Boletus growth rates?

[paulcarr]

Over the last few weeks I have been finding an increasing number of boletus of various species yet with the exception of the scarletine boletus and red cracked boletus all the others species (including bay boletus) have been very small and stunted. Why could this be? A lot of the caps I have found have had fairly large robust stems with tiny stunted caps some less than 1cm in diameter. I have been checking a number of sites for a few weeks now and have seen no change in the size of the fungi present. I thought the recent rain would have boosted growth but it appears not. Why aren't they growing? Is it too early for proper growth in the species other than red cracked and scarletine? And is there any good data available on growth rates in boletus? Thanks

[flaxton]

Paul
I am not speaking from knowledge but just my own thoughts. When I explain to people on forays why there are a lot/no fungi about I say that all fungi needs the right growing conditions both during the year and then again in the autumn. If the summer is too hot and dry the mycelium does not develop well but too much rainfall can also have a detrimental effect. When the fruitbody season arrives again we need the right conditions and if they are not available we get a poor show. Working on that senario with a long dry period the mycelium has not grown well and developed enough reserves to fruit well and so we get fewer or stunted fruit bodies.
It makes sense to me anyway even if it is a load of rubbish.

Mal

[paulcarr]

Thanks for the reply flax and I must say I sort of agree with what your saying. The problem I have with the theory is that the last week or two I have been finding some superb field mushrooms that have fruited almost overnight and produced veey large caps and I have also found large stinkhorns and huge fly agaric yet it seems only the boletus are stunted? Why could this be?