Grifola frondosa

Grifola frondosa — an edible mushroom in its young stage, mainly used boiled, but also fried and dried. It grows in coniferous, deciduous, and mixed forests, especially on clearings, on the ground, on old rotten stumps, at the base of trunks, sometimes in large groups, from late June.

Fruit body: 2-6 cm in diameter, club-shaped, then pear-shaped, upper part almost round, with a darkening bump on the apex, outer layer finely granular, white, gray, or brownish. In mature mushrooms, the apex opens to release spores. Stipe: at the base — short, narrowed, becoming thinner with age, false stipe with root-like extension. Upper skin is tougher than in true oyster mushrooms. Flesh: white, elastic in young mushrooms, later olive-brown.

Cultivation of Grifola frondosa on a garden plot: dig a pit 2 meters wide and 25-30 cm deep under trees in shaded areas. Mix in tree leaves (rowan, birch, poplar, willow) and their branches. Cover with forest compost or soil from under trees to a depth of about 5 cm. Evenly sow dry mycelium previously mixed with 1 liter of dry soil. Water the soil using drip irrigation and cover with branches.

After the mycelium has colonized the bed (after one month), cover with last year's leaf litter. Fruiting occurs 4-6 months after planting. To ensure continuous fruiting, periodically re-sow mycelium into the bed. Recommended dosage: 10 grams of mycelium (1 packet) per 1 m².