Questions from a newbie

[byknski]

I'm getting discouraged...I keep reading about all these great finds, but I am finding almost nothing in our woods. We have 20 acres near Eagle in the Southern Kettles. We have Elms all over the property all on various stages of life and death. A couple weeks ago I found a few greys under a tree where I found about 20 last year, but nothing more has come up. I have found a few random yellows in other areas of the woods, but nothing else. We had a few nights of frost here last week, so does that really set them back? Or, has the weird weather this year really hurt my season? Many of our dead elms are on north facing slopes or very deep in our woods, So is it still early for those areas? This is only my second season of hunting, so I'm very new to this.

another question--is there any relationship between garlic mustard and morels? We have lots of it, so I am constantly pulling it while I'm out hunting morels. Could I be disturbing the soil too much? I keep hoping the the forest floor will reward my good deed by providing me with a patch of mushrooms, but nothing yet.

Is there anything I can do to encourage more morels in the future? We are trying to restore our woods--eliminating buckthorn, honeysuckle, prickly ash, etc, and we started burning areas this spring. Do you know if any of this will help or hurt our morel crop?

Thanks in advance!

[mike7mm08]

Definitely a bit early. I am in northern washington county. I am just now finding them on sunny south and west slopes. They don't need the sun but it does encourage soil warm up. I would give north and shaded areas at least til after the upcoming warm spell before expecting much. Tread lightly and keep soil disturbance to a minimum. I give likely areas a look over from a distance and only move in once I spot a obvious shroom. I then carefully move in and look for more. If you go tramping around you might be stepping on itty bittys that you cannot see or pulling them up in the sol when you pull the garlic mustard. I would not pull garlic mustard until after shroom season. If it is starting to flower just carry a snippers and cut the top halfs of the plant off.

I have no idea as to ways to promote morel growth. I am fortunate enough to find enough to satisfy me without doing anything special. Most of what I have heard seems to be more theory than fact when it comes to promoting morel growth.

[mikeologist]

Byknski, no worries, I have only found one morel yet this season. It was pretty wacky there for a minute with the weather and all. Now is more along the lines of when morel season usually starts. Its gonna get picking up real quick here. Notice that its also been pretty quite on the board, except that earthmom is killin it out there.

As far as promoting growth, I would say that its more of a question of promoting them to come back. After a little discussion with mushroom mike, I looked up a few papers about the effects of mushroom harvesting. The general ideas from the papers were that the more you disturb the substrate of the fungus, i.e. the dirt surrounding the shroom, the LESS likely the mushroom will be to grow again in the same place. So that means harvest using a knife and take the utmost care not to disturb any of the habitat surrounding your find.

[deerslayer]

Byknski- I definitely agree with Mike and Mike- I am just north of 7mm, in Sheboygan County- I have begun finding morels, but my late spot generally produces just before Memorial Day in a "normal" spring and it has not done anything yet. Your northern-facing spots and deep woods have likely not warmed up enough yet. The rains and warmth we are having yesterday and today should speed things up quickly.

[byknski]

Thanks for all your responses. They give me hope that I will find some soon. I just hope all my looking hasn't trampled them, and all my garlic mustard pulling didn't disturb the soil too much. Snipping off the tops is a great idea--I can't walk by it without doing something to stop that horrible stuff!

[mikeologist]

Nature sure appreciates your effort! Especially since garlic mustard is probably spread most from humans...