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MorelTester
Novice Mycologist

Registered: 01/26/06
Posts: 42
Loc: Nova Scotia, Canada
Last seen: 7 years, 11 months
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Morels, what have you all tried?
#5226687 - 01/26/06 04:11 PM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
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Hello all. This is my first time in this site. I would like to say I am very glad to find mycological boards online like this where I can bring up some issues. You see, I spent 2 years picking Morchella Elata (black morel) and I beleive I have some things figured out on the puzzle of how, where, and why it grows. I know I am asking a huge thing here, but I would also like ANY info from others who have tried and failed. I am pretty sure I know what I am doing here, but don't want to make any repeat mistakes on any of my calculated deductions here. Therefor, if anyone here is willing to share their knowledge of what they have done, I would greatly appreciate it. This is for INDOOR growing only. I have no interest in how to grow them in my garden. Thats easy to accomplish as it is.
-------------------- "If only I had but the tiniest grain of wisdom, and I should walk in the great way. My only fear would be to stray from it."
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xxanxx
Mycophile


Registered: 12/13/05
Posts: 343
Last seen: 10 years, 10 months
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Re: Morels, what have you all tried? [Re: MorelTester]
#5233630 - 01/27/06 11:49 PM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
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Well, to my knowledge only one person/company has come up with an indoor morel tek. I believe it was mushroom mountain...... Anyway, GL as I have tried this very thing more than a few times with no results at all.
-------------------- "The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." -Hunter S. Thompson, RIP
Edited by xxanxx (01/28/06 11:10 PM)
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micololo2
Stranger

Registered: 11/05/05
Posts: 388
Loc: Québec, Canada
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Re: Morels, what have you all tried? [Re: MorelTester]
#5234206 - 01/28/06 03:55 AM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
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xxanxx
Mycophile


Registered: 12/13/05
Posts: 343
Last seen: 10 years, 10 months
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Re: Morels, what have you all tried? [Re: micololo2]
#5236873 - 01/28/06 11:09 PM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
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That link doesn't work, and I tried pasting it and still nothing....
-------------------- "The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." -Hunter S. Thompson, RIP
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gourmetgrower
I'ze the milkmanwhat knocked upyer maw

Registered: 01/29/06
Posts: 170
Loc: The Old West
Last seen: 18 years, 2 months
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Re: Morels, what have you all tried? [Re: xxanxx]
#5239458 - 01/29/06 06:04 PM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
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The folks at "The Farm" have published mycologist Gary Mills' morel cultivation technique at [http://www.thefarm.org/mushroom/morel.html].
-------------------- Howdy, boys! Let's get down to business. I got my colt and my schofield, and they's jist itchin to be broken in.
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micololo2
Stranger

Registered: 11/05/05
Posts: 388
Loc: Québec, Canada
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Re: Morels, what have you all tried? [Re: xxanxx]
#5243607 - 01/30/06 07:18 PM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
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It's the same document that gourmetgrower gave a link. The link was working yesterday but looks like not anymore!
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gourmetgrower
I'ze the milkmanwhat knocked upyer maw

Registered: 01/29/06
Posts: 170
Loc: The Old West
Last seen: 18 years, 2 months
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Re: Morels, what have you all tried? [Re: micololo2]
#5244584 - 01/30/06 10:42 PM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
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Incidentally, I had purchased some morel mycelium from sporeworks a couple of weeks ago, and just got around to using it. I injected the 10cc culture syringe into 7 jars of spawning substrate: 5 parts soaked millet & 1 part potting soil. The jars have Tyvek filters.
I am colonizing these in the upper 60s F for 5 weeks or so, after which I will hopefully get sclerotia. I can post a couple of updates if this is the appropriate thread (new to shroomery).
-------------------- Howdy, boys! Let's get down to business. I got my colt and my schofield, and they's jist itchin to be broken in.
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Anno
Experimenter



Registered: 06/17/99
Posts: 24,166
Loc: my room
Last seen: 6 days, 16 hours
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Re: Morels, what have you all tried? [Re: gourmetgrower]
#5245426 - 01/31/06 04:39 AM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
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micololo2
Stranger

Registered: 11/05/05
Posts: 388
Loc: Québec, Canada
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Re: Morels, what have you all tried? [Re: gourmetgrower]
#5245759 - 01/31/06 08:09 AM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
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I'm interested to follow you. I have slants of canadian morchella angusticeps. I'll start soon on plates. I usualy grow them outdoor. This time I'll try inside. Do you want to compare you results with mine? What kind of Morel do you have?
Micololo2
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gourmetgrower
I'ze the milkmanwhat knocked upyer maw

Registered: 01/29/06
Posts: 170
Loc: The Old West
Last seen: 18 years, 2 months
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Re: Morels, what have you all tried? [Re: micololo2]
#5246798 - 01/31/06 12:45 PM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
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I have Morchella elata... one of the Black Morels, similar to angusticeps. It was purchased as a culture syringe. Inoculation was 28 January. Today (31 January), there is no sign of mycelial growth. Temp feels like it's the 60s, but I need to get my psychrometer.
I hope to use the sclerotia to inoculate some substrate for growing both inside and outdoors. I'll post again when I have some growth.
Edited by gourmetgrower (02/04/06 03:28 PM)
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MorelTester
Novice Mycologist

Registered: 01/26/06
Posts: 42
Loc: Nova Scotia, Canada
Last seen: 7 years, 11 months
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Re: Morels, what have you all tried? [Re: gourmetgrower]
#5247406 - 01/31/06 03:51 PM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
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I've been looking into what Gary has done, and from what I see it looks like he has successfuly grown Elata. Can anyone verify this for me? I've looked myself and asked his company to provide info, including a link to a patent, but no results.
-------------------- "If only I had but the tiniest grain of wisdom, and I should walk in the great way. My only fear would be to stray from it."
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YidakiMan
Stranger

Registered: 09/28/02
Posts: 2,023
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Re: Morels, what have you all tried? [Re: MorelTester]
#5250384 - 02/01/06 09:02 AM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
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Those are Yellow Morels, Morchella esculenta.
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BataviaVakereli
Stranger
Registered: 08/22/05
Posts: 274
Last seen: 14 years, 1 month
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Re: Morels, what have you all tried? [Re: YidakiMan]
#5251320 - 02/01/06 02:34 PM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
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I have an article from the newspaper that outlines how a company in michigan grows their indoor morels. I think the key thing is they use several fruiting chambers in stages. Each one having varying conditions.
I'll see if I can dig the article up when I get back from class and I'll post more details then.
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gourmetgrower
I'ze the milkmanwhat knocked upyer maw

Registered: 01/29/06
Posts: 170
Loc: The Old West
Last seen: 18 years, 2 months
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It would kick ass-pergillus to see that article.
-------------------- Howdy, boys! Let's get down to business. I got my colt and my schofield, and they's jist itchin to be broken in.
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veggie

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,538
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Re: Morels, what have you all tried? [Re: gourmetgrower]
#5253581 - 02/01/06 11:11 PM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
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Here are a couple of cool pics from a commercial morel grower in Michigan:
 It's a company called Diversified Natural Products, Inc. in Scottville, MI - http://www.dnpworld.com/ Read about them in Shroomery News - " Western Michigan facility grows morels indoors, year-round" Excerpt: Quote:
How to turn cells into morels At Diversified Natural Products Inc. in Scottville, growing morels requires many steps, perfect conditions and advanced scientific techniques.
The process starts with a substrate, or growing medium, made of leaf and bark composts, plus a second medium of steamed wheat mixed with sugar and yeast. The wheat is the food for the morel's first stage of growth.
Each day, 600 one-gallon starter bags of substrate are prepared by hand, with a layer of wheat on the bottom and compost on top. The bags are wheeled into a walk-in steel chamber, where they're sterilized to kill organisms that might hinder the growth process.
After cooling, the compost is sprinkled with wheat grains covered in morel inoculate -- the microscopic cells that start the growing process.
The inoculate is continuously produced in DNP's high-tech lab, which features HEPA filters, biohazard hoods to kill contaminants, and a cryo-freezer where the company's proprietary stock cultures are held at minus-80 degrees Celsius.
After being inoculated, the bags of compost and wheat are set in a climate-controlled room.
There, over the next five to six weeks, the inoculate will grow white, weblike strands that reach down through the dark compost and into the nutrient-rich wheat at the bottom of the bag. At the end of this stage, the web-filled compost will have solidified into a black, rock-like mass called a sclerotia.
The sclerotia is broken into chunks and planted in trays of soil. Over the next six weeks, the trays are moved through a series of rooms with varying levels of heat, light and humidity.
Ten to 12 weeks after being started, a new crop of brown, elongated, crinkly-capped morels is ready for harvest.
DNP's other strains of mushrooms are less labor intensive, because they grow in the bags in which they're first planted, but like the morels, all require individual handling and carefully controlled growing conditions.
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micololo2
Stranger

Registered: 11/05/05
Posts: 388
Loc: Québec, Canada
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Re: Morels, what have you all tried? [Re: veggie]
#5254037 - 02/02/06 03:39 AM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
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Thanks Veggie that will cool down my enthusiasm and my hopes.
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veggie

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,538
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Re: Morels, what have you all tried? [Re: micololo2]
#5254307 - 02/02/06 08:00 AM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
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I certainly hope not.
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gourmetgrower
I'ze the milkmanwhat knocked upyer maw

Registered: 01/29/06
Posts: 170
Loc: The Old West
Last seen: 18 years, 2 months
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Re: Morels, what have you all tried? [Re: veggie]
#5254450 - 02/02/06 09:21 AM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
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Thanks veggie! It looks very interesting.
Take the compost: From my understanding, morel mycelium tends to produce sclerotia when moving from a low nutrient content substrate to a high nutrient content substrate. So, would this bark & leaf compost be particularly low-nutrient? I can go out in the woods on my land and get pounds of bark and leaves already composted, for free.
I am also thinking about converting an upright freezer into a small, highly controlled (via good analog controls or via a labjack & computer) mushroom growing facility that I could use for the low tolerances of morels. Did I say that I have time on my hands?
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BataviaVakereli
Stranger
Registered: 08/22/05
Posts: 274
Last seen: 14 years, 1 month
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Re: Morels, what have you all tried? [Re: gourmetgrower]
#5257706 - 02/02/06 11:29 PM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
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Thanks Veggie, that's the article. Now I don't have to type it from the newspaper.
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gourmetgrower
I'ze the milkmanwhat knocked upyer maw

Registered: 01/29/06
Posts: 170
Loc: The Old West
Last seen: 18 years, 2 months
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Report:
I inoculated the jars 28 January (I said December in a previous post. Whoops!).
Temperature in my closet, where it is cool enough to do this experiment, is about 18-19 degrees C (64-66 F). Humidity is irrelevant at the moment. No light.
The jars were exhibiting very fine, hard-to-see mycelial growth. Upon shaking the jars, it appeared that this growth was much stronger than it appeared, and was binding the spawn into clumps. Growth is mostly in the middle of the jar. It may be a tad too dry -- if growth slows down I will inject a few ml of sterile water in each jar.
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socialnorm77
forager


Registered: 05/20/05
Posts: 205
Loc: north east
Last seen: 10 years, 3 months
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Re: Morels, what have you all tried? [Re: veggie]
#5263231 - 02/04/06 04:25 PM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
veggie said: Here are a couple of cool pics from a commercial morel grower in Michigan:

It's a company called Diversified Natural Products, Inc. in Scottville, MI - http://www.dnpworld.com/
Read about them in Shroomery News - "Western Michigan facility grows morels indoors, year-round"
Excerpt:
Quote:
How to turn cells into morels At Diversified Natural Products Inc. in Scottville, growing morels requires many steps, perfect conditions and advanced scientific techniques.
The process starts with a substrate, or growing medium, made of leaf and bark composts, plus a second medium of steamed wheat mixed with sugar and yeast. The wheat is the food for the morel's first stage of growth.
Each day, 600 one-gallon starter bags of substrate are prepared by hand, with a layer of wheat on the bottom and compost on top. The bags are wheeled into a walk-in steel chamber, where they're sterilized to kill organisms that might hinder the growth process.
After cooling, the compost is sprinkled with wheat grains covered in morel inoculate -- the microscopic cells that start the growing process.
The inoculate is continuously produced in DNP's high-tech lab, which features HEPA filters, biohazard hoods to kill contaminants, and a cryo-freezer where the company's proprietary stock cultures are held at minus-80 degrees Celsius.
After being inoculated, the bags of compost and wheat are set in a climate-controlled room.
There, over the next five to six weeks, the inoculate will grow white, weblike strands that reach down through the dark compost and into the nutrient-rich wheat at the bottom of the bag. At the end of this stage, the web-filled compost will have solidified into a black, rock-like mass called a sclerotia.
The sclerotia is broken into chunks and planted in trays of soil. Over the next six weeks, the trays are moved through a series of rooms with varying levels of heat, light and humidity.
Ten to 12 weeks after being started, a new crop of brown, elongated, crinkly-capped morels is ready for harvest.
DNP's other strains of mushrooms are less labor intensive, because they grow in the bags in which they're first planted, but like the morels, all require individual handling and carefully controlled growing conditions.
There is a small article about DNP in this month's "Mushroom growers newsletter." "gary mills, CEO reports that the patent he developed for the process has expired, the only remaining problem is getting the patent intructions to work for you. more info: www.dnpco.com"
I'm wondering how his patent has differentiated from past patents?
It seems the begining of the process of growing morels is fairly simple. it is the fruitng cycle which requires the most attention, correct? Would the adjustments regarding temp humidty and lighting, need to be matched back to the source of the original specimen. Whether clone or spore etc?
just wondering.
good luck by the way.
cheers-norm
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gourmetgrower
I'ze the milkmanwhat knocked upyer maw

Registered: 01/29/06
Posts: 170
Loc: The Old West
Last seen: 18 years, 2 months
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Re: Morels, what have you all tried? [Re: socialnorm77]
#5264509 - 02/04/06 10:22 PM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
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Well, some say getting pins is the hard part, others say it's sclerotia formation. Only one thing to do: find out. That's why I have 7 quart jars of spawn brewing. Of course, I will do a little G2G and double up sometime.
I'm thinking I'll make a terrarium for the closet, which usually stays a relatively constant temperature in the upper 60s. I may try temperature variation, but at present I don't have a budget for more equipment. I probably will use an ultrasonic humidifier on "low" and a (very) small aquarium air pump + manual fanning, or possibly rig up a $10 115v case fan.
Also, I will try a jar or two in my oyster fruiting chamber, which has a higher temperature than what I need, but I can probably find a cool spot.
Finally, I will try to pin some outdoors in a cold frame this spring, then perhaps bring back inside.
Maybe the morels will react positively to appeasement-of-the-gods. I will sacrifice several lambs/virgins in order to get results!
-------------------- Howdy, boys! Let's get down to business. I got my colt and my schofield, and they's jist itchin to be broken in.
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gourmetgrower
I'ze the milkmanwhat knocked upyer maw

Registered: 01/29/06
Posts: 170
Loc: The Old West
Last seen: 18 years, 2 months
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Re: Morels, what have you all tried? [Re: gourmetgrower]
#5286964 - 02/10/06 07:08 PM (18 years, 3 months ago) |
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OK, so about half the jars are most of the way colonized, and the rest partly colonized, with (I hope) morel mycelium.
Does anyone have a pic of a partially colonized jar full of morel myc? It looks "spotty" to me, kinda like yeast. Hope I'm not culturing what's in my beer.
-------------------- Howdy, boys! Let's get down to business. I got my colt and my schofield, and they's jist itchin to be broken in.
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