Porcini mushrooms in the garden: planting, growing, photos, videos

Growing porcini mushrooms in a personal plot is not as adventurous a task as it might seem at first glance. The key to success is to recreate an environment similar to natural conditions.

In forests, boletus mushrooms prefer to grow under deciduous or coniferous trees, so owners of dachas with oak, birch, pine or spruce can count on a good harvest. However, if you make an effort and follow the advice of experts, porcini mushrooms can be grown even in a greenhouse or basement.

Conditions for growing mushrooms in the country

A mature boletus reaches large sizes: the diameter of the cap can reach 7-30, and sometimes 40 cm.

Strong, juicy and fleshy pulp is always light in color and does not darken during harvesting or cooking.

For this property, the porcini mushroom was given its official name. Boletuses are considered one of the most delicious and aromatic mushrooms, with a high content of natural protein and valuable vitamin and mineral composition.

In our latitudes you can find several varieties of porcini mushrooms. The name of each of them indicates in which places this species prefers to grow:

• pine;
• spruce;
• birch;
• oak;
• steppe;
• hog;
• spikelet.

Pine and birch porcini mushrooms are best suited for cultivation in the country, especially since the mycelium of these varieties is offered by online stores, nurseries and garden centers.

Growing porcini mushrooms at home will be successful if trees corresponding to the name of the mushroom variety grow on or near the garden plot.

In the wild, the mycelium of boletus mushrooms is always located in close proximity to the roots of trees and forms a mutually beneficial symbiosis, or mycorrhiza, with them.

Plants, with the help of mushrooms, obtain useful substances and minerals from the soil, and mushrooms from trees and cereals obtain plant sugars necessary for the development and growth of fruiting bodies.

The porcini mushroom prefers dry, well-drained soils, moderate humidity and temperature, short thunderstorms with showers, diffused or direct sunlight (it is one of the few varieties that tolerates exposure to sunlight well).

At home, two methods are used to harvest boletus mushrooms:

1. Extensive. They grow mycelium in the nearest grove or on a summer cottage and take care of it.
2. Intensive. They use special equipment and place it in separate rooms, greenhouses and basements. Imitate and maintain conditions similar to their natural habitat.

For owners of country houses and their own houses, the first method of cultivation is more suitable as the simplest and least expensive.

The second option for growing boletus mushrooms will be useful for those who intend to grow mushrooms not only for themselves, but also for sale.

How to grow a lot of porcini mushrooms on your site? Video:

How to grow a lot of porcini mushrooms on your plot (result)

Using mushroom boxes (ready-made sets)

Ready-made mushroom boxes are used for growing mushrooms on a substrate.

The best option for beginners, which has its advantages and disadvantages .

pros

• ease of use - no need to spend money on insulation, water supply, electricity, etc.;
• lack of odor - ready-made myceliums do not emit a strong odor, according to reviews;
• miniature;
• the harvest can be obtained in just a few weeks;
• environmental friendliness.

Minuses

• low availability – it is quite difficult to find mushroom boxes on the market or in stores; you can only buy them in specialized online stores;
• small harvest volumes - there will be few fruits;
• cost – such myceliums are usually not cheap.

Expert opinion

Evgeny Shekhov

Mushroom picker with 12 years of experience, lives in the capital. For a long time now, he and his wife have not missed a single silent hunting season.

The kits include a substrate and a special composition, safe and environmentally friendly, for germinating mushrooms at home.

Mushroom boxes are easy to use, which is why they are ideal for beginners.

Video - How to use mushroom boxes

Video - Review of home mycelium

Growing porcini mushrooms from mycelium

To plant porcini mushrooms, you need to acquire mycelium, from which a mycelium will eventually form.

The easiest way to purchase mycelium is in specialized or online stores.

Using a ready-made crop greatly simplifies the process of planting and care, so even a novice mushroom grower can handle it.

The optimal time for planting mycelium is from May to September, but experts recommend doing the work in August or September. Before starting planting work, you need to prepare:

• soil with a high peat content or pure peat;
• compost;
• fallen leaves;
• moss;
• small dry branches or fragments of tree bark.

The place chosen for planting must be prepared in advance:

1. Next to a healthy and not very old tree, remove the top layer of soil (10-20 cm) with a shovel. The diameter of the bare area with a tree in the center should be 1-1.5 m.
2. Spread a mixture of dry leaves, moss, bark, compost and peat over the entire surface of the bare soil in a layer of no more than 2 cm.
3. Place pieces of mycelium in a checkerboard pattern on top, maintaining an interval of 25-30 cm between them. With this layout, a store-bought package is enough for one tree.
4. Return the previously removed layer of soil to its place, covering the planted porcini mushroom mycelium.
5. Water the area with a watering can or through a sprayer so as not to wash away the top layer of soil. To sufficiently moisten the ground under one tree, at least 30-50 liters of water will be required, depending on the diameter of the plot.
6. To reduce moisture evaporation and maintain soil moisture, cover the area with the future mycelium with a layer of straw (20-40 cm). The soil should not dry out, otherwise the mycelium may not take root.

Further care of the plot does not require much effort: the area should be watered regularly so that the soil does not have time to dry out.

The mycelium will form faster and will please the boletus mushrooms with a harvest next year if preparations with effective microorganisms are regularly added to the water for irrigation (Baikal EM-1, Siyanie-1, Siyanie-2, EM, EM-ceramics, Bokashi).

Advice! Porcini mushrooms can also be grown in dry areas if, before planting the mycelium, hydrogel granules are added to the soil at a rate of at least 3 g per square meter of area.

How to grow a lot of porcini mushrooms on your plot (October)

How to choose the right place?

It is important to choose a shaded area for growing. Lowlands near fences are excellent for oyster mushrooms and champignons. The space near deciduous/coniferous trees is suitable for wild mushrooms. It is worth knowing that mycelium does not develop near fruit trees , and the proximity of mushrooms to garden plants is also contraindicated.

Before planting planting material, you need to perform a soil analysis. It is important that its acidity and composition be approximately the same as that of forest soil. After this, the top layer of soil is prepared for cultivation.

Note ! Near the trees, the top layer of earth is removed to a depth corresponding to the height of a bayonet shovel (70 cm from the trunk). The bottom is covered with a substrate of peat soil, sawdust and leaves (in equal proportions).

You can also transfer soil from the forest to the site, collected in the place where you noticed a mushroom clearing.

How to prepare mycelium with your own hands?

To grow boletus mushrooms in the country, it is not necessary to spend money and specially purchase porcini mushroom mycelium. You can prepare planting material yourself, but to do this you will have to go into the forest and collect large, mature fruiting bodies with a cap diameter of at least 10-20 cm.

It’s not scary if the forest products are infected with insect larvae - this will not affect the survival rate of the mycelium in any way.

When harvesting, you need to choose mushrooms that grow under the same trees that are located in or near the dacha. So, if there is a birch tree in the garden plot, then in the forest you should look for boletus growing under the birch tree. If the dacha is located next to a pine tree, you need to find porcini mushrooms growing near the roots of the wild pine.

DIY recipe for making “seedlings”:

1. Mash the mushroom caps with your hands or pass through a meat grinder to make a paste. For 10 liters of solution, use at least 10-15 mature boletus mushrooms.
2. Pour rain or soft water into a small bucket, passed through a household filter or reverse osmosis system. Chlorinated tap water cannot be used.
3. Dissolve potassium permanganate crystals in water so that the liquid acquires a light pink color, and granulated sugar at the rate of 50 g per 10 liters of water.
4. Add mushroom pulp, stir and leave for a day.
5. The next day, strain the “sourdough” through double-layer gauze or a fine sieve. Use the mushroom substance remaining in the gauze as planting material. Do not discard the strained liquid. It contains spores of porcini mushrooms and is useful for sowing.

Important! Collected mushrooms should be processed as soon as possible - no more than 10 hours should pass from the time of collection to soaking.

You cannot freeze collected mushrooms or place them in the refrigerator, otherwise it is unlikely that you will be able to grow anything from them.

The technology for planting in this case will be slightly different from that where ready-made store-bought mycelium is used, so it should be considered separately:

1. Prepare the planting site as described above.
2. Pour the strained solution with boletus spores onto the bare roots of the tree, distributing it evenly over the entire surface of the area. For better survival, you will need at least 2 liters of liquid per 1 square meter. m.
3. Place fragments of the mushroom substance remaining after straining on the moistened soil in a checkerboard pattern.
4. Return the removed layer of soil to its place and carefully water the “bed” from a watering can.

Further care of a mushroom plot sown with both store-bought and homemade mycelium is the same.

How to grow a lot of porcini mushrooms on your plot (August)

What to do to make the mycelium take root

It often happens that even if all technological recommendations are followed, the mycelium does not take root on the site.

To speed up the process of its engraftment, follow these tips:

1. If you are going to bring mycelium from the forest, choose mycelium that grows near the types of wood that you plan to use for planting on your own site.
2. When using the sowing technology from overripe boletus mushrooms or their caps, the mushrooms should be soaked immediately after harvesting. No more than 10 hours should pass from the moment of collection to soaking, since both the mushrooms themselves and their spores quickly decompose. It will not be possible to grow a mushroom bed from frozen boletus mushrooms.
3. When soaking future seed in water, it is advisable to add sugar or alcohol, since these substances contribute to the rapid establishment of the mycelium. When using alcohol, it is first mixed with water (3-4 tablespoons per 10 liters of water) and only after that the caps are placed in the finished mixture. If you use sugar, then for 10 liters of water you will need 50 grams of granulated sugar.

Planting can be done from May to September. If the procedure is carried out later, the mycelium most likely will not take root, since it will not have time to grow and strengthen before the onset of autumn frosts. In addition, it is advisable to treat the area where you will plant boletus mushrooms with a disinfectant solution to destroy pathogenic microorganisms in the soil.

Caring for a mushroom plot

Even under favorable conditions, the mycelium takes about a year to take root, so you can’t count on a harvest during the sowing season. In many cases, even in the second year after planting, it is not possible to find at least one boletus on the site.

But this does not mean that the experiment in growing mushrooms at the dacha was not a success: a mycelium is formed in the ground, which sooner or later will delight you with pot-bellied mushrooms.

All this time it is necessary to maintain the appropriate temperature and soil moisture:

• Once a week, water the ground around the tree at the rate of 40-50 liters of water per tree. In hot and dry periods, increase the number of waterings, in cool and rainy periods - reduce. The next watering should be carried out after the top layer of soil has dried.
• Water the mycelium through an irrigation system or from a watering can, periodically adding preparations with effective microorganisms to the water.
• In the winter, mulch the mushroom plot with a layer of straw, hay, leaf litter or spruce branches, and remove the cover in the spring.

It will be possible to collect mushrooms from one plot for at least 3-5 years in a row, and when using EM preparations, this period will increase to 7 years. When the mycelium ages and stops producing crops, it can be renewed - planting new mycelium using one of the methods described above.

Advice! When picking mushrooms in the forest, you can dig up a small piece of soil with boletus mushrooms (one or several) and dig it under the same tree in your dacha. Over time, the mycelium will grow and delight you with forest gifts.

A method of growing mushrooms on your own plot. Video:

Part 2. HOW TO GROW MUSHROOMS IN LARGE QUANTITIES ON YOUR PLANT

Soil selection

The success of the entire procedure will ultimately largely depend on the soil you choose to grow your mushrooms in. If you are going to plant mycelium in an open area, then a place under a forest tree is best. By next year you will have your first harvest. On average, the mycelium bears fruit for 3-4 years. To increase the fruiting period to 7 years, it is necessary to additionally add special microorganisms to the irrigation water. If your garden plot is located far from the forest, then it is better to use special soil for planting mycelium.

You can buy it at the store or prepare it yourself. To do this, you need to take sawdust from deciduous trees, straw, and sunflower seed husks. I lay these ingredients in layers with the addition of soil. The main condition is that none of the components should contain mold or rot. Before planting the mycelium, I moisten the substrate. The best way to do this is with boiling water. Hot water will also help to immediately remove all harmful bacteria.

Growing porcini mushrooms in a greenhouse

Intensive technology for growing boletus mushrooms also has a right to life.

Anyone can try their hand at this, but first you will have to prepare a greenhouse and create a special microclimate with an air humidity of 80-90%.

The growing area must be well ventilated, since active growth of fruiting bodies is impossible without a constant flow of oxygen.

Growing porcini mushrooms in a greenhouse all year round will be successful if you use Dutch mycelium for sowing, sold through online stores or specialized retail outlets.

Breeders from Holland have developed a special variety of boletus that can easily reproduce in captivity. This variety can be grown in any premises (sheds, garages, basements, hangars) provided that an optimal microclimate similar to natural is created.

Important! From self-prepared “seedlings” in a greenhouse or basement, it is unlikely that you will be able to get at least one boletus, because without symbiosis with the roots of trees, the mycelium cannot exist.

The technology for planting boletus mushrooms in the country and in the greenhouse is the same:

1. Dig holes, holes or grooves 20-30 cm deep.
2. Line the bottom of the dug holes with a mixture of bark, leaf litter, twigs, moss, sawdust, compost and peat.
3. Spread the mycelium, sprinkle with soil substrate and water.

Further care comes down to regular watering through a spray bottle or fine-drip irrigation system, maintaining favorable temperature conditions and humidity.

By the way, look at the previous article. There is a lot of useful information for you - How to grow champignons at home?

During the incubation period, the temperature in the greenhouse should be maintained within +23...+25°C, and with the appearance of the first caps, it should be lowered to +8...+15°C.

Harvesting Rules

You need to collect mushrooms in autumn or spring - it all depends on the timing of planting. Mushrooms ripen in waves, and therefore it is worth visiting the plantation once a week.

Let's get acquainted with the basic rules of harvesting.

1. It is necessary to cut the mushrooms with a sharp knife and only at the root, otherwise you can damage the mycelium.
2. We recommend using overripe fruits for spore propagation.
3. The sections are mulched with compost - this will prevent the mycelium from drying out.
4. Each time, after harvesting, the area must be watered with a watering can to activate the subsequent growth of the crop.

As for the timing of harvest, they will depend on the specific species:

• for champignons - 30-40 days after planting the mycelium, then every 6-10 days;
• for porcini mushrooms - in autumn or spring (it all depends on the weather and timing of planting);
• for honey mushrooms - twice a year, in autumn and spring;
• for chanterelles – June and/or July;
• for boletus - at the end of summer.

Breeding boletus in the basement

In basements or garages, boxes filled with nutritious soil and installed on multi-tiered racks can be used for planting boletus mushrooms.

Experienced mushroom growers recommend adding buckwheat or sunflower husks, hay, deciduous or pine sawdust, and chopped corn cobs to the soil mixture.

The period of formation of the mycelium takes place in complete darkness, but with the appearance of the first small mushrooms you will have to take care of additional lighting.

It can be either natural or artificial: fluorescent lamps or more economical LED lamps are best suited. The total daylight hours should be 5 hours or more.

FAQ. Answers on questions

How to choose a place to grow?

It is important to choose a shaded area for growing. Lowlands near fences are excellent for oyster mushrooms and champignons. The space near deciduous/coniferous trees is suitable for wild mushrooms. It is worth knowing that mycelium does not develop near fruit trees, and the proximity of mushrooms to garden plants is also contraindicated.

How to grow oyster mushrooms?

They can be grown in beds using a special substrate, or on the stumps of deciduous trees. Care consists mainly of regular watering.

How to grow porcini mushrooms?

They can be grown under trees that grow in the country (spruce, beech, oak, birch). It is best to move the mycelium to an area from the forest. But it is important that the type of wood in the dacha and in the forest matches.

How to grow champignons?

Shaded areas of the garden are prepared for mushroom beds - they are filled with compost with mushroom mycelium. Champignons need to be constantly watered and protected from temperature changes.

Why are trees replanted?

This is the most labor-intensive and time-consuming way to grow mushrooms. Young trees, next to which the required mushrooms grew, are transplanted from the forest to the site. In this case, patience will be required, because to get a harvest, you need to wait quite a long time. But thanks to this difficult method, you can grow the most complex mushrooms - for example, butterfly, which bears fruit from May to September.

Oyster mushroom - a delicacy accessible to everyone

From the forest to the freezer: how to properly freeze mushrooms for the winter

Yellow-brown oiler - a mushroom from coniferous forests

White fly agaric is a deadly poisonous mushroom

The goat mushroom is inconspicuous, but it’s delicious

Common oakberry - excellent taste

Satanic mushroom - controversially poisonous mushroom

Polish mushroom - a “delicacy” from coniferous forests

As a result, we note that mushrooms grown with your own hands are healthier and tastier than store-bought ones. They are suitable not only for cooking, but also for sale (albeit in small quantities).

How to grow oyster mushrooms at home

Growing oyster mushrooms in your dacha will not surprise anyone. This species has long been actively cultivated for sale. They are the most actively growing and best-bearing mushrooms. Oyster mushrooms reproduce well indoors; some people even manage to grow them on the balcony of their home. The mycelium can be placed in the basement, garage, barn. Some varieties grow on vertically installed bags or nets with substrate. Wooden boxes with wet sawdust are suitable for this.

How I grew oyster mushrooms at my dacha

I have oyster mushrooms growing in the basement on large plastic bags with husks from sunflower seeds. Before lowering the substrate down, I treat the basement with a disinfectant solution (ready-made preparations are available in stores).

I leave the basement closed for two days, then I ventilate it. There should be two rooms in the basement reserved for mushrooms, this is important. In the first, the mushrooms are germinated; in the second, they are transferred when they begin to actively grow and bear fruit.

The following are suitable nutritional bases for oyster mushrooms: • crushed corn cobs; • sawdust; • straw.

All types of compost can be mixed or used separately. I prepare the nutritional base as follows: 1. I water the raw materials with warm water; 2. leave it to swell for an hour; 3. I drain the remaining water; 4. I brew the raw material with boiling water, cover it with oppression, and leave it for 7 hours; 5. I remove the remaining liquid; 6. I squeeze out the substrate, add a store-bought growth stimulator to it; 7. I package the finished nutritional base in layers 25-30 cm thick in large plastic bags; 8. I make holes in each container with a diameter of 1 to 2 cm, with a distance between them of 15 to 20 cm.

I place the mycelium in bags between layers of substrate. I hang containers ready for germination in a vertical position. The room temperature should be from +18 to + 24 degrees. I constantly moisten the bags. Mycelium does not need lighting; it only needs heat, high humidity and a nutrient base for active growth. I ventilate the room periodically.

After the mycelium begins to grow, I transfer the bags to the second room, where artificial lighting and frequent ventilation will be needed. The air temperature should be from + 12 to + 18 degrees. To increase air humidity, a sprinkler with dispersive nozzles had to be installed in the basement. If this is not the case, you can lower large containers of water into the room and place them in the corners; they will provide the necessary humidity. As for lighting with lamps, I arrange a 12-hour daylight period for the mushrooms. The first harvest of oyster mushrooms is possible on the 8th day after germination.

How to grow champignons

Almost everyone loves this type of mushroom; it is one of the most unpretentious; champignons have long been cultivated and bred for commercial purposes. I noticed that locally grown mushrooms are more tasty and aromatic than store-bought ones. It’s the same as with vegetables from the garden; their wonderful taste cannot be compared with store-bought ones. I grow champignon mushrooms in my small garden; they easily tolerate the proximity of fruit trees.

The easiest way to grow champignons in the country is

This mushroom culture requires a nutrient substrate rich in organic matter. I advise you to make it according to a simple recipe. To do this you need to prepare: 1. mullein or horse manure – 25 kg; 2. plaster - 6 kg; 3. lime - 6 kg; 4. straw - 10 kg.

I mix all the ingredients in a large barrel, then add food waste to the mixture. The composition can be mixed in a specially dug hole. Then I cover the mixture with plastic wrap and leave it for 20-25 days. After 3 weeks, a trench 25-30 cm deep is dug in a shaded area of ​​the garden. The ditch is filled with a ready-made nutrient base and watered abundantly. The mycelium is planted into it. Planting mushrooms is carried out after the air temperature rises to + 20. I do not recommend doing this in cool weather, the entire development process will be disrupted or delayed over time.

My advice: I do not recommend bringing wild champignons from the forest for seedlings; some of their subspecies are not edible. Mushrooms grown from store-bought mycelium are guaranteed to be edible.

Champignons take root well in their new location. It happens that it is enough to do this - break several well-ripened fresh mushrooms into small pieces and scatter them on a well-moistened piece of ground (it should be covered with a nutrient mixture). Young mushrooms will appear here in 2 months.

Premises requirements and necessary equipment

You can even place your small plantation of porcini mushrooms at home on the windowsill. But a free greenhouse, greenhouse, basement, cellar, loggia or garage are best suited.

The room does not have to be large. You can start producing mushroom delicacies for home use on a couple of square meters. If you plan to earn additional income from growing porcini mushrooms, then you will need a room with an area of ​​at least 10 m2.

Boletus mushrooms are sensitive to pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, the growing area must be prepared in advance.

It is best if the walls and floors have a smooth surface. This makes them easier to process and maintain the necessary sanitary condition.

The walls and ceiling can be covered with plywood, fiberboard, plasterboard or simply whitewashed. The floor is best covered with linoleum or tiled.

Important ! It will be more difficult to organize the cultivation of porcini mushrooms in a greenhouse, since it is difficult to achieve an optimal microclimate in it. However, in the southern regions this is quite possible.

Before planting porcini mushrooms, the room must be disinfected, including the walls and ceiling. This will protect you from crop losses due to mold, germs or pathogens.

To disinfect the room you can use:

• sodium hypochlorite (“White”);
• ready-made complex preparations (for example, “Bianol”);
• bleach solution (prepare yourself).

Sanitary and hygienic measures must also be carried out during the cultivation of porcini mushrooms in order to prevent the development of infections. When the processing is completed, the growing conditions necessary for boletus mushrooms should be created.

To obtain stable yields and prevent losses, you will need to provide the following conditions:

• ventilation (removes carbon dioxide, promotes the flow of clean air, removes spores and pathogens);
• heating (ceps are sensitive to temperature conditions and exhibit the greatest growth at temperatures from 18 to 28°C);

• lighting (it is best to install fluorescent lamps; it is enough to turn them on for 3-5 hours a day);
• humidity (ceps produce the highest and most productive harvest at 40-60%).

1. Ventilation systems should be selected according to the area. Air ducts and exhaust hoods should be located along the lower edge of the room, otherwise the accumulation of porcini mushroom spores can cause harm to health.
2. To maintain optimal room temperature and quickly regulate it, you can use a split system at home. In order to save energy, gas heating can also be used. But it will not quickly change the ambient temperature.
3. Lighting should be distributed around the entire perimeter of the room for growing mushrooms. Until the shoots appear, the mycelium is comfortable in the dark. But when the first shoots appear, dim lighting is necessary for 5 hours.
4. Throughout the entire growing period, mushrooms require high humidity and moderate watering. If there are few seedlings, you can get by with manual spraying from a spray bottle. For large areas it is better to install a drip system. Just remember that when growing porcini mushrooms, you need to water them with water at a temperature of at least 18ºC.
5. In the room for the substrate with mycelium, it is necessary to make metal shelves in 2-3 tiers and cover them with antibacterial paint.

Important! If you are planning to organize a home business for growing porcini mushrooms, it is better to purchase specialized equipment that fully controls the microclimate. Residential premises must be separated from production premises.

About boletus

Porcini is just one of the many names for porcini mushrooms. And they are called differently: chistoviki, cow, bebik, bugbears, expensive mushroom, belevik, capercaillie, and of course, boletus mushrooms. But no matter what they are called, they look almost the same:

• The boletus cap is almost always brown. With age, only the convexity of the cap of the mushroom changes: from the semi-cylindrical shape inherent in a small mushroom, it gradually turns into an almost flat shape. The average diameter of an adult mushroom cap is approximately 20 cm.
• The leg of the boletus is always whitish in color with vertical brown veins. At first it has the shape of a barrel, and with age it turns into a powerful, dense cylinder.