Morchella

An in depth guide to morel

cultivation technology

By: Morchella Culture LLC

Table of contents
Abstract: 6-9
The Soil: 10-21
The Spawn: 22-33
Air Exchange: 34-45
Timing: 46-57
Exogenous Nutrients:
58-69
The Shade: 70-77
Soil Amendments: 78-83

For my brother
M.G. Larsen, without you
I wouldn’t have wrote
this book. Thank you!!
 Abstract
Morels (Morchella,
Ascomycota), which are
some of the most highly
prized edible and
medicinal mushrooms,
are of great economic
and scientific value.
Morel cultivation has
been a research focus
worldwide for more than
100 years, and the
outdoor cultivation of
morels has succeeded
and expanded to a large
scale in China in recent
years. Sclerotia
formation and conidia
production are two
important phases during
the life cycle. The morel
species cultivated
commercially in America
is M. rufobrunnea based
on molecular
phylogenetic analysis.
The species currently
cultivated in China are
black morels, including
M. importuna, M.
sextalata and M. eximia.
The field cultivation of
morels expanded in the
majority of the provinces
in China with a yield of
fresh morels of 0–7620
kg per acre. The key
techniques include
spawn production, land
preparation and
spawning, the addition of
 exogenous nutrition,
fruiting management and
harvesting. The
application of exogenous
nutrition is the most
important breakthrough
in the field of morel
cultivation. It was
estimated that the total
amount of field
cultivated fresh morels in
China was 500 tons
between 2015–2016!
 The Soil
The ph value of the soil
in which Morchella grow
is around 6.5-7.5, in
neutral or slightly
alkaline soil. (....for the
most part) To elaborate
better on this there were
studies conducted not to
many years ago from
soils throughout the
United States that had
ph values that varied
significantly.
From 4.4 all the way to
8.6, these ph differences
in my most humble
opinion was a product of
environment related
factors, most notably
around the different tree
varieties and the soil ph
associated with those
species. Let’s not forget
to mention the ph
changes from post forest
fires that drastically alter
the soil as well.
As for our forest fires and
the association of blacks
emerging soon after
there are three factors to
consider here. The first is
the depleted food from
the environment. Now I
understand that wood
ash is high in potassium,
phosphorus, and
magnesium. ... In
addition to these macro-
nutrients, wood
ash is a good source of
many micronutrients
needed in trace amounts
for adequate plant
growth. Wood ash
contains few elements
that pose environmental
problems. Heavy metal
concentrations are
typically low.
But let me be clear, this
food source doesn’t
sustain the morel
mycelium for long.
The second added benefit
from a post fire is the
natural ph balance of the
soil. All that ash reacts
not so differently than
agricultural lime which
in turn gives the morel
mycelium a fighting
chance by warding off
pests and other
competing bacteria and
fungi. The last bit here is
rather easy to figure out,
the fire helps burn off the
competition. Since morel
mycelium spreads so fast
it has the great advantage
of taking over an area
with little in its way. The
ph balance, the added
soil amendment of ash
helps facilitate a quick
recovery as well as
colonizing an area
quickly.
With all of the previous
mentioned in mind let’s
get down to it. The soil
can be practically
anything, but for the best
growing soil a loamy/
sandy/clay soil is ideal as
it is known to facilitate
the best growth.

(The soil pictured on the

right isn’t the best but it
gets the job done
perfectly.)
Arranging the morel beds
is straight forward.
Surface or conventional
tillage are both
acceptable ways to
creating the beds.
Creating an irrigation
valley between rows or
around the entire bed is
ideal as you will use this
later on in the grow to
flood the beds a bit.
Construct the bed no
different than you would
a raised bed for your
garden. Keep the top of
the mound a bit more
flat, this is where you will
create 2 small canals
down the center
approximately 4-5in wide
x 2-4cm deep.
The picture on the
following page illustrates
the typical channels
created for the spawn
and sterilized wood
chips.
The outside of the bed
has the irrigation canal
for spring flooding.
Having two small
spawning rows down the
center greatly improves
the spread of mycelium
and a more uniform
conidia.
The Spawn
What differentiates
between my method and
the Chinese cultivation
method is the spawn and
sclerotia forming
method. I’ll cover the
sclerotia later on in the
book.
First thing first, the use
of two different kinds of
spawn is highly
recommended. To be
very specific here the
formula we use for
inoculating the morel
beds are a low carb diet
to say the least. Spawn
bags or bottles are
comprised of the
following formula:
85% hardwood sawdust/
wood chips, between
10-15% Soybean Hulls,
1% Phosphate Fertilizer
(Bone Meal) & 1%
Gypsum.
This formulary is
specifically for the 5in
wide canals on top of the
morel beds. The reason
why there is such a low
nutrient count is simple,
we don’t want many
nutrients buried within
the soil.
If you are unaware,
Morel sexual lifecycles
clearly need a food
source to establish the
proper nutrient reserves
within the mycelia. The
issue fruiting comes to
failure in most cases
because too many
nutrients are added to
the soil allowing the
mycelium to just keep
feeding. This feeding,
depending on how much
food is given, can last for
a couple years before
you reap the benefits of
your hard spent time and
labor.
Now let’s discuss the
exogenous nutrient
thriving spawn formulary
and why this is important
for the successful fruiting
of morels.
The nutrient rich spawn
bag or bottle is
comprised of these
ingredients: 70%
hardwood sawdust or
wood chips, 20-25%
cottonseed hulls, bran,
rye seed, corn, etc...
(The specific food source
isn’t a make it or break it
kind of deal as long as
you have enough within
the chosen container.)
1% Bone Meal, 1%
Gypsum, add a secondary
ingredient of your
choice.
We personally use 20%
cottonseed hulls and
nearly 10% rye seed. Add
about 1-2% humus for
the finishing touch, mix
well, hydrate to field
capacity and sterilize.
That’s it for formula
work, now you simply
inoculate your bag or
bottle of substrate with
the morel strain of your
choice. The importance
of all this is how to
properly feed your morel
mycelium. The
separation between the
soil and the bag or bottle
is important. After the
bag or bottle is fully
colonized simply make
an incision about 5-8
inches along the back of
the spawn bag, (on the
other side of the bag
away from the
filterpatch.) Now lay the
bag slit facing the soil
and just give it a gentle
push into the soil to help
the mycelium find it’s
way into the nutrient
poor environment. With
bottles you simply
remove any kind of
filtration that is present
and make sure the
mycelium is practically
touching the soil. I would
recommend if you use
spawn or fruiting bottles
to over fill the bottle a bit
so that the mycelium is
practically bursting to
run out the top.
(Pictured on the right is a
prime example of
sclerotia forming inside
the bottle)
An important side note
regarding your desired
spawn bag. Keep it
simple, the specific type
of spawn bag is really
irrelevant and doesn’t
require anything fancy
such as a filter patch.

Yes the spawn needs to

breath like normal but in
my opinion, leaving the
bag without any kind of
gas exchange actually
helps in the final phase.

When you slice that bag

open and push it into the
soil it’s going to gasp for
air and reach hard and
fast to colonize the soil
quickly.
 Air Exchange
To me, this chapter is an
important one. To start
let’s examine these two
pictures side by side.
The picture on the left is
M. americana and the
picture on the right is M.
importuna. Both are
healthy and thriving just
perfectly minus one large
detail.....the Importuna
isn’t producing the kind
of sclerotia it should be.
Morchella importuna by
all accounts should put
M. americana to shame
when it comes to
sclerotia performance.
The reason why you are
seeing such a difference
is simple, air exchange.
Air exchange should be
one of your top priorities
when managing and
planning a Morel grow,
indoors or outdoors.
(For the entirety of this
book I will be focusing
more or less strictly on
outdoor morel
cultivation.) The bottle
pictured before was
colonized for 2 weeks
with a filter membrane,
shortly after I did
something I usually
never attempt....I took
the filter lid completely
off! After hearing from a
very good friend Michael
G. Larsen about his
intriguing findings with
sclerotia performance
with better gas exchange
it got me thinking again.
In a clean room designed
specifically for this
operation I let 3
Morchella spawn bottles
sit in fresh clean
scrubbed air and
watched the magic
unfold before me. The
Chinese, Dr. Gary Mill’s,
eat your heart out! The
labor intensive sclerotia
performer is now
something of the past
thanks entirely to
Michael Larsen!! On a
side note I noticed that
the exact formula for
creating the best sclerotia
isn’t really a thing to
keep you all awake at
night. Keeping the spawn
formula simple is easy,
efficient, & most of all
effective for the project at
hand. Don’t overthink or
over complicate things!

When it comes to
creating the perfect
morel bed you do not
need to produce
sclerotia. Nutrient
primed mycelium
obtained from the
exogenous feeding frenzy
is the goal here.
Perforated black 3mil
plastic is a must for your
beds. After you have
sown the spawn into the
soil and placed the bags
or bottles directly onto
the soil you will need to
cover the crop. Before
you cover the crop
sprinkle sparingly some
agricultural grade lime
over the bed to keep
pests and competing
bacteria at bay.
Back to the plastic.
The single biggest
mistake that everyone
makes is there
beds....even the Chinese
and French on how they
place the plastic sheeting.
Some farmers even use
straw as a blackout agent
in order to gain sclerotia
growth and finally
conidia. The use of straw
is a huge hindrance in
production. Countless
times I have seen
pictures of morels
bunched up together
fruiting from the sides of
the beds rather than
throughout the top
surface. This side fruiting
has everything to do with
improper gas exchange.
(Pictured on the next page is a
great example of the misuse of
straw as a blackout agent to
promote sclerotia growth. Yes,
the grow was still successful but
they could have yielded infinity
more using better controlled
airflow during colonization.
Choosing the right plastic and
setting it up properly to allow
plenty of airflow is critical if you
plan on having bumper crops!)
When looking for the
right perforated plastic
make sure those holes
are at least the size of a
silver dollar or even a bit
larger. The light moving
through those holes isn’t
hurting anything at all
and giving your morel
mycelium the fresh air
they crave and need.
Below is the picture
perfect example of
conidia after roughly 1
month of growth. The
typical time frame is
10-15 days.
 Timing
Another important factor
is timing. Definitely plan
ahead when you feel you
ready and have the
material and equipment
to pull this off.
So many people say;
“You will make millions
if you figure this out!”
Wrong! The cost
associated with such a
grow demands lots of
materials, pickers, tilling
equipment, and then of
course you will need to
actually have the demand
for the product. Part of
China’s problem was the
rapid expansion of bionic
artificial outdoor
cultivation. Too much of
the product created
sluggish sales near and
far.
As for the perfect timing,
sow the spawn when
daytime temps are
between 55-68 degrees.
Naturally this variation
of weather isn’t a set in
stone kind of deal where
you plan on an exact day
and time of the month,
you just simply have to
be ready with everything.
From start to finish you
should expect pins
forming in roughly 90
days flat.
You want to keep soil
moisture about 50%
throughout the majority
of the grow up until that
last 1-2 weeks. Reduce
the watering and keep
moisture levels about
70-75%. To help facilitate
humidity levels as well as
proper shading I
recommend spreading
rye seed over the beds
after removing the black
perforated plastic. Check
your beds 1-3 weeks after
sowing to observe if
conidia is present. If
conidia has formed its
white
mycelium over the bed it
is then time to add the
exogenous spawn bags
for roughly 40-45 days or
simply add them after
sowing the spawn into
the soil.
At this time you want to
add the rye seed as well
as the shadc cloth.
Humidity levels should
be maintained at a steady
85-95%. My personal
grow style consists of our
placement of exogenous
spawn bags directly after
soil spawn has been
inoculated. From that
point we place black
perforated plastic over
the spawn bags and tuck
the edges down with
greenhouse plastic
anchors to keep the
plastic from possibly
blowing away.
Maintaining humidity
using a fine mist sprayer
is recommended if you
happen to live in a more
arid environment.
 Exogenous
Nutrients
A massive breakthrough
in morel cultivation
technology that dates
back decades is the use of
exogenous nutrients.
First successfully
performed by Ower and
Mills years ago, the
technology that is
applied to the bionic
cultivation of morels
outdoors today is a game
changer to say the least.
Separation of nutrients
between soil and
container (spawn bag) is
the ace in the hole.
Because morels eat like a
horse the exogenous
spawn bags deplete fairly
rapidly leaving behind
little nutrients in the
bags to feed from. This is
great considering we
don’t actually have to
remove those bags weeks
prior to harvest. Leaving
those bags won’t hurt a
thing and further more
you disturb the mycelium
much less by just
ignoring them all
together. The only reason
why you would remove
the bags is if you were off
to a late start spawning
the morel beds such as
late December or early to
mid January.
If you were off to the
races a bit late in the
spawning season take a
breath because it’s not
too late to pull off a grow.
Simply keeping the
exogenous spawn bags
on the bed for
approximately 30-45
days is efficient enough
to feed the soil mycelium
below enough to generate
the proper primed
mycelium and conidia
growth.
The following pictures
are from other grows I
have observed through
the years and used
they’re failures to
optimize morel growth
for our own beds. These
two photos in the next
pages illustrates poor
verses excellent
exogenous nutrient
supply.
Here is another example to the
right of someone’s grow that
could have produced so much
more. The combination of
smothering the soil without
proper airflow and either sowing
late or taking the exogenous
spawn bags off to early caused
this bed to not perform to its
greatest potential.
 The Shade
This is a short chapter
here. Obviously if you are
planing on creating a
morel bed you will need
75-80% shade cloth to
keep light entering at a
minimum and also
importantly to help
maintain humidity and
temps.
The design isn’t
particularly important
here as long as you can
maintain the correct
environment. Some use
actual greenhouse where
others use strictly shade
cloth. The only real
important information I
can share is that fresh air
exchange is a must to
discourage other bad
bacterial blooms within.
Twice daily we open the
ends of each side of the
bed to allow fresh air to
penetrate the tunnel and
exhaust the old air
thereby promoting
vigorous sclerotia growth
and eliminating many
contamination issues
that plague other
cultivators. Trichoderma,
Aspergillus, Rhizopus,
Mucor, Neurospora,
Coprinus and other
bacteria are the main
threats to many different
grows...not just morels.
Another particularly
nasty one is this white
fungi that can devistate
many morel farmers
crops. My working theory
is that not enough fresh
air is being let in during
the pinning and pre-
harvest phase allowing
other biological atrocities
to take hold. Mites are a
pain even for our beds as
the humidity in this part
of the country
is fairly high with lots of
rainfall, we practically
don’t even need to water
in our area because of the
standing water that used
to take place from over
watering. This stale
water introduced mite
city for a bit until we
figured out that too much
is definitely a pain when
harvesting mite
infested morels.
Take that information
and apply it to the type of
soil you may be working
with as well as the type of
environment. Some
places such as Southern
Utah, Colorado or the
like will definitely require
much more planning
when it comes to your
watering methods.
Naturally I’m not going
to cover every single
environmental factor
that comes to mind so
please use the
information provided as
your how to guide to
keep the humidity and
soil water levels at the
ideal range.
 Soil
Amendments
A brief overview on the
use of fertilizer here. I
personally go the organic
route and use Bone Meal
for my phosphorus and
protein. Spread over the
bed a month before
harvest sparingly, you
don’t need a lot since the
spawn already contains
a small portion of the
organic fertilizer.
Quicklime or Calcium
oxide is another
beneficial factor to keep
back pests and it can also
be used to adjust the ph.
A single cup on a 20 foot
bed mixed with water in
a chemical sprayer is
effective and spreads the
solution evenly.
As an ending for this
chapter just to touch up
on humidity control,
don’t forget to add some
perineal rye grass seed or
a chick weed seed to help
maintain that humidity.

You can also do no harm

by applying
Pseudomonas putida to
the flooding trenches
around the beds to help
feed the mycelium, just
make sure you keep it in
the trench only and not
on the bed itself.
Last but not least is my
favorite, Cyanobacteria,
or the “Blue-Green Algae.
Oxygenate the soil like a
madman with this
wonderful
bacteria. ....sclerotia for
days!

This concludes the how

to guide on outdoor
morel cultivation. I hope
you learned a thing or
three in here and you all
carry out some successful
grows. Looking forward
to the pictures of success
from many of you soon!!
Wish you all well and
most importantly have
fun out there!!

Best regards

Patrick Anderson
Morchella Culture LLC