How long a bay bolete takes to grow

Q: How many days after rain does the bay bolete grow?

The first bay boletes appear 6–8 days after a good rain, once the moisture soaks into the conifer litter. It's an autumn species that fruits until November.

Q: At what temperature does the bay bolete grow?

The bay bolete grows best at +12…+18 °C in a damp coniferous or mixed forest. It tolerates cool weather and light frosts, so it fruits right up to November.

Bay bolete — a close relative of the porcini, just as firm and fleshy. Which means it grows not in a hurry like thin-fleshed slippery jacks or brown birch boletes, but at a stately pace. Let's look at how many days a bay bolete takes to grow, when to expect it after rain, and how long it lives.

How many days does a bay bolete take to grow

The bay bolete has a thick, fleshy cap and a solid stem, so it grows at a measured pace. From primordium to full size takes roughly 6–8 days — almost as long as porcini.

But this slowness has an upside: the dense fruiting body stays young and clean longer than in fast-growing, thin-fleshed mushrooms.

How many days after rain does the bay bolete appear

The bay bolete loves damp coniferous and mixed forests and acidic soils under pines and spruces. The first ones appear 6–8 days after a good rain, once the moisture has had time to soak into the forest litter.

It's a hardy autumn species: it fruits right up to November and isn't afraid of light frosts. We laid out how it differs from the porcini in the article how the bay bolete differs from the porcini.

How long does a bay bolete live

Thanks to its dense flesh, the bay bolete holds up longer than many others — about a week to a week and a half. A young mushroom has a velvety dark-brown cap and a pale tube layer that turns blue when touched. Over time the tubes go yellow and green, and the mushroom ages.

By the way, bluing on the cut is a normal feature of the bay bolete, not a sign of poison. We explained why it happens in the article why Xerocomus boletes turn blue when cut — the mechanism is the same in the bay bolete and Xerocomus boletes.

What growth speed depends on

Damp conifer litter. The bay bolete loves damp pine and spruce woods.
Moderate warmth. It grows best at +12…+18 °C and copes with cool weather too.
Autumn season. The peak is September–October, once the heat breaks.

We gathered the general logic of how all mushrooms grow in the article how fast a mushroom grows and how long it lives.

Sources

“Key to the Fungi of Ukraine” (Kyiv, Naukova Dumka publishing house).
Imleria badia in GBIF, the global biodiversity database.
Bay bolete on Wikipedia.

Frequently asked questions

How many days does a bay bolete take to grow?

The bay bolete is firm and fleshy, so it grows at a measured pace: from primordium to full size takes roughly 6–8 days — almost as long as porcini.

How many days after rain does the bay bolete grow?

The first bay boletes appear 6–8 days after a good rain, once the moisture soaks into the conifer litter. It's an autumn species that fruits until November.

How long does a bay bolete live?

Thanks to its dense flesh, the bay bolete holds up longer than many others — about a week to a week and a half. It stays young noticeably longer than thin-fleshed slippery jacks or brown birch boletes.

Why does the bay bolete turn blue when cut?

It's a normal reaction of the flesh to oxygen, not a sign of poison. The same mechanism works in Xerocomus boletes. The bluing fades quickly and doesn't affect the mushroom's edibility.

At what temperature does the bay bolete grow?

The bay bolete grows best at +12…+18 °C in a damp coniferous or mixed forest. It tolerates cool weather and light frosts, so it fruits right up to November.

Does the bay bolete grow faster or slower than the slippery jack?

Slower. Thin-fleshed slippery jacks manage it in 3–5 days, while the dense bay bolete grows for 6–8 days. On the other hand, it stays young longer and gets maggoty less often.

When should you pick a bay bolete so it's young?

Take mushrooms with a domed, velvety cap and a pale tubed underside that turns blue when touched. If the tubes have gone yellow or green, the mushroom is already old.