Morel Cultivation video - PBS Scientific American Frontiers

[Workman]

I hope this works.

Morel Clip from Scientific American Frontiers 1994

This streaming video shows some of the actual lab work involved in growing morel mushrooms. I attempted to capture and convert the clip so it could be posted, but the video and sound were out of sync. Maybe someone more technically savy can do a better job.

[golly]

Worked great for me...Neat video , thanx...

[CoyoteMesc]

worked for me too, thanks

I've never tried 'em. I definitely want to .

[nepenthes_ak]

I know what i was doing wrong! i used to try to cultivate them... i think im going to order some agar stuff for morel mushrooms! WHOOOOO!

probably more complicated than i think though.

[Freaky]

Thank you soooo much Workman! I'm searching my PBS station to see if its going to be aired sometime in my area. Thanks a lot for sharing this, only a couple more months until that wonderful taste of morel

notice that the morels in the video were M. rufobrunnea, the type that typically fruit in beauty bark and woodchips, and are known to fruit at strange times.

Freaky, i will pick my first one on the michigan stateline usually the week of april 10th

[TVCasualty]

Cool link. I've been waiting for some slack in my life to try growing some myself.

I have one advantage in growing Morels, and I'll share: a very close friend of mine in the town I now live used to work closely with Mr. Mills. So I can just ask how they did it at the company that almost made it work. One thing my friend told me was that "the secret was in the strain." And by "share" I mean that I'll pass on any questions if anybody has any about Morel cultivation indoors. I've been helping my friend look for an old print or two of that 'special' strain that is hopefully in storage somewhere...my friend is kicking themselves for losing track of the prints they kept...they'd be kind of old now anyhow, but who knows?

[kocos]

Awsome video, i especially liked the spore germination time lapse

like i said its rufobrunnea, not angusticeps or esculenta. In the video they talked about flavor/texture differences and the cultivated tasting lighter. It is the same in nature, "naturals" are superior to landscaping and burn morels. they are still pretty good, but side by side in a taste test there is a difference.i do find rufo brunnea occasionally and if i do manage to run across them this year will do my best to make some sporeprints and/or get a tissue sample to someone who can expand it. even if i have to drive it to them, thats how serious i am about this.

[Tweexican]

so that was peat and rye he directly trasferred the agar to? without a flowhood and everything. air must've been cleaner back in 94

[dial8]

I never saw them transfer agar. I did see him fondle a stone and then saturate the hell out of the sub. Jeeze that was a lot of water. Must have had drain holes in the bottom of that thing. Had to of let the water evaporate off the sub then into a fc?

ok ill drift from any kind of science here and give you some anecdotal information. there is rain, and there is RAIN. ever been in a good SMACKIN rain, the kind that makes the dirt jump up onto leaves of bushes etc.
Alot of ppl have been making noise (pun intended) about morel fruiting being triggered as much by vibration as hydration. Good steady rain produces morels, but on a warm early may evening, if we get that hard SMACKIN rain where it sounds like a machine gun on your roof...well i always throw an extra cooler in the jeep because i know 2-3 days from then im going to be cutting down alot of morels. ive noticed too that a pattern of rain causes refruiting, but if it stay rainy for 4-5 days straight they go dormant till next year.

[CoyoteMesc]

yeah, When he is spraying the soil down I think he says something similar.
There is drainage in the vid too 8, I saw it dripping crazy and even saw the water go down below the surface quickly after he quit spraying.

morels like to soaked but not sit in water....if you find them in a drainage swale or along a creek, you will always find the most on the shoulder of the swale or high on the sides of a ditch...very few in the bottoms.

[Lazlo]

I couldn't watch the video, but i'm awfully familiar with Gary Mills Morel technique. I'm guessing this is it in action since TVCasualty mentioned him?

[TheJackal]

I found this morel indoor cultivation link:

http://www.mykoweb.com/articles/morel_cultivation.html

A Black Morel Culture Syringe (Morchella elata) is available from SporeWorks for $18.00.

Sure would be nice to break out the bubbly, if one could pull off indoor cultivation!

Here are the patents listed in the article:

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-P...&RS=PN/4594809

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-P...&RS=PN/4757640

This may be the perfect job for the computer controlled greenhouse hehe!

Here is a more detailed version of the process described in the article:

http://www.bio.net/bionet/mm/mycolog...ly/002438.html

[TheJackal]

Just ordered a Kelway Soil Acidity and Moisture Meter:

"Test soil in 3 minutes! This tester is designed so that by the action of the electricity it generates it will give an accurate pH reading of the soil on the outside scale of the dial, and will show moisture content of the soil on the inner scale. The electrical energy to move the indicator is due to a potential difference between two electrodes which act to show pH value. These electrodes are constructed of special metal plates and alloys which activate each other and in turn set up an intricate electrical process generating energy that activates the indicator. Has no batteries to run down or replace. Easy to use, just push tester vertically into soil to a depth at least covering the metal plates. Read the pH on the upper scale (3.5, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 pH values). Once pH reading is taken, push moisture button on side to obtain the moisture reading (0, 50, 70, 100% moisture). Only 6-1/2" long, weighs 8 oz. Carrying case with belt loop; complete instructions. Six-month guarantee, fully serviceable."

Also ordered a black morel culture syringe ($18) from SporeWorks. Let the morel experiments begin!

sweet jackal! good luck!

[Lazlo]

Here's the complete process step by step with pictures.

http://www.thefarm.org/mushroom/morel.html

[TheJackal]

Originally Posted by Lazlo

Here's the complete process step by step with pictures.

http://www.thefarm.org/mushroom/morel.html

Awesome, gonna give it a try!

[TheJackal]

Originally Posted by greysRDbest

sweet jackal! good luck!

Thanks!

BTW, did not intend any thread hijackage and will start new one once I'm ready to roll.

[Bobcat]

Originally Posted by greysRDbest

ok ill drift from any kind of science here and give you some anecdotal information. there is rain, and there is RAIN. ever been in a good SMACKIN rain, the kind that makes the dirt jump up onto leaves of bushes etc.
Alot of ppl have been making noise (pun intended) about morel fruiting being triggered as much by vibration as hydration. Good steady rain produces morels, but on a warm early may evening, if we get that hard SMACKIN rain where it sounds like a machine gun on your roof...well i always throw an extra cooler in the jeep because i know 2-3 days from then im going to be cutting down alot of morels. ive noticed too that a pattern of rain causes refruiting, but if it stay rainy for 4-5 days straight they go dormant till next year.

This all makes a lot of sense to me. As with other hard to cultivate species (indoors anyway) I would bet there are several factors. Not the least of which being these heavy soaking and vibing rains. D8 and others have been saying similar things about the so-called caerulipes- another spring fruiter. Mimicking these conditions seem to be a must do for success.

[TheJackal]

Originally Posted by Bobcat

This all makes a lot of sense to me. As with other hard to cultivate species (indoors anyway) I would bet there are several factors. Not the least of which being these heavy soaking and vibing rains. D8 and others have been saying similar things about the so-called caerulipes- another spring fruiter. Mimicking these conditions seem to be a must do for success.

Sounds like a great challenge!

[the_chosen_one]

>>>>>>> ARCHIVE MATERIAL<<<<<<<

to edibles

[TheJackal]

The Morel syringe has arrived from SporeWorks (http://sporeworks.com/store/catalog/...m-p-16143.html)!

Waiting on the other supplies needed, including SuperSoil, ryegrass, moisture/PH meter, etc.

[Hippie3]

keep us updated plz
great thread!!!!

[TheJackal]

Originally Posted by Hippie3

keep us updated plz
great thread!!!!

Thanks, will do!

[TheJackal]

PH/moisture sensor arrived today and getting morel and morel excited!

Also ordered and received coffee maker for making LC via a monstermitch tek at the shroomery (http://www.shroomery.org/forums/show...9/an/0/page/0). Can common LC teks work for morels also?

[synth]

*grin*

good luck.
can't wait to read more.

[TheJackal]

Originally Posted by TheJackal

***
Can common LC teks work for morels also?

Looks that way, United States Patent 4866878 (http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-P...S=PN/4866878):

"An alternative method is to culture aqueous-developed mycelia for such spawn. For example, mycelial inoculant is grown statically at room temperature, i.e., about 22.degree. C. for 3-4 weeks in a liquid nutrient medium. Although many different media can be used, one such medium is potato dextrose broth, a liquid medium commonly used to culture many different fungi. Hyphae within such mycelia usually do not form adhesive aggregates nor hardened structures; however upon reaching maturity they do contain nutrient reserves sufficient to supply substantially the entire nutrient requirements for subsequent development of fruitbodies."

[shroom_seeker]

Excellent video Workman thx for sharing!