Truffle is considered valuable and extremely popular. Here you can find out how to grow the mushroom yourself in your own garden.
The truffles or the truffle - the designation of the truffle fungus is considered feminine or masculine - are so-called mycorrhizal fungi. Both their network of hyphae, the mycelium, through which they are supplied, and the fruiting bodies typical of mushrooms form the truffles underground. However, the truffle only becomes a mycorrhizal fungus when it enters into a symbiosis with the roots of other plants, which are mostly deciduous trees. The truffle supplies the plant with nutrients and water, as is usual for a mycorrhizal fungus. In return, the fungus that lives underground is supplied with sugary and energy-rich products from the tree's photosynthesis.
Searching with truffle pigs and truffle dogs
Truffles were already very popular in earlier times, so that due to unkept harvests, the comparatively low yields today make the mushroom a sought-after and expensive delicacy. When harvesting the noble goods, man seeks help from animal noses. The truffle pig is certainly famous, but it has meanwhile become obsolete and has been replaced by truffle dogs. These are more agile, easier to train and do less damage to the fungus than the omnivorous truffle pig.
Not everything that grows underground is truffle
In addition to real truffles, the term is also used for other mushrooms that are not even closely related to the delicacy that grows in symbiosis underground. Even fungi that live above ground and are more plant parasites than living in symbiosis can adorn themselves with the nickname "truffle". The genus Tuber - the real truffles - includes other species, many of which are important in the kitchen.
Grow truffles yourself
It is romantic to imagine that the fine noses of dogs or pigs track down the truffles in wavy and lonely deciduous forests, which later refine the pasta into a delicious experience. But reality looks different. The mammoth portion ofTruffles, which find their way into elegant cuisine, are now specifically cultivated in truffle plantations. At the same time, truffle cultivation in Germany is increasing rapidly. Naturally occurring truffles are also protected and subject to strict harvest volume regulations. But the truffles can also be brought into the home garden. The easiest way to do this is through trees that have been inoculated with the spores that the truffle uses to reproduce. There are a few factors to consider in truffle cultivation that decide whether to harvest or not.
Truffle Type
Not every type of truffle thrives under all conditions. Therefore, one should choose according to geographic location and climatic conditions. The Burgundy truffle (Tuber aestivum var. uncinatum) has proven itself in many places in German-speaking countries. It gets along well with various site conditions found in this country and can enter into a symbiosis with the native tree species.
Location and climate
The site conditions must of course be adapted to the preferences of the tree being planted. As usual, waterlogging should be avoided when cultivating truffles. An important parameter seems to be the pH of the subsoil. A neutral to slightly alkaline soil with a pH around 7 to 8 is optimal. Since coniferous trees acidify the soil quickly, truffles are rarely found near them.
The climate of our temperate latitudes is well suited for various types of truffle. Light frost promotes the ripening of the fruiting bodies of the subterranean soil dwellers. However, persistent double-digit minus temperatures can result in permanently frozen ground and the loss of the truffle harvest.
Propagating and planting truffles
As usual for mushrooms, the truffle also reproduces via spores. Because true truffles belong to the Ascomycota family (Ascomycota), they can produce these spores for sexual or asexual reproduction. The roots of the trees with which the mushrooms enter into a symbiosis are then inoculated with the spores of the respective truffle variety. This is done in special farms on young trees grown in containers. These are finally sold as vaccinated goods and planted out. Which trees are chosen for inoculation with the spores of the truffle depends on the suitability of the tree as a truffle host. This is done based on the duration until the firstTruffle yield and the yield amount. The following tree species have proven to be particularly good hosts for the Burgundy truffle, which is preferably cultivated in this country:
- Hazelnut (Corylus colurna)
- Beech (Fagus sylvatica)
- Oak (Quercus robur)
When planting, the space required by the trees must be taken into account. A distance of five meters in all directions will ensure that the tree has the space it needs for decades to come. Autumn or early spring before they sprout have proven to be the best time to plant trees. After planting in your own garden, an irrigation ring should be left around the trunk of the tree and the tree should be watered directly.
Maintenance
No extensive care is required to maintain optimal conditions for the truffles. If good initial conditions (pH value and aeration of the soil) have been created, only the vegetation below the truffle tree has to be kept in check in the first few years after planting.
Harvest real truffles in your own garden
If the roots of the host tree were inoculated with the spores of the truffle, they first form a fine network of hyphae, the so-called mycelium. It can quickly take five years for the first coveted fruiting bodies to form underground, which are supposed to find their way onto the plate as a delicacy. However, it shouldn't take longer than ten years before the first truffles can be harvested.
The truffle harvest time is around autumn and winter and can extend from July to February. During this time, the coveted fruiting bodies of the valuable mycorrhiza fungus are repeatedly reproduced underground. An important keyword here is underground: How can you tell where the truffles have formed on the root network of the trees? After all, it is not beneficial to dig up the whole garden to track down the mushrooms. In earlier times, truffle hunters used truffle pigs for this purpose. In the meantime, these have been replaced by truffle dogs, which have an equally fine nose, but can be used much more gently for the soil, trees and truffles for harvesting. Alternatively, you can also carefully track down the mushrooms by hand in the upper layer of the soil. In terms of quantity, a harvest of up to 1 kg can be expected when the conditions are optimal and the tree alreadyhas reached a stately size.
By the way, the Alba truffle is the most expensive food in the world. We explain why its price is so high and other facts in our special article.