Cultivation of truffles in New Zealand
Truffières have been planted from Whangarei to Southland
Location selection
Perigord black truffles thrive best in locations with the following characteristics:
- well-drained soil, preferably clay soil with no more than 30 percent clay,
- at least 50 m (preferably 100 m) away from trees that may harbor competing ectomycorrhizal fungi
- a good sunny aspect with many hours of sunshine, to create an open, sunny woodland area
- a soil pH of 7.5 or higher
- about 700 mm of precipitation.
The first three characteristics are strongly location dependent. Soil pH and rainfall can be artificially changed by adding lime and installing artificial irrigation. The history of a site is also important. Locations with high concentrations of copper or phosphorus may be completely unsuitable unless levels can be reduced.
Wit (Knolborchii) truffières require similar conditions but are more tolerant of lower pH soils. Burgundian truffles (T summer) prefers shady forest conditions and more moistureWinterknol. All three thrive in cooler conditions than the Perigord variety.
Site preparation
Preparing a site for planting truffle seedlings includes tilling the soil to remove any pans that may impede soil drainage and incorporating lime or dolomite added to raise the pH. In some places it may be worthwhile to remove or break larger stones as this can improve drainage and prevent deformations in the truffle shape later.
Plan your orchard
Before ordering your truffle grafted seedlings (read ouradvice on the verification of the quality of seedlings), you need to decide how you are going to stake out your truffière.
Typically, trees are planted in rows running north to south to maximize sun on the ground.
Planting density varies depending on the truffle species, planned plantation management and climate. Plant densities of approximately 400 trees per hectare for black truffles in Perigord. However, this may vary depending on the local climate, the type of tree being planted (oaks are large trees and may do better with a lower planting density) and the intended pruning regime (hard pruning of trees to keep them under 3 meters may require a higher density). of trees). For Burgundy truffles, higher planting density will promote early crown formation, creating the shady conditions the truffle prefers.
If you need to install irrigation, it is easiest to do this before the trees are planted. It is a good idea to ensure that the irrigation design is such that the irrigation lines can be removed or lifted to allow for tillage around the trees each spring. Cultivation around the trees is only necessary when the trees are about five years old.
