How to grow truffles at home?

Truffles are a renowned delicacy that is admired by gourmets around the world. The unusual taste and complexity of cultivation make these mushrooms a rare and valuable product, the cultivation of which promises a decent profit. If you are thinking of a new business, we suggest you consider growing truffles at home.

Choosing a landing site

The natural habitat for truffles is the southern regions of Europe, where the climate is not too hot and at the same time not too humid. Since these mushrooms are extremely demanding on the environment, only residents of the southern regions can afford to cultivate truffles in the open field in Russia or Ukraine.

Good places to plant truffles include the following:

• open ground. As mentioned above, this option is only suitable for regions with a constantly warm climate, since during the cold weather there is a high risk of culture death. For cultivation, a forest belt with deciduous trees - oak, walnut, beech is preferable;
• greenhouse. A mushroom greenhouse can provide ideal micro and macroflora all year round. However, setting up a greenhouse will require a significant financial investment, which can only be justified if you plan to grow truffles as a business. Otherwise, spending on a heating, ventilation, air humidification system and expensive soil will not pay off;
• in the basement. The most frequently suggested option for the query “how to grow a truffle at home”. The basement is good because you don't need to spend money on its construction, and it does not depend on the influence of natural phenomena - wind, hail, snow. However, his equipment will also cost a pretty penny. Moreover, the basement will require additional disinfection and treatment with antibacterial substances.

The planting site, regardless of geographic location, must contain soil, the water balance of which is on the border of neutral and alkaline. In addition, the soil should be saturated with air, humus and calcium. The substrate should not contain stones, large irregularities. It must be treated for parasites and diseases.

As well as simpler representatives of the species - oyster mushrooms and champignons - truffles do not like strong winds, active sun and cold weather. The optimum temperature for breeding is + 20-22 degrees. Animals should not be allowed to the site, other flowers, trees and shrubs should not grow there.

Landing features

Modern mushroom pickers cultivate three main varieties of gourmet mushrooms: white, black and Chinese. Each of them can be found in natural conditions and try to grow planting material from the mycelium on their own.

Truffles grow on oaks and beeches.You can grow a crop on the sawdust of trees or on their root system. The first method is easier because it is easier to work with at home.

Shredded trees are infected with mycelium and placed in a sterile, warm place until mycorrhiza forms - the union of the spores of the fungus and the tree. When the mycorrhiza has taken root, it can be used for planting. However, this will not happen earlier than in a year.

An easier option would be to buy ready-made planting material from a trusted supplier. Such material is often sold already in a substrate, which is planted in the soil in small handfuls. For this, holes are dug 25–75 cm deep at a distance of 2 square meters. m apart. Before planting, water is poured into the hole, a layer of humus is laid, and a layer of hay or sawdust (up to 200 mm thick) is placed on top of the mycelium.

It is better to plant the future mushroom in open ground in late spring or early summer, when there will be no frost guaranteed. You can plant mycelium in the basement and greenhouse at any time of the year.

Care and growing rules

Indoor truffles can benefit from supplements containing copper, boron, zinc, calcium and iron. Nitrogen, phosphate and potassium fertilizers will not be superfluous. In a forest area, top dressing is best done not in the place of planting of the mushroom, but in the ground near the tree on which the truffle grows.

This culture does not tolerate weeds, fallen and dry foliage, other plants, except for those useful to it, on the site. Poplar, spruce and chestnut are especially negative for it. Also, the culture does not tolerate interaction with animals, in particular pigs, which are considered "hunters" for truffles.

In winter, plants in open ground are mulched to protect the planting site from freezing as much as possible. In the spring, the land should be treated against parasites and pests.

Harvesting

It takes about 5 years to form the crop, during which a fruit with a dense, embossed rounded shell is formed underground at a depth of 20–45 cm. It is the fruit part that is eaten.

During harvesting, the mushrooms are carefully dug up. Any damage to the fruit negatively affects not only the appearance (the mushroom can rot), but also the taste. To avoid crop losses, dig up the truffles carefully and place them on a flat surface with a layer of soft straw.

The average weight of a mature mushroom is 500–1200 g, and the total weight of the crop can exceed 9 kg.

Is it possible to do a truffle business

Since growing a truffle at home is an energy-intensive process, farmers want reimbursement as soon as possible. However, the duration of the ripening of the culture and certain difficulties in growing do not make it possible to get a quick profit.

Nevertheless, income can be almost 300% of the deposit amount. Truffles have been in constant demand on the Russian market for the last 20 years. Currently, the average price for 1 kg of mushroom is 56 thousand rubles. The average price in a Moscow restaurant for a truffle dish varies in the range of 500-1000 rubles.

In addition to restaurants, you can offer your products to manufacturers of spices. The strong aroma of this mushroom is also felt in truffle oil, for the manufacture of which manufacturers buy fruits in bulk.

Taking into account the development trends of modern restaurant cuisine, truffle growing can become not only profitable, but also a fashionable business.

Video "How to grow a truffle"

Learn how to grow a truffle yourself in this video.

Food production is an activity, the results of which are always in demand. And this is not surprising, because people are ready to pay constantly for the opportunity to eat delicious and natural food.

Those who are ready to devote themselves to the production of farm products should probably pay attention to such a rare idea of ​​an agricultural business in our country as the cultivation of truffles.How to grow a truffle in Russian natural conditions and how profitable can the production of this delicacy be?

"Golden mushroom". Is a truffle expensive?

They are not ready to pay as much for any mushroom that exists in the world as for a truffle: the price for 1 kg varies from 500 to 5000 dollars.

Moreover, it is not uncommon abroad to sell truffles as if they were works of art. Depending on the variety, quality, weight and other parameters, the price for one "golden mushroom" can reach an obscenely high mark of several thousand euros.

Of course, homemade truffles have little chance of being traded. And the price for them is significantly lower than for a mushroom that has grown in its natural environment. Restaurants, whose menus include dishes from the "golden mushroom", willingly buy up truffles grown on plantations. The price for 1 kg of the product does not scare them.

What truffle is in demand

In fact, there are many types of mushroom. But not everyone is good for food. In cooking, only two types are used. White, aka Piedmont, is the rarest and most valuable. It grows mainly in Italy, and specifically in the Piedmont region, which gave the name to the species. The mushroom has a delicate, delicate aroma and delicious taste. Unfortunately, these truffles cannot be grown at home.

Another type is black, or, as it is also called, the Perigord truffle. The homeland of the mushroom is the French region of the same name. Due to the fact that the black truffle is not as capricious as the white one, and lends itself to cultivation in a plantation, the Perigord truffle grows in many European countries, as well as in Russia and Ukraine.

Besides these two, there are other edible species. For example, Chinese or summer. But black is the most suitable for plantations. Therefore, when they talk about how to grow a truffle, they usually mean the Perigord view.

We grow truffles in Russia. Conditions for harvesting

Several centuries of observation and collection of truffles allowed to derive a formula for the necessary conditions for the successful growth of truffles on plantations. Truffle growing technology is a rather complicated, costly and, most importantly, a long process. It will take at least 5 years of careful farm maintenance to get the first crop. What you need to know about how to grow a truffle? First of all, in order for a capricious delicacy to take root and begin to grow, you need:

• suitable climate and landing terrain;
• favorable soil (ground);
• mycorrhiza.

Climatic and relief features

A moderate warm climate and a stable low rainfall are the main climatic requirements of a truffle. The delicate mushroom does not tolerate extreme heat or prolonged cold weather.

Where and how to grow a truffle in our country? The middle zone of Russia is well suited for production - sunny and not too hot summers, spring rains and warm autumn contribute to the excellent growth of a delicious mushroom.

If the lease of the land plot is not planned, it is quite possible to grow the truffle in the basement. In this case, the room should be sufficiently spacious, with moderate humidity and a stable temperature of about +22 degrees.

Soil for the truffle farm

The requirements for the soil in which the truffles will grow are no less high. A laboratory analysis will be required for the saturation of the soil with nutrients, nitrogen, carbon, lime, calcium. Also, the surface of the soil should not be subject to water erosion and be at an angle of no more than 15 degrees. The height of the fertile soil layer is required at least 30 cm.

Before planting, the acid-base balance of the truffle soil must be checked. This can be done with two simple tests. A little soil taken from the site of the proposed plantation should be added to a container of white vinegar. If the reaction is a faint hiss of the solution, this indicates too high a level of acidity.Another test is carried out with litmus paper, which simply needs to be immersed in the ground. The paper should turn blue. The absence of such a reaction also means that the alkali level is insufficient. In either case, the alkaline level of the site needs to be increased by gradually adding lime.

Mycorrhiza and planting seedlings

The symbiosis of the roots of the partner tree and the truffle is called mycorrhiza. The mushroom grows underground, on the roots of a tree, in families of 5-7 truffles. The tree feeds its "neighbors" with everything necessary for growth: carbohydrates, amino acids, vitamins and other set of substances that affect the taste properties of the mushroom. But the truffle does not parasitize either - the symbiosis helps the tree to be saturated with minerals and phosphorus.

Planting the mycelium, the seed material of the fungus, takes place in several stages.

It is important to know that seedlings with mycorrhiza of the fungus are planted in open ground. Ready-made seedlings infected with truffle mycelium can simply be bought. And to create mycorrhiza on your own, you will need seedlings of partner trees and soil from the natural habitat of the truffle, infected with mycelium. Having infected the rhizome with truffle mycelium, the seedling must be kept in absolutely sterile conditions for at least two weeks. And only after quarantine, the seedling can be planted in open soil. This is done like this:

• A small amount of water is poured into the prepared holes about 70 cm deep, after which a tree with mycorrhiza is planted and sprinkled with earth.
• It is required to create a protective layer around the hole in a radius of 40 cm. This can be a layer of garden film, forest foliage and branches, straw.
• Important: it is unacceptable to plant trees too close to each other. The optimal planting is 5 by 4 m, so no more than 500 mycorrhizal seedlings will be needed per 1 hectare.
• Before planting, you do not need to additionally use fertilizers so as not to harm the mycelium.

After planting a seedling, mycorrhiza takes a whole year to gain a foothold. After that, the truffle will firmly and finally take root on the root.

Further care takes place in this way: it is required to remove the weeds around the planting, do not forget to loosen in the spring and regularly water the trees with a drip method. Cracks that may form in the soil must be covered with sand.

The entire growth period of seedlings must be protected from rodents, rabbits and pests. In addition, along with allied trees, there may be plants on the site, next to which a capricious delicacy cannot grow. Such trees need to be removed.

What trees are required to grow truffles

The ideal partner for mycorrhiza is oak. But trees such as olive, hazel, sequoia, beech, hornbeam, or any kind of citrus may also work.

Important: the truffle absolutely does not tolerate willow, poplar, spruce, chestnut, fir! These trees should not be on the territory of the plantation.

How do I find a crop?

Cultivated truffles at home ripen from early to late autumn, and the amount of mushrooms that can be harvested in one such period is roughly 10 or 15 kg per hectare.

Truffle differs from other fruits of the earth in that it is not enough to plant and grow it. This mushroom still has to be found - the crop can hide at a depth of about 30 cm underground. Better, of course, while waiting for the first truffles to purchase a specially trained animal (dog or pig) that can smell the delicacy. But if there is no such assistant in the household, there are several signs by which you can find a family of truffles:

• The smell of a ripe truffle family invariably attracts insects. For this reason, a large number of midges always hover over the place where the mushrooms have "lurked".
• The grass growing over the truffle dies and dries up by the time the mushroom ripens.
• The ground above the truffle is slightly raised.

How to store harvested mushrooms correctly

Undoubtedly, the best product is freshly cut, that is, one that is harvested no more than a day ago.However, if the realization of a truffle or the preparation of a dish from these delicacies is possible a little later, in order to preserve all the taste and nutritional properties of the mushroom, the following storage rules must be observed:

• truffles should always be stored without clearing from the ground, because it, like a natural container, will save the cut mushroom from the destructive action of microorganisms and the loss of its natural delicate taste;
• cool storage temperature (refrigerator);
• professional chefs advise this method of preserving the natural moisture of the truffle: wrap the unpeeled mushroom in parchment paper and place it in a container with dry rice.

So, having understood in more detail how truffle mushrooms grow and what conditions need to be created for this, we can conclude that the process of their production is incredibly long and costly. Nevertheless, plantations for the cultivation of this delicacy are not only common in European countries, but are also gradually gaining momentum in Russia. The explanation is simple: this business is profitable, no matter what. A truffle, once planted, bears fruit for a very long time, up to 30 years. And given the prices and high demand, we can expect that all investments will pay off already in the first harvest years.

This mushroom is recognized as a world delicacy. The price for 1 kg ranges from several thousand dollars. Many people have never been able to taste truffle mushrooms in their entire lives.

As you know, everything that grows in the earth under natural conditions can be grown independently if favorable conditions are created. Growing king mushrooms is not easy, you need not only start-up capital, but also enough space to grow truffles. If the process improves, then in 1-2 years you can develop your own business, which brings good income. Since the price of a truffle is very high, you can quickly recoup your investment.

About the secret of the truffle

This mushroom has many secrets. First, even those people who collect truffles cannot observe their growth. The fact is that the "life" of the fungus takes place under a layer of earth (depth of about 20 cm) and depends on shrubs and trees. It feeds on the roots of these plants, giving them some of the nutrients. The misconception of many that the truffle is a parasite, on the contrary, the fungus envelops the root system of the tree with its mycelium. Thus, thanks to fungi, plant roots receive more moisture and will be under reliable protection from harmful microorganisms. This coexistence of two plants is called symbiosis.

The second secret is reproduction. If we compare this process with ordinary mushrooms, then everything is clear: spores are carried through the air or through water. But the spores of royal mushrooms spread through the stomachs of animals. It turns out that after passing through the body of a wild boar, spores acquire the ability to germinate, but only in a convenient place for it - next to some trees. In order for a wild animal to find a mushroom, nature has provided for this moment too - the truffle has a delicate aroma. By the way, not every mushroom smells good. Most mushrooms thin out a rather unpleasant odor, similar to the "aroma" of spoiled fish or rotten onions. And only some varieties of truffles, including the royal (Perigorsk), thin out the pleasant aroma.

Of all the known types of truffles, only black ones have been artificially grown. They are also called French, because France is the leader in truffle cultivation. A favorable place - specially planted oak groves or plantings. Truffle sizes can range from a small, walnut-sized to a medium-sized apple. Larger specimens, about 1 kg, were also found in nature.

Truffle photo:

What is the use

Incredibly, culinary experts from many countries of the world are ready to pay several thousand dollars for 1 kg! Why is truffle so overwhelmingly popular?

There are about 10 types of mushrooms suitable for human consumption.The most valuable are the black truffle (Perigord or Italian), winter and Piedmont.

Outwardly, the truffle is somewhat similar to a potato, the pulp of the mushroom has a reddish tint. When it reaches maturity, the flesh will turn black and white streaks will be visible in the cut. It is because of its subtle aroma that the black truffle is considered the most valuable among culinary specialists. Hundreds of different gourmet dishes can be prepared from the mushroom. It is very important to preserve the delicate flavor of the truffle, so in most cases, chefs add a small portion of the raw mushroom to the finished dish. If you do everything according to the rules, then you can appreciate the unique properties of the truffle.

The calorie content of royal mushroom is low, there are only 24 kcal per 100 g. The mushroom goes well with cheese, fruit and meat. It can also be served as an independent dish with a white creamy sauce. It tastes like roasted seeds or walnuts.

You can talk about the benefits of a truffle for hours - it is a source of vitamins B, PP and C. Truffle is of particular value for adolescents, pregnant and lactating women. In addition, regular consumption of Perigord truffle will prolong youth, preserve beauty and increase sexual activity.

How to grow a truffle

They have been trying to breed the royal mushroom for a long time in artificial conditions. Back in the 60s of the 19th century, active work was carried out in this direction. The breeders have been waiting for the first results for more than 10 years! Nobody gave any guarantees.

In those places that were not rich in black soil, they had to go to the trick and breed truffles indoors. For these purposes, spacious basement rooms were allocated, suitable trees were taken, crushed to the state of sawdust, moistened with a special solution with nutrients, and soil with mycelium was added. Such artificial breeding did not always give a positive result.

A little later, in France, scientists managed to conduct another experiment on breeding black truffles. In the laboratory, young oak trees were grown with an artificially bred truffle. As soon as the mushrooms took root with the trees, the "couple" were moved into the ground and the yield was monitored. Thanks to this technology, at the beginning of the 20th century, the French managed to collect almost 1000 tons of mushrooms a year.

At present, the technology developed by scientists from Australia is considered effective, about 100 kg of crop can be obtained from 1 hectare.

Growing truffles at home

Growing mushrooms on your own is a whole art. This is a troublesome and costly business. It is necessary to make large investments and wait a long time for the harvest.

To grow truffles at home, you need to allocate a large plantation (if you plan to grow mushrooms in the open air in a natural way) or a spacious basement. Mushrooms do not tolerate temperature fluctuations, therefore, in order to get a harvest, the optimal air temperature should be + 22 ° C.

Consider 2 options for growing royal mushrooms.

Soil contamination with mycelium

For these purposes, you will need the following:

1. Purchase truffle mycelium (on a pad or substrate).
2. Prepare branches, leaves (fallen) from oak, walnut or beech, moss.
3. Shovel.
4. Water.
5. Soil for truffles or peat substrate for growing indoor plants.
6. Planting is best done in the warm season - at the end of May or June. Not far from the selected tree (the trees are 5-10 years old), you need to make several holes (3-4 will be enough), the depth of the hole is 20 cm, the diameter is 10 cm.
7. Put the prepared soil in half of each hole, and on top of it - the required amount of mycelium. Then the holes are filled to the brim with the remaining soil. It needs to be tamped very tightly.
8. Now, very carefully, 10 liters must be poured into each well. settled water. Rainwater can also be used for irrigation.
9. On top, you need to lay the prepared foliage, moss and branches and water again abundantly with water, but already around each hole.

After 3, or even 5 years, the first harvest should be expected. It will depend on weather conditions. By the way, you need to ensure that the soil is always moist and in no case should it dry out. With the onset of cold weather, the planting sites need to be insulated with an additional layer of leaves.

A few years later, at the end of August, you can count on the first harvest of truffles. It will reach sizes from 40 to 70 g and acquire a delicate aroma. Every year, 5-7 mushrooms can be harvested from each hole.

Planting spore-infested seedlings

This method of growing truffles is considered more efficient, although it requires costs: both material and time.

First, sprouts of oak or hazel are taken, which are infected with the mycelium of the black fungus. They are kept in "quarantine" for several weeks in order to prevent the death of the mycelium. Seedlings must be kept in sterile conditions. If all the requirements are met, then the mycelium takes root and after that the seedlings can be planted in the nursery.

For the first few months, they must be kept in "quarantine" conditions. Even the maintenance personnel are obliged to observe hygiene rules so as not to infect young oak trees with harmful microorganisms.

After 12 months, we can talk about the complete survival of the seedlings. During this period, they should grow up to 20 cm. When breeding black truffles, it is very important to use sprouts, not young oaks, in which case good results can be achieved. By the way, on some farms, the replanting method is practiced, when a truffle is planted to oak sprouts, next to an adult tree.

How to choose the right place, professional advice:

• monitor the acidity of the soil, ideally so that the pH does not exceed 7.9 and does not fall below 7.5;
• choose an aerated soil with sufficient calcium and humus. Also, foreign inclusions and stones should not be present in it. Before planting seedlings, you need to thoroughly mechanically process the soil;
• pay attention to a very important detail: no other microorganisms (fungal spores) should be present in your soil;
• after planting within 2 years, you need to get rid of weeds;
• the average daily temperature in the warm season is from 16.5 to 22 ° C;
• to make it easier to carry out tillage, choose a non-embossed area.

How to land

Planting oak seedlings infected with black truffle mycelium is carried out in the spring, when the threat of frost has passed. The soil must be well prepared and all weeds removed. It is impossible to use chemicals to kill weeds, since even a small part of them in the soil can lead to the death of the mycelium.

The use of herbicides with ammonium gluphosphate is allowed, but only in small quantities and in case of urgent need. This substance decomposes quickly in the soil.

Planting is carried out according to a certain scheme, taking into account the fact that no more than 500 oak trees fall on 1 hectare. Immediately before planting, the soil cannot be fertilized, this can lead to the death of the mycelium of the royal mushroom.

It should also be borne in mind that when transplanting, there is a high risk of damage to the root system, therefore, oaks are first planted in the prepared hole, a small amount of water is poured, the seedling is densely covered with soil and again abundantly watered. Planting depth - 75 cm to protect the mushrooms from frost and other adverse weather conditions. In addition, mulching is done near the tree (from a layer of leaves, moss and branches). If the plants are young, it is better to protect them with plastic wrap.

Since the truffle is an ectomycorrhizal fungus (the formation of mycorrhiza on the root system), the area of ​​the tree for development should be at least 20 m2. Along with the oak, it is allowed to grow other companion trees: citrus, olive trees. You cannot plant poplar, chestnut, pine, spruce and fir next to oak trees.

About pest control and harvesting

Since pigs and rabbits are the main danger for truffles, the area where the Perigord mushroom is grown must be fenced off. Cockroaches and weevils also pose a serious threat to the future harvest.

The appearance of fungi (after a few years) can be recognized by the small tubercles that appear on the soil. The body of the mushroom is in the ground, the depth is about 20 cm. The weight of one specimen is from 0.5 to 1 kg. The black truffle has a round or oblong shape. The color of the mushroom is black and the "skin" is hard.

Most of the crop can be located practically on the soil surface. In order not to disrupt the ripening process, it is important to sprinkle such places with sifted sand. By the way, the fact that the mushroom is close to the surface can be judged by the flies and midges - if there are a lot of them in this place, then it's time to harvest.

To search for royal mushrooms, specially trained dogs are used (they are watered with milk with the addition of mushroom broth, and later they are trained with a stick grated with truffle) and pigs. You need to dig out the truffle exclusively by hand with small spatulas.

Growing royal truffles is troublesome, but due to the high cost of mushrooms, it is very profitable. There are many valuable mushroom farms in the world. You can find lands even in places where these mushrooms have never grown. So it is quite possible to grow truffles in artificial conditions, especially since the yield on such farms will be several times higher than in nature.

For the intricacies of growing truffles, see this video:

Since ancient times, mushrooms have been eaten by humans. They contain more protein in their composition than seafood and meat. One of the varieties of mushrooms is truffle. An amazing specimen has a spicy taste, on its basis the first and second courses, salads, snacks are prepared. Truffle is rightfully considered an elite delicacy, only a select few grow it in Russia. Today there are 2 types - black and white. These varieties of mushroom have the highest pricing policy in the whole world; eminent culinary specialists of America, Europe and Asia prepare dishes on their basis.

Under what conditions is truffle grown?

Truffle is one of the most capricious mushrooms. To grow a product correctly, you need to create optimal conditions, everything must be perfect.

1. One of the factors influencing the growth rate of a truffle is considered to be the symbiosis of partner trees and a fungus (mycorrhiza). Thanks to cooperation, the truffle feeds on amino acids and carbohydrates that it receives from the tree. In case of insufficient care of the "partners", the fungus will die due to lack of nutrients.
2. The mycelium, in turn, gives the trees minerals, macronutrients and phosphorus, which is necessary for hydration and development. Phosphorus is absorbed much faster from fungi than from soil with the participation of root crops. For this reason, the main focus is on planting trees and further caring for them.
3. The best symbiosis is obtained by "crossing" a truffle with an oak. In addition, the mushroom feels great next to a hornbeam, hazelnuts, chestnuts, linden trees. In very rare cases, mycorrhiza is achieved through the partnership of the truffle with coniferous cohabitants.

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What is the best climate for truffles

1. Suitable climatic conditions are considered second on the list of important aspects. Truffle grows and develops rapidly in regions with the least rainfall and moderate dryness. Of course, the southern regions of Russia are considered optimal.
2. It is worth immediately abandoning the cultivation of this variety of mushrooms in the area that goes through the winter period most of the time. There are also fluctuations between cloudy (particularly rainy) days and sunny weather.
3. In our country, it is possible to grow truffles in the middle lane. As a rule, these regions have quite sunny summers, rainy springs and changeable autumn (velvet season).All these aspects and the combination of climatic zones have a beneficial effect on the growth of the fungus.
4. In the spring, the truffle finds a common language with the "partner" trees, feeding on everything it needs. In the summer, he assimilates the obtained elements due to the hot climate, and in the fall, full ripening begins.

Which terrain suits the truffle

Particular attention should be paid to the terrain, since it is the soil that sets the tone for the whole process.

1. The most suitable area is considered that has a soil moisture level of about 65-70%, no more. It must be protected from cold winds (especially important in winter). Give preference to flat terrain, located in a small lowland.
2. In this case, it is important that the territory is located above sea level at 500-600 m, not more. If this indicator is below 100 m and above 1000 m, the fungus will not enter the mycorrhiza with its partners. As a result, truffle cultivation will become impossible.

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Truffle growing technology

The process of growing a capricious mushroom can be roughly divided into 2 points. First, you need to choose a soil that promotes favorable growth. Secondly, you will need to grow mushroom embryos, and then transplant them into prepared soil. Further, in the process of care and fertilization, the truffle ripens, you just have to harvest.

Step # 1. Choosing the right soil

1. The first step is to find a suitable soil for planting your truffle. In order to carry out the procedure correctly, take several soil samples, then take them to the laboratory for a thorough analysis.
2. The preferred site must be resistant to water erosion. Also, the area should be moderately sunny and windy (ratio 2: 1). The fertility of the soil is also important - about 10-35 cm deep. As mentioned above, you need to choose a gentle area with an angle of inclination of no more than 15 degrees.
3. Among other things, the soil must contain lime, organic matter, in particular calcium. Also, the site should be enriched with nitrogen, carbon gas, minerals. The listed components contribute to accelerated symbiosis.
4. An important criterion is the amount of alkali contained. To check the indicator, stick litmus paper into the ground. If it turns blue, then the soil is suitable for planting a truffle. Otherwise, try to find another option that meets all the requirements. Alternatively, you can fertilize the site by increasing the acidity.

Step # 2. Planting "partners" (trees)
To create a truffle plantation, you need to plant trees that will enrich the mushrooms with useful minerals.

1. You need to choose tree species taking into account the characteristics of the growing region. Give preference to hazel and oak, they are versatile. In some cases, they are replaced with hornbeam, linden, chestnut.
2. Plant trees in such a way that 1 hectare includes no more than 500 specimens. You do not need to fertilize the soil, otherwise you will provoke the death of truffle embryos. In addition, handle the roots with care, the whole process depends on them.
3. During planting, moisten the hole with water in small quantities. After that, cover the seedling and embryo with earth, water well. Plant roots and truffles at a depth of 65-70 cm so that the mushroom is protected from adverse environmental influences (wind, sun, showers, etc.).
4. Cover the soil around the seedling with twigs, fallen oak leaves, or dry grass (straw will work). If you wish, you can protect the trees with polyethylene, keeping a diameter of 75-80 cm around the trunk.
5. Pay attention to the trees growing near the "partners". There should be no willow, spruce, poplar, fir. These breeds kill embryos and negatively affect rearing (if any).
6. Approximately 4-6 years after planting, the area around the trees begins to “go bald”.Vegetation dies, only weeds remain. In this case, it is not required to additionally fertilize the plantation, pull out the grass, this will be enough.
7. In the spring, do not forget to loosen the soil around the trees so that the truffle grows in full-fledged mode. At the same time, cover the soil with spruce branches or straw so that it does not dry out from the heat.
8. In cases where there is no precipitation as a result of weather conditions, water the soil yourself by drip. Do not neglect watering, otherwise the mycelium will die.

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Step # 3. Caring for "partners"

1. Further care of the “partner” trees determines whether the truffle survives or not. Seedlings must be protected from harmful insects and animals, while the branches must be cut periodically. Similar manipulations are performed to accelerate symbiosis.
2. It is important to consider that both branches and the trunk must be trimmed. Thanks to this procedure, the sun's rays penetrate directly into the soil, contributing to the full development of the truffle. The height of perfectly cut trees does not exceed 1 m, while the plants themselves resemble a cone-shaped cap in an inverted shape.
3. In cases where the mycelium is located under already grown trees, they need to be cut. At the same time, in the winter season, it will be necessary to cut down excess trees so that they do not block the penetration of sunlight into the soil.

Step 4 Collecting truffles

1. The first mushrooms appear in September or October, however, in order for them to finally ripen, it is recommended to wait another 2-2.5 months. To distinguish a ripe truffle, it is enough to smell it and appreciate the shade. The mushroom should be black, not red, with a pronounced aroma.
2. If all the requirements for leaving and disembarking are met, the first fruits can be harvested from November to March. The white truffle ripens much faster.
3. To collect mushrooms, they must be dug out in the same way as the process of digging up potatoes in a summer cottage proceeds. However, remove the truffle with care or damage the roots. It is important to remember forever that only those mushrooms that are fully (!) Ripe can be harvested.
4. Experienced mushroom pickers use trained pigs or dogs to collect truffles. As a rule, animals find a ripe mushroom by smell. Harvesting is usually done at night, when the aroma of the truffle is greatest.
5. If we talk about the volume of the finished product, about 100 kg can be harvested from a plantation of 1 hectare. truffle. If the conditions are met down to the smallest detail (the analysis has been passed, the "partners" and the soil are optimally selected), the final product can reach 120-130 kg. Once harvested, the mushrooms can be stored both frozen and dry.

Growing truffles on the territory of Russia is a rather complicated and not always feasible process. You will need to select a gentle area with an optimal climate, and then hand over the soil for analysis. Particular attention is paid to the root system of partner trees, since it is at their expense that the truffle is fed.

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Video: how to grow a truffle mushroom