Common Boletus mushroom mycelium, 10 g

Common birch bolete (Leccinum scabrum)

A species of spongy cap mushrooms of the genus Leccinum in the Boletaceae family. In nature, the birch bolete grows from early summer to late fall in deciduous, mainly birch, and mixed forests, either singly or in groups. It very often grows along the edges of forest roads.
Cap up to 15 cm in diameter, hemispherical, later cushion-shaped, smooth or finely scaly, dry, slightly slimy in damp weather, varying in color from light gray to dark brown, almost black.
Flesh white, does not change color when broken, sometimes darkens slightly, with a pleasant mushroom smell and taste. The hymenium peels easily from the flesh, whitish, then grayish, sometimes with dark brown spots.
Stem up to 15 cm long, up to 3 cm in diameter, solid, cylindrical, slightly widened at the base, whitish, covered with scales ranging from gray to dark brown. Birch boletes—delicious edible mushrooms—can be used without prior boiling for hot dishes, for pickling, marinating, and drying.

Growing common birch boletes in a home garden
Set aside a shaded area of 2.5–3 m² for the mushrooms, dig a small pit 30 cm deep, and fill it with a nutrient mixture.
First layer (spread on the bottom of the pit) - fallen leaves, grass, sawdust, or tree bark (10 cm).
Second layer - manure compost or soil collected from under trees (10 cm).
Then spread the grain mycelium evenly over the entire area.
Third layer - plant debris again, as in the first layer, but only 3 cm thick.
Fourth layer - garden soil (3-5 cm).

After sowing, water using a drip method. In dry weather and high temperatures, water as needed both before the mushrooms appear and during their growth.

The first mushrooms will appear in 1.5–2 months, and then new ones will emerge every 1–1.5 weeks. In open ground, they grow from May until late fall. The mycelium can live for up to 5 years.

Indoors, you can try growing mushrooms using the same method as for button mushrooms, but the results will be significantly worse than in an open field; the germination rate also decreases.

Mushrooms grow at temperatures ranging from 5 to 30 °C, with an optimal temperature of 12 to 26 °C.

Mushrooms do not have a growing season, so they can be grown at any time of year.
The mycelium has a shelf life of 5–7 years. Store in a dry place. The date of manufacture is indicated on the packaging.