Common Boletus mushroom mycelium, 10 g

The Orange Boletus is a very beautiful mushroom. In terms of habitat, it is the closest neighbor of the Birch Boletus.

Cap. The orange bolete is often called the red mushroom because of the color of its cap. It can also be brownish-red, yellowish-red, or reddish-brown. Its shape is hemispherical, with a slightly velvety surface. In young mushrooms, the underside of the cap is white; in more mature ones, it is gray.

Stem. The mushroom has a tall stem (up to 15 cm), covered with a network of gray scales.

Flesh is white; it turns blue quickly when broken and may even turn black over time, but this does not affect its taste.

In the wild, red-capped boletes grow primarily under aspen trees, as well as in mixed forests with aspen. Fruiting lasts from late June to late September. There are local names for the red-capped bolete: red-headed bolete, red bolete, and chelysh (young red-capped bolete).

The birch bolete can be cultivated artificially using the sowing method recommended for growing the birch bolete.

Growing the birch bolete in a garden plot
For the mushrooms, set aside a shaded area of 2.5–3 m² under the trees, where you should dig a small pit 30 cm deep and fill it with a nutrient mixture.
First layer (laid on the bottom of the pit) – fallen leaves, grass, wood chips, or bark; preferably aspen leaves, bark, and/or sawdust (10 cm).
Second layer – manure compost or soil collected from under trees, preferably under aspen 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, moisten using a drip method. In dry weather or high temperatures, moisten as needed both before the mushrooms appear and during their growth. Or use hydrogel at a rate of 4 g per 1 m².

The first mushrooms will appear in 2.5–3 months, and then every 15 days. In open ground, they grow from May until late fall. The mycelium can live 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 production date is indicated on the packaging.