with a man holding giant morel is obviously a fake,
but check this out!
http://www.hollandsentinel.com/stories/052603/new_052603050.shtml
---------------------------------------------------------------------
|
charlieXxXxX
Stranger
Registered: 03/29/04
Posts: 80
Loc: Earth, USA, WI, Madison
Last seen: 19 years, 2 months
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: Speeker]
#2700361 - 05/19/04 08:51 AM (19 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
You do get around Speeker!
|
YidakiMan
Stranger
Registered: 09/28/02
Posts: 2,023
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: Speeker]
#2703731 - 05/19/04 10:55 PM (19 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
If can you find a morel culture that forms scleratia liberally on agar, I bet you can get it to fruit outside.
Make spawn, allow to age. In an outdoor garden, dig a foot deep, make a bottom layer nutrient rich and 8 inches deep. A substrate that will be covered fast by the mycelium, spawn this out. Make the top layer nutrient poor and 4 inches thick. The mycelium will eagerly absorb nutrients from the nutrient rich medium and then place scleratia in the nutrient poor top layer. Favorable temps and moisture will bring fruits. The biology of the morel mushrooms proves that morels will form scleratia if the temperature is low or high, if the moisture is low, or if it runs out of nutrients.
The bottom substrate layer is easy. It should be rich in organic matter. I think animal dung is going in the wrong direction, since morels are not associated with that medium at all. Perhaps a mixture of worm castings and sawdust?
But the top layer is tricky. Regular dirt maybe? Mushroom compost would be barren of nutrients that Agaricus would need. Simply put, nutrient poor dirt would make the best top layer.
Read this as to how I came to this conclusion that scleratia are the key to natural cultivation outdoors. http://www.bluewillowpages.com/mushroomexpert/morels/recent.html
I am going to run with this hypothesis with any remaining yellow morels that I find. I'll clone as many as I can find and work with the ones that form scleratia on agar. But the season is nearly over here. We are only findng "thick footed morels" which are genetically M. esculenta. I may have to head north to find more shrooms. Luckily I am going to N. Michigan regional Rainbow gathering this weekend, there should be shrooms up there. Lots of shrooms... lol
|
YidakiMan
Stranger
Registered: 09/28/02
Posts: 2,023
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: YidakiMan]
#2703752 - 05/19/04 10:57 PM (19 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
Workman, how many cultures that produced scleratia on agar would not fruit outside?
Edited by YidakiMan (05/19/04 10:58 PM)
|
Workman
1999 Spore War Veteran
Registered: 03/01/01
Posts: 3,603
Loc: Oregon, USA
Last seen: 13 hours, 22 minutes
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: YidakiMan]
#2705157 - 05/20/04 10:36 AM (19 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
Thats hard to say. The basic problem is that morels just don't naturally fruit in my area. I think the climate is too mild with temperatures rarely falling below 40F or rising above 80F. Morels seem be stimulated by a snow melt that floods the ground and then drains away. We have them commonly in the mountains but in my coastal area they are virtually nonexistant. So I expect that cultures that may easily fruit in other areas fail when attempted in my area. I am hopeful that the strain I have succeeded with is locally adapted and not just a fluke. Only time will tell.
--------------------
Research funded by the patrons of
The Spore Works
Exotic Spore Supply
My Instagram
Reinvesting 25% of Sales Towards Basic Research and Species Identification
|
YidakiMan
Stranger
Registered: 09/28/02
Posts: 2,023
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: Speeker]
#2705380 - 05/20/04 11:30 AM (19 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
I may purchase your culture. your prices are steep compared to a trade, but cheap compared to a culture library. Plus, I've always been happy with all of my orders from you guys.
It seems most success has been with black morels. I'm gonna start collecting strains. I think a shock or undernourishment is a key to fruits forming outside. I wonder what would happen if you tilled an area with a live morel mycelial mat. The result would surely depend upon the season.
|
ATWAR
Connoisseur
Registered: 01/26/03
Posts: 1,640
Loc: #108768 in line...
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: YidakiMan]
#2708938 - 05/20/04 11:06 PM (19 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
YidakiMan said:
I am going to run with this hypothesis with any remaining yellow morels that I find. I'll clone as many as I can find and work with the ones that form scleratia on agar.
This is presently the track I am on right now. I found 2 yellow morels growing directly from a campfire spot today. Yesterday we found a patch of 25 giant yellow morels. I have cloned a few specimens of black morels already, and plan to do the same with these yellows (especially the campfire ones). I also have clones from half-free morels which it was an excellent year for around here. I have been focusing my cloning on late season black morels, burnsite yellows (I have one true burnsite yellow, plus the 2 campfire site ones), and a few half-free morels (why not?)...
Quote:
Luckily I am going to N. Michigan regional Rainbow gathering this weekend, there should be shrooms up there. Lots of shrooms... lol
I live in Northern Michigan (lower peninsula, roughly Tawas City in terms of how far north) and can tell you that season is winding down. The black morels here are still out but very mature and rotting (but there is still a nice one here and there). The half-free morel season is about over as well, but you can still find excellent specimens. The yellow morel season is in full swing, but coming toward the end. Very large specimens out now (thick footers). The further north you go, the season will be later. People keep telling me that the season is over here, but I keep bringing home mushrooms. Perhaps the season is over in the places where they pick, because no new mushrooms are growing. But if you know where to find them, they are still out there:
All but three of the below mushrooms were found at the base of a single tree.
Here is one that may help you get motivated:
--------------------
To give is to live...
|
YidakiMan
Stranger
Registered: 09/28/02
Posts: 2,023
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: ATWAR]
#2799129 - 06/16/04 12:57 PM (19 years, 9 months ago) |
|
|
I hope that you store those strains on dH2O before they degrade too much. I would very much be intrested in your collection of morchella cultures. Please PM, maybe we can work something out.
I have more space now than I have had before. In a month, I will have made a 2ft x 4ft laminar flow bench. With my aa941 I can process quite a bit of substrate for a home cultivator. I read GGMM, the sawdust/ryegrass bag is how Stamets succeeded as well. I'll cook a bunch of bags for each strain I can find, bury them and record their performance. Since the bags get buried outdoors in the ground, I would bet that the BE could get quite high. At least 100% maybe 200%.
|
phalcon005
Registered: 12/21/05
Posts: 217
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: brainbreath]
#5898233 - 07/25/06 01:29 PM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
|
|
Thanks for the link to the chinese morchella cultivation site. I've searched all over the web for morel growing information and never bumped into that. Good find!
No one has responded in this thread, did anyone try the larger beds out? My guess is after putting in all the time to make a hole in the ground to simply get one sitting of morels scaling it up proved problematic.
As for strains, I've got a vigorous M. esculenta strain going right now if anyone is interested. As I'm slowly finding out sclerota formation is not necessarily the hard part, but getting them to fruit is. I've had great success with simply putting a small piece of agar in a sterlized jar with 60% wheat berries on bottom, a perforated foil layer and potting soil on top to make sclerota. The incubation time is incredible, a quart jar can be colonized from on inoculation site in a little over a week. While I've got tons of microsclerota by two weeks, I believe it will take about five weeks to get descent sclerota.
|
Feelers
Anti-Myth-Rhythm-Rock-Shocker
Registered: 06/18/02
Posts: 1,806
Loc: Land of Oz
Last seen: 5 years, 11 months
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: phalcon005]
#5898371 - 07/25/06 02:06 PM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
|
|
Wow this is interesting stuff!!! I've never tasted a morel,  ,
They look really impressive, their medicinal benefits seem amazing...
Quote:
For good treatment of kidney loss
Good job Workman!
|
eris
underground
Registered: 11/17/98
Posts: 48,024
Loc: North East, USA
Last seen: 7 months, 3 days
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: Feelers]
#5901288 - 07/26/06 07:40 AM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
|
|
I highly recommend that you try them if you get the chance. They seem to be overpriced but I've never bought them. I like self-picked. 
Workman - great post. 
--------------------
Immortal / Temporarily Retired
The OG Thread Killer
My mushroom hunting gallery
|
Morelian
Stranger
Registered: 08/24/17
Posts: 1
Last seen: 6 years, 7 months
|
 Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: Workman]
#24577380 - 08/24/17 05:49 PM (6 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
Morkman,
This is a great result and great photo!
Could you, please amend this post my providing more detailed information regarding HOW did you create the malt-agar plate and what was the content & concentration of both the malt, the agar & else (if any). From the photo it seems to me that you mixed the malt agar with the morel suspension BEFORE hardening the agar. Can you please provide all the details so I can try the same?! Also at what temperature did you grow the culture dish?
I am sure all the community will highly appreciate your input on the matter.
Thanks in advance and hope to get a reply soon.
|
adadada
Stranger
Registered: 01/18/16
Posts: 101
Last seen: 6 years, 3 days
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: Morelian]
#24583820 - 08/27/17 06:43 PM (6 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
This thread is over 11 years old.
Let it rest in peace.
|
Workman
1999 Spore War Veteran
Registered: 03/01/01
Posts: 3,603
Loc: Oregon, USA
Last seen: 13 hours, 22 minutes
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: adadada]
#24585906 - 08/28/17 04:36 PM (6 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
Ha!, just standard malt extract agar for fungi, morel mycelium added after cooled and firm. The mycelium stains the agar as it grows, so maybe that is why it looks weird to you.
--------------------
Research funded by the patrons of
The Spore Works
Exotic Spore Supply
My Instagram
Reinvesting 25% of Sales Towards Basic Research and Species Identification
|
Mycolorado
Hobbyist
Registered: 07/23/16
Posts: 8,567
Loc: Interdimensional Bootcamp
|
Re: Cultivated morels (outdoors only so far) [Re: Workman]
#24585936 - 08/28/17 04:51 PM (6 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
 Workman
|
|
Threaded
Previous
Index
Next
Edit 
Reply 
1 2 all )
KaptainK
Psychoslut
Cryogenicz
BuzzDoctor
Suntzu
micololo2
brainsOplenty