This cold and clammy weather with temps in the 30s, sleet and even snow is more consistent with early March, not late-April. So let's talk about what this means for Morel mushrooms!
This cool, active weather pattern has been persistent enough to knock down our soil temperatures into the mid 40s at a 4" depth. After all the recent rains, the soil moisture is more than sufficient for molds, Morels and other fungus to grow... but the temperatures are a far cry from what we need for a good Morel mushroom setup. When will that change?
Right now, the forecast pattern is active. There is a storm nearly every other day, but these systems are swinging in with a cool and fast flow. So in the next week to 10 days, the average air temperature will only be in the 50 to 55 degree range. That equates to steady or a very slow rise in soil temperatures over the next week. With the threat of more cool air next week, an outbreak of good morel conditions in central Iowa looks unlikely within the next week.
So here's what I expect. Keep checking up on your hotspots over the next week for little grays, but don't spend too much time on it. Morels require a highly specific environment to 'pop' (see blog below for more info). Conditions will remain hostile for mushrooms until Easter Sunday or Monday the 25th. Even then, I only expect to find sporadic patches of little grays... Stay tuned for updates on the Morel mushroom forecast, I'll keep you posted on the conditions! You can also track the reports of Morels on http://www.morelhunters.com/ and http://www.iowasportsman.com/ Comments or questions are welcome!
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