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[Step-by-Step] How to Grow Morels

This technique was developed by mycologist Gary Mills after much trial and error,
and observations of morels growing in nature. What follows is a sequence which Gary
demonstrated for the PBS series, Scientific American Frontiers.The temperature,
humidity, substrate and other detailed parameters were placed in the public domain by
George Robert Trager<xyzzyx@aimnet.com>

Step 1.

Morels are gathered in the woods. Typically this occurs in


the early Spring. They can be very elusive, but look under
the corners of downed trees, in thick leaves, and in areas
recently burned by forest fire.

Step 2.
Keep the morels fresh as best you can by keeping them in a
bag or box in the field, then refrigerating them when you
get home.

Step 3.

In a clean area (preferably under a HEPA hood),


use a sterile (heat/alcohol-treated) paper clip to pierce the stem of a healthy
looking mushroom.

Step 4.

Hang the mushroom by the paperclip over a freshly


prepared petri dish.

Step 5.

Let the morel drip its spores onto the petri plate as you
gently work it with your fingers. If you dont see spores
falling, just leave the mushroom hanging over the agar.

Step 6.

Cover and seal the agar plate and store it (at 55-80F). You
can invert it to prevent moisture from building up on the
lid. After a period of from a few hours to a few days, the
spores will begin to send out their first mycelial strands
into the agar plate

Step 7.

The strands will form a web, and then grow vigorously,


extending over the entire plate. For maintaining rapid
growth as we transfer to new media, the most valuable
portion is the outer, leading edge where thin strands are
extending most quickly.

Step 8.

When the plate is fully colonized, you can either transplant


sections into fresh agar, thereby propagating the culture
indefinitely, or you can innoculate grain media with
sections of the mycelia you cut from the plate, using a
sterilized (alcohol and heat treated) razor knife. Resterilize
the knife after each transfer.

Step 9.

A good grain medium is annual rye grass seed. Other


grains such as rape seed, hemp seed, birdseed, and rice will
work. Cover grain with water and soak for 24 hours.

Step 10.

Drain and mix with potting soil,


1 part potting soil to 5 parts grain. Place 2 cups of this
medium into a 1 quart regular canning jar. (Sorry, the
pictures are of a pint jar!)

Step 11.

Fit with filter disc and ring and sterilize for 1 hr at 15 psi in
an autoclave.

Step 12.

Clean work surface with 5% bleach, use a laminar flow


hood, if possible. Remove filter disc from jar and quickly
add a few small pieces of agar cultured mycelium with a
flame sterilized scalpel. Replace filter disc. Cover the filter
disc loosely with foil to prevent drying of the culture.
Resterilize your scalpel after each transfer.

Step 13.

Shake the jar to thoroughly mix in the mycelium. Place the


jar in a cool (68 71F), dark place for approximately 4
6 weeks. Good growth will be indicated by whitish strands
of mycelium growing through the medium. At about 5
weeks, small aggregates of white to rust colored mycelia
scerotia will form.

Step 14.

After the schlerotia are visible within the jars, prepare


some clean trays to receive the mixture for fruiting.
Construct a fruiting room where temperature, humidity,
light and fresh, filtered, air can be precisely controlled. The
Mushroom Cultivator by Stamets and Chilton has excellent
ideas on growing rooms.

Step 15.
Make a fruiting substrate mix of 20% sand, 30% potting
soil, 50% organic material composed of 80% small
hardwood chips (ash, oak, maple, beech, elm, apple, etc.),
10% rice hulls, 5% soybean meal, 5% sphagnum, and a
small amount of lime (the mineral, not the fruit) to bring
the pH to 7.1-7.3. Mix well.

Step 16.

Fill an autoclavable aluminum 9-1/4 X 9-1/4 X 2-1/2 inch


tray (i.e. cake pan) or plastic dishpan (liberally punched
with drainage holes) to a depth of 2 inches with substrate.

Step 17.

Saturate substrate thoroughly


with water. Allow to drain completely. Fill a second,
identical tray with soaked, drained rye grass seed to a depth
of 1/2 1 inch. Set substrate tray into rye seed tray so that
the bottom of the substrate tray rests on the rye seed. Place
the prepared trays inside an autoclave bag (oven cooking
bags seem to work well) fitted with a filtered closure and
sterilize at 15 psi for at least one hour.

Step 18.

In a clean (use 5% bleach to clean up) draft- free area


(laminar flow hood recommended) open cooled substrate
bag and mix ca. 1/2 cup spawn into substrate using a
flame-sterilized spoon. Reclose bag and place in a cool
(65-70F) dark place for 4-6 weeks. During this period (the
spawn run) the relative humidity should be kept at 90-
100%, CO2 at 6000-9000 ppm, and no fresh air exchanges.

Step 19.

After 4-6 weeks, the surface of substrate should be covered


with sclerotia. The hard schlerotia lumps are the secret to
growing morels. These are the seeds of your mushrooms.
Keep unused spawn refrigerated at 38-40F. Spawn is
viable for up to a year, under optimal conditions.

Step 20.

CHILLING (a necessary step): After spawn run, remove rye seed tray from bag,
reclose, and place bagged substrate tray into refrigeration (38-40F) for two weeks.

Step 21.
Remove bagged tray from refrigeration. Remove substrate
tray from bag and place in fruiting chamber or room.
Slowly saturate substrate with sterile (65-70F) water at a
rate of 1.5-2.5 fluid ounces/hr/square foot of substrate
surface area for 12-16 hours. Allow substrate to drain
completely (for about 24 hours).

Step 22.

CASING (optional): Layer casing soil evenly to a depth of


1/2. Allow 7-10 days for mycelium to run through the
casing. Air temp 65 70F. Filtered fresh air exchanges at
1 2 per hour. Keep dark.

Step 23.

Primoridia will form in 3-7 days. Substrate moisture 60%,


relative humidity 95-100%, air temp 70 73F, filtered
fresh air exchanges 6 8/hr. Light cycle 12 on / 12 off
(grow lights). Keep CO2 less than 900 ppm.

Step 24.

FRUIT BODY MATURATION: Substrate moisture 50%,


relative humidity 85-95%, air temp 73 77F. filtered
fresh air exchanges 6 8/hr. Light cycle 12 on / 12 off
(grow lights). Keep CO2 less than 900 ppm.

Step 25.

You can also grow outdoors using sawdust spawn available


from Mushroompeople. Plant Spring through Fall.
Inoculated area must be kept moist during hot, dry periods.
Plant under the type of trees where you find morels in your
area, i.e. ash, oak, maple, beech, elm, old apple orchards,
etc., in your garden with perrenials such as jeruselum
artichoke or asparagus. HOW TO PLANT: Gently remove
forest litter from 7-8 square foot area for each pound of spawn to be planted. Loosen
soil to a depth of 1 2 inches and moisten lightly, if dry. For each 7 8 square foot
area, add 1 pound (soaked 48 hours) wood chips (from above types of trees) to
loosened soil. Next, break up spawn and distribute evenly over prepared areas. Mix
lightly with wood chips and soil. Replace litter and keep moist, especially during hot,
dry months. Supposedly, a cover crop of clover helps to keep soil moist and adds
nitrogen to the soil. WHEN THEY FRUIT: Late April early June. Fruiting should
occur the spring following planting. If you have a dry spring, be sure to water the
planted area.

Step 26.
Cook em up!

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