Basic Methods

Once your plantation is established, and the trees have reached 3-5 years old brules or burnt areas where the grass is killed by the truffles should begin to appear. At this point, various plantation management strategies can be employed. The basic management goal is to maintain soil moisture and temperature conditions beneficial to truffle production. The approaches necessary to maintain these conditions can vary from place to place and different farmers may want to use different methods depending on availability of equipment, time and money. The basic management practices include irrigation, weed control, soil aeration, pruning, thinning, mulching, and in some cases fertilization. A fundamental requirement in all cases is to maintain the soil pH necessary for truffle production.

Tanguy Method

At the extremes of low and high intensity management are the Tanguy and Pallier methods. At the low intensity end of the scale, the Tanguy method calls for mowing to control weeds, but does not involve soil aeration pruning, irrigation, or fertilization. This method is simple enough for those without tractors, availability of irrigation water or the time and money to invest in more intensive management approaches. It is also safer in the sense that it errs on the side of less intervention with its potential to damage the plantation. However, it generally takes a couple of more years for truffle production to begin.

Pallier Method

The more intensive Pallier method calls for light tilling or harrowing in the spring and early summer to control weeds and aerate the soil. The trees are pruned into a cone with the point facing down to maximize penetration of sunlight through the canopy and warm the soil. And finally, irrigation is supplied as necessary to emulate the summer and fall weather that produces the largest truffle yields. It is possible through this method to till too deeply and damage roots, and to irrigate too much, giving the competitive advantage to other fungi, so these methods should be used carefully. However, the Pallier approach is thought to produce truffles somewhat earlier than less intensive approaches and to allow the farmer more control over microclimatic conditions. In some cases, irrigation may be necessary simply to keep the trees and the truffles alive if natural precipitation is insufficient.