Planting The Black Truffle
Tree
Planting
Here in Spain, the planting grid is 6 meter by 6 meter (approx. 18
ft. by 18 ft.) for a black truffle farm. That’s pretty
much the international standard now a days. It is also the legal
requirement to receive government grants in Spain. There are a
number of reasons for this. You have enough room for a tractor to
plow, it allows for little / no competition between the trees when
they are mature and gives them their space to grow. But, more
importantly there wont be excess shade on the ground in the winter
but in the summer, it will offer the ground enough shade to keep
them black truffles happily growing under ground in a cool and
humid environment. Remember to leave enough room for a tractor to
turn at the end of the rows and files of the trees. Usually 5 to 6
meters is more than enough room for the tractor to maneuver and
turn around. If you are using a mini tractor, you can leave less
room. Calculate between 250 to 400 trees per hectare using the 6 x
6 meter grid pattern, depending on how your land layout is. You
need to plant a minimum of 250 trees per hectare in Spain to be
eligible for government grants.
Planting The Tree
It is common practice now to plant your black truffle trees in the
Fall rather than any other time of the year. Even thou certain
people argue that if you can water your trees, you can also plant
in Spring. Fall planting has a number of advantages over Spring
planting. The tree is dormant or entering hibernation and suffers
alot less the transplantation shock. Hence, you will have a lot
less mortality rate. At 6 euros or more a tree thats something to
consider. Normally the Winter is wet and rainy so your trees settle
in better, so you dont have to worry about them getting water.
There is even proof now that trees planted in Fall will need less
water over their life time, suffer droughts better and even have a
higher yield of black truffles. Once again, people argue this point
but it is common practice in this area of Spain by the more
successful black truffle farmers.
Now this is the fun part. Your back will love you after planting a
massive amount of trees. The good news is that you only do it
once!!!!! Dig a hole deep enough so that when you fill the hole in
with dirt, the soil will cover about 2 fingers above where the
potted roots are and be level with the surrounding soil / land.
Remember to remove the root protector 1st before putting the tree
into the ground. DO NOT try to untangle the roots, leave the root
system alone!!!!!! I have heard people talking about untangling the
root mass but you will most likely kill the tree by messing around
with the root system. Place the tree in the hole, add some dirt
about 3/4 way up the root system, pack the soil LIGHTLY with foot
or hands so the tree stands firm. IF, you have access to water, add
about 4 liters ( a gallon or so ) to the hole to remove air
pockets. DO NOT REPACK THE WET SOIL!!!!! Fill in the hole with the
rest of the soil till it covers about 2 fingers above the root
system or the packing material the roots are in. Place tree
protector tube over tree. Attach to stake with tie down. Last but
not least, rake the soil up the sides of the tree protector into
something that resembles a pyramid. Raking the soil up around the
truffle tree protector helps to isolate the truffle tree from
extreme temperatures. It also covers the bottom of the protector
& will stop chimney effect within the protector. Repeat as many
times you have trees. Rinse & repeat as the slogan goes.
Tree Protectors
There are a number of advantages in the use of tree protectors when
the trees are young. The benefits far out weighs the small added
expense. They help to maintain the soil humid, protects the trees
from rodents, can keep it from freezing in the winter and baking in
the summer. Another important advantage in using tree protectors is
that there will be no lower branches on the tree trunk when it is
bigger. The tree tends to grow as a ball of branches or crown
leaving the 1st meter of the tree trunk bare which makes getting in
close to the tree to till, remove weeds, collect truffles or to
look for leprechauns far easier. The tree protectors are removed in
Spring after the 2nd or 3rd yr after planting. Since they are made
of plastic, chuck them in the recycle bin if you cant find any
other use for them. VERY IMPORTANT - It is absolutely imperative
that you make sure that the bottom of the tree protector is covered
or under ground to avoid chimney affect. If hot air is allowed to
enter the bottom of the tube in the Summer and escape from the top,
it will kill the tree. If it doesn't kill the tree, the tree
suffers enormously. Something you should try to avoid at all costs.
Raking the soil up the sides of the protector into something that
looks like a pyramid is how to solve this problem. This also helps
to preserve the moisture in the ground and helps to isolate the
tree from excessive cold in the winter and high heat in the summer.
Another thing that you want to avoid when raking the soil up
against the protector is leaving a deep gouge or donut where water
can accumulate too close to the tree. Bring the soil about 3/4 the
way up the side of the protector per the photo. You do this in
Spring and Fall as you weed around the trees. Its natural for the
raked up soil to settle after some months, just make sure that the
bottom of the protector is always covered with dirt.
There are many different types of tree protectors on the market
nowadays. The protectors in the photos above are the most common
type of tree protectors used on black truffle farms in this area
of Spain. This type of tree protector has a small air chamber
between the inner and outer walls, which gives them their
insolation properties. They have the added advantage that
condensation accumulates in this small air chamber and will run
down to the ground adding moisture to the soil surrounding the
tree. Believe it or not, but you would be surprised the amount of
water that the soil receives in this way.