Master Guide To Growing Morels. {Morel TEK.}

The first day of Spring for me is always when the Morel Mushrooms sprout, Growing this elusive mushroom relies heavily on find them in the wild; so I am always on the lookout for new patches. Morel mushrooms re considered rare and very difficult to grow. However, this is mostly due to myths. Morels have been found in all 50 states. They are hardly rare. Morels can grow anywhere if you can mimic their environment in your garden. They are only difficult to grow to the uninformed.
The biggest myth about growing Morels is that you need to look in the woods for last years forest fire burn areas. Most believe Morels are triggered to grow somehow from the fire touching the soil. How this works is considered up for debate by many. However I would argue that several hobbyists have proven that to be untrue completely. Morels almost certainly grow because of CARBON CONTENT not from anything to do with fire. In fact; I supply my garden with ash from my small fireplace which I burn all winter. The ash is pure carbon and it feeds the morels. and they grow. There are no fires on the ground or pine tree roots.
In order to start grow Morels; you simply need some yard space. You can grow them in your actual garden, you can grow them in the grass strips next to the sidewalk by your front yard. You can grow them in your backyard where the weeds grow wild. You will need zero experience and very little money. After you find your first Wild Morel, growing will be easy.
Before the Morel Mushroom even begin to sprout {in late April early Spring}, you want to start creating your space to grow them. That way from the very start of the season you can begin transferring materials down from wild morel patches to your garden. The first thing you are going to do is start what's called a "lasagna" garden. This means instead of digging the soil around, you stack layers up from the bottom.
I like to start with a layer of paper products. Mushrooms love wood pulp. So ill just wait till the frost is gone and literally dump out my recycling can after removing all metal. Then ill bury the paper/cardboard layer in dirt from the yard. Mushrooms love paper and cardboard and it makes more sprouts grow. After the Paper product layer ill usually add a nice layer of food scraps and bury that. Get in the habit of burying anything you add to the "Morel pile."
By now you should have a nice mound that is building up. Time to add carbon. Remember Morels need Ash aka Pure carbon to grow. This is why they grow after wildfires in nature. Ash is very easy to obtain. Either start a fire pit or as a neighbor. WEAR A MASK WHEN YOU MOVE IT. and maybe even eye goggles. the stuff is very fine particulate and it spreads around easily. Simply dump as much ash as possible on your "morel pile" and bury it.
Now you are ready to grow! I recommend burying more compost as time goes by. Also if you prune any trees on your property I HIGHLY recommend stacking sticks above your Morel pile. Mushrooms famously love stick piles. My Morel Mushrooms grew first by a recent stack of compost and apple tree sticks.
Now you must look for the Famed Mushroom. I recommend rural areas. Coastal cities have too high of humidity. Cities lack ash from fires. Dense forests are too wet. You want to look for the following: A Sparse dry pine forest with peat moss and a local river or underground waterways. Sage brush are a good indication. Look for burnt pine trees and scorched earth. The Morel mushroom themselves are very easy to identify. they look like brains. they are hollow on the inside. they are blonde/grey or brown. the spores are yellow. so look for yellow coloration on them as well.
When you go Morel picking, bring with you paper bags and a knife. When you find the mushroom, cut it at the base, do not pull them out of the ground ever. Place them carefully into the paper bag after picking one by one. Avoid picking young looking mushrooms. Try to make mental maps in your head when you find Mushroom patches. Think about how far you are away from the river etc. Look for large boulders or fallen trees to keep track of.
When you get home, lay some tinfoil down onto a table and place the morels on top. Now inspect the paper bag you picked with. You should see yellow dust in the shape of some of the mushrooms. these are yellow spore prints! New morels will grow from these spores if you plant them!
The key to growing mushrooms from spores prints is that they need water activation. So grab the paper bag that you went mushroom picking with and drop it in a five gallon bucket of water for 40 minutes. Then pour the water and soaked paper bag onto your morel pile. Make sure to bury the bag and then re water lightly.
If you want the Morels to grow even quicker; pluck a few straight out of the ground and then bury them when you get home. They will stunt [stop growing] but the MYCELIUM [which are the root system of the morels] will continue to grow. Another must to speed things up is adding HONEY. Mushroom growers often use honey in their soil. liquid cultures that host mushroom roots are famously made of honey mixed with water.
Another way to ensure success is to add peat moss, pine needles, pine wood and anything else that grows by the morels you find in the wild. I like to take a whole day and bring a clean shoe box up into the woods and collect little samples of moss, lichen etc.If you can transplant any sage brush, wild flowers or young pine trees this is very optimal.
The concept should be clear now. If you can imitate the wild environment where the morels grow in your own garden; then they will grow. You should add honey and a bit of ash. Also some Morel spore prints. Expect your mushrooms next spring or even possibly the spring after. they take a while to grow. but if you tend to them and always cut them at the base with a knife. You can grow them forever! Good luck.

• Liquid Mike.