It has been now 2 1/2 yrs.
since 1st planting my trees. April 2012.
As you can see by the photos below, the black truffle
trees are growing slowly but surely. The holm oak is a very slow
grower, but they are more or less what you can expect with 2.5 yrs.
of growth. Some of the trees are bigger & more robust than
others. This can be because a number of factors; the soil is more
suited at that spot where the tree is at, the tree might of have
been stronger from the nursery, or for some unknown reason. I have
asked experienced truffle farmers why this happens & no one can
give me a definite answer. Just chalk it up to mother nature doing
her stuff. If you look closely, you will notice that some of the
tree trunks are very sturdy & have a good diameter. Others seem
to be more thin. Once again, its mother nature doing what she does
best.
The burnt or dead weeds that you see in some of the photos around
the trees are from spraying weed killer. The burn or brule will not
become apparent with only 2.5 yrs. of growth on the holm oak. It
takes roughly 5 yrs. before the burn becomes noticeable on the
black truffle holm oak tree. I had hoped to be able to avoid using
weed killer around my trees but that was wishful thinking. On one
of my plots of land, the weeds grow something wicked. It would be
impossible to keep them in control by hand. So, spraying weed
killer was basically the only option I had left. The main active
ingredient when choosing a weed killer that wont harm your truffle
mycelium is " glyphosate ". Try to find a generic brand rather than
using Monsanto products, these people are rich enough.
The holm oak is a gangly type of tree. It doesn't seem to grow in a
uniform pattern, as other type of trees do. Remember, it doesn't
matter what your tree looks like, what matters is what is going on
with the roots system. In a couple of yrs., I will have some of the
roots tested to see the mycelium count of the black truffle spore.
This usually done about 5 yrs. after planting the holm oak
tree.
A neighbor of mine from my town had planted about 3 hectares with
the black truffle holm oak 5 yrs. ago. This past winter, many of
his trees are showing burns / brules. So, that is a great sign that
the truffle mycelium is active under ground. He should be
collecting some truffles next yr., albeit a small amount. From here
on out, the trees will produce more truffles each yr. until they
reach maturity, in about 15 yrs.
Someone else nearby, had planted 2 hectares of the black truffle
holm oak at the insistence of his son, 6 yrs. ago. The man had been
complaining for the past 6 yrs. that truffle farming was a waste of
time, that he had been ripped off, etc. This past winter he
collected a few black truffles from his 2 hectare farm. He didn't
collect too many truffles but he sure has changed his opinion about
farming the black truffle.
You have to remember that when the trees 1st start to produce
truffles, the yield is small & gradually gets larger as the
yrs. go by.
I have had alot of problems with
rodents, mostly shrew ( small moles ) & mice. These rodents
just love munching on the tender roots of the holm oak saplings.
They might also enjoy the black truffle spore that is inoculated on
the roots. A friend gave me the following idea. I should set up
some perches for birds of prey. So, rather than spreading poison
around my trees, I set up a couple of wooden perches made from some
left over fencing posts. It took some months before I noticed that
any birds were perching there. It is quite common now for me to
arrive at my land to find some type of bird of prey perched there
waiting for a snack to come into view. I still might have to spread
poison for the rodents, but for the time being, I will stick to my
perches as rodent control.