GROWING TRUFFLES!!!! How impossible is it?

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Smitty750

Well-Known Member
Ok so I have succesfully grown my own marijuana and I was very proud of myself. It was more of a I bet I can do that kind of thing, I sold none of it that was not the point, just wanted to see if I could do it. Now me and a buddy are sitting here and on the E channel happen to see a show called the "most expensive" and they had a part about Truffles some selling for as much as $5000 per lb, I believe they were Italian White Truffles. Also Black Winter Truffles are right up there at $500-$1500 per pound. I googled for hours to find nothing but the normal info. They grow under trees now it doesnt seem like theyre special trees Hazelnuts,Oaks,Doug Firs etc. The truffles feed off of the leftovers of Photosynthesis under ground from the trees roots. What Im wondering is why is the tree needed? there must be some way to feed the truffles in the dirt without them being dependent on the root system. Or why not in the roots of cannabis plants? I know I was amazed with the root growth of my plants and how fast they broke grew and used up nutrients during photo growth. Just wondering if anyone has done this or has any special experience with this? Ive attached some links of what Ive found.

http://www.truffletrees.com/index.html

http://www.natruffling.org/

http://www.garlandtruffles.com/
 
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xrayspecs

Well-Known Member
you cant just grow truffles in soil like you can with weed, unfortunately.

they can be cultivated though, but they only grow under trees - like you say, they have a symbiotic relationship with the tree, like many fungus. perhaps you could create an artificial medium that represents the tree, but considering no-one has managed to do this thus far I dont fancy your chances, unless you're some sort of mycological scientist or something :D remember, fungus are very different to plants.
 
specialkayme

specialkayme

Well-Known Member
I would imagine if it was possible to grow truffles, someone would have done it before.

I would also imagine if it was easier to grow truffles than it is to train a pig to sniff out the truffles, people would do that too.

It isn't easy to train a pig to do anything other than eat, if that helps to let you know how difficult growing truffles would be.
 
itzCESAR*

itzCESAR*

Well-Known Member
Hey Smitty, If I told you that there was no way you could do it (which I am). Would you go out of your way to prove me wrong? Well more or less would you try it out? I bet you can't grow truffles :)
 
BirdTooth

BirdTooth

Well-Known Member
I think the thing that makes truffles difficult to grow (besides having an ideal climate with no extreme heat or cold, and plenty of time) is that the environmental conditions need to be almost perfect for the truffles to survive the competition from more resilient, and worthless, native fungi. American growers have an advantage in that the local competition for truffles evolved in a different soil pH range than truffles themselves, making it easier to create an environment that is ideal only for truffles, but it is still a very unreliable crop. Then of course there is the business with the pig. I've heard of people using dogs, though not frequently so maybe that is false.
If you have the time and land, live in the right climate, and are looking to tie several thousand dollars up indefinitely with no guarantee for return, it is not a crazy idea to grow truffles.
 
DownOnWax

DownOnWax

Well-Known Member
I am actually a Chef and have used all different types of Truffles.

I had the same kind of idea you had a couple years back and researched it on the internet and found basically nothing on the subject.

Recently though I saw a program on the Science channel where a company found out a way to breed their own truffles. The thing is that this was a big company with Major funding! Also, they were talking about the fact that it took years to create a suitable environment and years to create renewable truffles to sell. Basically we are talking in excess of 5-10 years and thousands upon thousands of dollars to create a legitimate business.

Independent truffle farming is no small feat, and requires several years to harvest a single, first crop.

Once a tree has successfully produced a crop of truffles however, it can continue to do so for decades afterwards.

In order for truffles to be grown in an artificial environment, such as a backyard, the host tree needs to be inoculated with the fungus under very controlled conditions. There are several cultivation farms that have successfully mastered this technique, and inoculated seedlings can be purchased from them.

Truffles can only grow in a climate without extreme weather changes, such as very cold winters or very hot summers. Extreme weather conditions are likely to damage any possibility of a successful harvest.

Another requirement is a well-drained soil, but they can tolerate almost any type of soil as long as it has really good drainage. The soil should be well maintained for nutritional elements, and any problems corrected prior to planting.
 
ResistanceIsFertile

ResistanceIsFertile

Well-Known Member
Cannabis is ectomycorrhizal, methinks? The cube and pan growers at shroomtalk always made truffle cultivation seem impossible, and cannabis is infinitely easier to cultivate than cubies.

"Finally, the site must not have had ectomycorrhizal trees on it for at least a few years before planting the truffle trees. Ectomycorrhizal trees include many conifers, oaks and other nut trees, and some shrubs, particularly manzanita. Most fruit trees, maples and other ornamentals are not ectomycorrhizal and do not present a problem."
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xrayspecs

Well-Known Member
yeah whatever, its not going to happen. btw, it is true dogs can sniff out truffles, this is standard procedure in italy. my sister actually took her dog for lessons to learn how to sniff them out, but it was more interested in other stuff and was no good! great dog it is though.

people who think they can grow truffles are in a dreamworld. theres no end of people who think they can do this.
 
specialkayme

specialkayme

Well-Known Member
xrayspecs said:
yeah whatever, its not going to happen. btw, it is true dogs can sniff out truffles, this is standard procedure in italy. my sister actually took her dog for lessons to learn how to sniff them out, but it was more interested in other stuff and was no good! great dog it is though.

people who think they can grow truffles are in a dreamworld. theres no end of people who think they can do this.
Click to expand...
So .......... http://www.truffletrees.com/truffcult.html .......... that's bullshit too?
 
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