To this day, wild mushrooms have withstood the stubborn attempts of agriculture for commercial cultivation. The main reason for this lies in the so-called mycorrhiza, a symbiotic relationship that chanterelles enter into with other plants for the mutual benefit.

The location as the most important criterion for the growth of chanterelles

Forest mushrooms like the tasty chanterelles cannot be cultivated in the open field or even in tubs and pots. While mushrooms have long been cultivated on straw bales and in boxes, commercially available chanterelles still come from forest stands collected from the wild. With a close look at the conditions for the growth of the chanterelles, these can sometimes be imitated on your own property.

Certain tree species as partners of chanterelles

Chanterelles do not grow out of the mossy substrate in every forest. Since they depend on the symbiotic interaction according to the mycorrhiza principle, certain tree and plant species must be present as a basic condition for chanterelle cultivation. Tree species that typically have chanterelles growing on their roots include:

  • Spruce
  • jaw
  • fir
  • European beech

This is how the symbiosis of tree and fungus works

Chanterelles do not have any chlorophyll themselves, which is why they cannot carry out photosynthesis to generate energy themselves. The yellow taste wonders also lack the enzymes present in mushrooms to break down complex carbohydrates. To do this, the fungi access the root system of trees while improving their water supply themselves.

Creating conditions for chanterelles in your own garden

Ideal conditions for mushroom cultivation of chanterelles exist if your garden borders on the edge of a forest or if you have a certain number of trees in the garden yourself. You can also, with a little patience, plant spruce, pine and fir trees and after a few years start trying to settle chanterelles.

Chanterelles and their mycelium

Mushroom pickers know that they should never uproot mushrooms in the hope of future finds. The so-called mushroom mycelium is very sensitive and can produce new mushrooms if it remains in the soil. Go in search of chanterelles in the nearest forest. If you find what you are looking for, you can carefully remove the lower part of the chanterelles from the ground and try to settle them on your own property.

spores and food debris

To this day, the cultivation of chanterelles still poses various puzzles for science. However, it is recommended in relevant circles, as with other fungal cultures, to carry out a so-called inoculation of the soil with spores and mycelium parts. It may be successful if you distribute collected chanterelle spores through irrigation water or food leftovers from chanterelles in finely chopped form on the root spurs of trees.

tips and tricks

If the cultivation of chanterelles in your own garden should not succeed, you still do not have to do without tasty mushrooms in winter. Specimens collected in summer from a successful walk in the forest can be dried relatively easily and thus preserved.

Category:

Vegetable garden