Attention fungi nerds - source for boletus edulis spawn?

I know there are a lot of fungi people on here, both foragers and some that grow them, so I’m wondering if anyone here might have a lead on getting some type of spawn for boletus edulis (aka king bolete or porcini)?

I’m planning on starting some chestnut seedlings (both C. Mollissima and C. Henryi) this year and came across an interesting study. One look at the picture showing the results on page 6 was enough to make me want to see if I could find a way to inoculate my seedlings, plus there is the possibility that plantings of the trees might become a nice source of these tasty shrooms down the road.

Baring that, I’m open to other ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi spawn types I could use to inoculate seedlings. Here is the report in case people want to see it:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/356608051_Effect_of_an_Ectomycorrhizal_Fungus_on_the_Growth_of_Castanea_henryi_Seedlings_and_the_Seasonal_Variation_of_Root_Tips’_Structure_and_Physiology

You may need to copy and paste the URL, since it looks like the forum is losing the link at the apostrophy.

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I’m relatively new to mushroom growing. And have no idea where your at in that journey.

But have you considered growing your own spawn? Thus harvesting a middle piece of the edible mushroom. Sandwiching that between 2 pieces of sterilized carboard. Letting the mycelium grow through the cardboard (usually leaving behind any contamination that can’t easily grow through cardboard where the mycelium can.)
And harvesting that “clean” mycelium as a source for your spawn?

This would require you to find the mushroom though. (and it’s currently not really mushroom season)

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As far as I know there isn’t but it is common to drop discarded parts in places that you know, have good habitat, and with the plan to visit that place two years on. For example if a mushroom is a little old, and the gills (well there are no gills in porcini, but the cap underside) has started turning green-yellow, cut it off, dig a hole under your tree and make sure it is moist enough, drop the porcini part into the hole, cover. Same if there is too much insect damage. They are mycorrhyzal fungi which readily associate with a variety of trees, including conifers. Chestnuts are part of that list.

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Zendog, you can find vendors of B. edulis spawn on the Internet by Googling them, but your chance of getting any mushrooms that way is very slim. Mycorrhizal mushrooms are very difficult to grow, even for scientists using the latest technology. The article you linked makes no mention of any success (or even any attempt) at growing actual mushrooms. It also mentioned that different strains of B. edulis mycorrhizae are associated with different tree species and local environments. You will have no control over the strain of the spawn that you buy. The tactic that might work is to use spawn derived from the mycelium associated with the trees that you want to inoculate. One way to do that is to use cardboard spawn similar to what glib described, but using stem butts from young mushrooms. That works pretty well for saprophytic mushrooms but not as well for mycorrhizal ones.

The best way would be to use spawn obtained from a sterile culture cloned from the right mushroom.

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You can just find some and throw the caps around the desired area. They know what to do.

It will take years before you see anything happen.

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