Boletus edulis or boletus is a real favorite among fans of “silent hunting”. To pick up a full basket of dense, pot-bellied mushrooms on thick legs is considered a great success even among the most experienced mushroom pickers. Lovers of the fruits of the autumn forest know what time it is best to choose for collecting fragrant fortifications and how long the porcini mushroom grows.
How does a white mushroom grow
In the fall, porcini mushroom can be found throughout Russia. Although the mycelium of this representative of the fungal family functions from the beginning of spring until the cold autumn, the main period of mushroom harvesting falls on warm September and the first half of October. Chunky porcini mushrooms can be found both in a cozy deciduous and in a cool mixed forest. Moreover, representatives of this mushroom genus prefer old tall trees, over half a century old. Strong elastic mushrooms often hide under powerful roots or under the thickness of moss.
The first wave of boletus is expected by mushroom pickers in June, and then in late July - early August. However, during hot summers, the period of mushroom hunting is no more than a few days. A much more productive time falls in the first half of autumn. It was at this time on earth that the so-called "greenhouse effect" appeared - the soil calcined over the summer at a difference in night and day temperatures generously gives off its heat.
Growth conditions
Mushroom mushroom boletus grows deep into the soil by 10-15 cm and is very demanding on moisture. Therefore, even with a slight dehydration of the soil, the mycelium dries up and ceases to bear fruit. In addition, white is very demanding on air humidity - it should be at least 60%. Mushrooms cease to grow even in moist soil, provided that they are atmospheric dry.
That is why, representatives of this genus most often prefer to grow under the cover of mosses and lichens, which provide them with the necessary microclimate. Porcini mushroom quickly grows at an air temperature of +18 ... + 28 ° С. And the favorite period of boletus, when they grow as large as possible in a short time, is the warm and rainy autumn weather.
Where grow
Strong whites grow under old oaks, birches and conifers, and are also highly respected by lichens. Depending on the place of growth, these mushrooms acquire a different color. So, under the oaks you can meet boletus with a brown-gray hat and loose pulp.
Near the pines there is a forest resident with a dark hat and brownish flesh on a thick short stalk, and very light mushrooms grow under birch trees, whose hat reaches a diameter of 15 cm. One of the most common representatives of this species is found under fir trees - its stalk is higher than that of brothers, and the hat has a reddish-chestnut hue.
Inexperienced mushroom pickers often mistaken for a boletus bile mushroom, very similar to white in appearance. The main difference between the bile fungus is the darkening of the flesh in the place of cut and a bitter aftertaste.
How to grow
Experienced admirers of mushroom hunting note that in 15–20 days after warm showers one can find white specimens in the forest with a hat diameter of 20–25 cm. It is worth noting that the white life span is not as long as these mushrooms are considered to be of peak maturity. reach 12-14 days after the start of growth.
Upon reaching 10-12 days, the mushroom leg stops growing, while the hat continues to increase in diameter for another 2-3 days. After this, the process of decay begins in the pulp, and it loses good nutritional properties.
The best time to pick young porcini mushrooms, which are great for pickling and pickling, is 4–5 days after a good rain. In addition, such mushrooms have not yet been affected by parasites, very fond of dense aromatic flesh.
Video: How porcini mushrooms grow
Per night
There is an opinion that boletus can grow literally in one night. However, in fact, the porcini mushroom is not so fast - its growth rate depends entirely on the ambient humidity and air temperature both at night and during the day. Representatives of this mushroom family are more demanding of environmental conditions than its relatives, such as honey agarics or butterfish. At + 10 ° С, the white hat grows in diameter by about 1–1.5 cm per night.
Did you know? In 1961, a giant boletus was found on the territory of the USSR, the weight of which exceeded 10 kg, and the diameter of the hat was 58 cm.
Per day
In a day, boletus can grow by 2-3 cm and, already a couple of days after a warm rain, there is a chance to stumble upon a clearing of young and strong white. Mushrooms can sit on it as one by one, and concentrate whole families. Experienced mushroom pickers, who devote a lot of time to collecting white ones, know hidden places and often notice an interesting fact: walking through their favorite mushroom places, you can collect a good white crop even where there wasn’t even a hint of mushrooms hiding under the leaves yesterday.
During the week
If the weather is good, then you should not take a long time to go for a mushroom crop. In a week, mushrooms under favorable conditions can grow to truly impressive sizes. If we talk about how much such a mushroom weighs, then the average weekly mushroom reaches a weight of 150-200 grams. Often there are representatives and larger. The diameter of the caps of such specimens can reach 20–25 cm.
How much do they grow after rain
A small boletus comes to the surface of the soil literally in the first hours after a warm rain. Its weight is tiny, about 2 grams. However, with the right amount of moisture in the environment, which remains at night and during the whole period of mushroom cultivation, there is a real chance to find white, whose weight reaches 300-400 grams. Indeed, it is not for nothing that there is a common expression: “They grew like mushrooms after rain.”
At high temperatures
Like many of its relatives, boletus do not like heat. If the air temperature exceeds + 28 ° C, and the humidity drops below 60%, then the body of the plant dries up. This is due to the inability of the body of the fungus to delay the process of evaporation of moisture from the surface of the plant. In addition, boletus mushroom is dehydrated during the heat, which has a depressing effect on the entire mushroom crop.
Important!
Cut white mushroom loses its beneficial properties without treatment 10 hours after harvest.
When it's cold
Borovik also ceases its growth with the advent of cold days, when the average daily temperature drops below + 10 ° C. Low temperature disrupts the chemical processes in the mycelium and the body of the boletus, which causes white growth to stop. Therefore, with the beginning of the first autumn frosts, it is better to search for porcini mushrooms under the roots of old trees and in secluded places surrounded by fallen leaves. There, for some time after the onset of cold weather, a microclimate is maintained, suitable for the full growth of boletus.
Pick time
The best time to collect mushroom crops is considered to be warm September and the first half of October. On fine autumn days, literally in a few hours of a forest walk, you can pick up full baskets of white. Especially if you know about the favorite habitats of boletus. Fertile mushroom time usually lasts until regular morning frosts, and even then in the forest you can find strong, slightly frozen boletus, growing under moss and leaves, along with other mushrooms - red-headed, butter and honey mushrooms.
How to collect
Everyone who has ever gone to the forest for mushrooms knows the basic rules for collecting:
- Mushroom trophy must not be pulled out of the ground with the root.
- When going on a “silent hunt” one should stock up with a small sharp knife, with the help of which the prey is cut off above the soil surface. Thus, the mycelium retains and grows, and next year you can count on a generous white crop in the same place.
- Before going to the forest, you should stock up on a long stick or staff to carefully dig up mounds of leaves, moss and earth, under which strong families hide.
Autumn is a great time to visit a quiet, colorful forest filled with the smell of mushrooms and fallen leaves. And what could be better than a basket of strong mushrooms brought from a walk and filling everything around with mushroom aroma.
