Newbie questions

[Nimrod]

I've never seriously tried to locate morels. I usually go into the woods mostly uneducated as to where to look and have had limited success. I realize the trees they like, dying elms, etc.

I offer the following questions:

1. Will black, white & yellow mushrooms grow in the same place but at different times of the year?

2. Do morels have a large root system or depend on the spores from other mushrooms of their type (yellow,white,black) to generate new growth?

3. It seems I usually find morels on the upper part of hills/ravines. Will they grow anywhere?


Thanks for all replies.

[antiqucycle]

1. no. blacks do not grow where yellows grow but they are earlier than yellows.

2. I believe they have huge root systems that all the morels you find in a smaller area are from the same root system. I have never seen pictures of morel spores. If they did spread spores, they would be a lot easier to find and commercial growing would be easy, like field mushrooms. No matter what, they are still a huge mystery for scientists.

3. blacks seem to grow up high, yellows where its a lot wetter like creek bottoms. grays are in between.

[Woodland]

Morels root system is called a Mycillium(sp) & it can be extensive. When you pick them don't actually pick them but pluck them. You either cut the stem at ground level with a knife or just pinch them off. Don't pull them out of the ground as that can destroy the Mycillium. I mostly find Greys around tulip poplar trees on ridge tops. I'll find blacks blended in with the greys but not right next to each other. I will find yellows slightly down from the ridges. With that said the saying on Morels is they grow where they grow. They will actually grow where ever they want to.