Help with identification

[Nutty]

I have been re-directed from Wildlife Gardening to the fungus section in the hope that someone here might be able to help me.

We felled a conifer this weekend with a view to planting up the area with wildlife friendly shrubs and plants and found the roots and the surrounding area covered with a sort of stringy fungus. Can anyone identify it and, if so, is it ok to plant up the area or should it be treated before planting?

[watsthat]

I`ll try to help on this one Nutty. I`m thinking that your picture shows the underground part of the fungus and the "stringy fungus" you describe is infact the mycelium. Many fungi are host specific and yours may well be a conifer specialist in whch case you will have many options for planting. The worst scenario would be if your fungus is a aggressive form of honey fungus (Armillaria sp) which is typified by an underground network of black (bootlace) strands. Honey Fungus is well documented, if you Google it you`ll get lots of information about how to deal with it, if indeed that is what you have found.

Cheers

Pete

[Nutty]

Thanks so much for your reply. I have looked at photos and I think it might be a case of 'the worse case scenario' I will go into our local garden nursery and see if there is anything I can do about it.

[watsthat]

They may recommend a chemical solution to the "problem" but to eradicate honey fungus may take some time and the application of considerable quantities of what is a toxic substance. Don`t forget that fungi are part and parcel of a balanced natural eco-system and there are many plants that can exist quite happily alongside honey fungus. Animals are un-affected so why not embrace your fungus as integral part of your wildlife friendly garden.

Pete

[Chris Yeates]

I think that an assumption of honey fungus - with all the hassle/expense which that would incur - is highly questionable; it's a bit like finding a weed in your garden and worrying whether it's deadly nightshade (actually, no that is a bit less likely . . . )

of course anyone wanting to sell you something is going to big-up the possibility of a problem

I have to confess that - at this time of year - when I saw that mass of mycelium I wondered whether it might be the sort of fungal mass that morels form in the autumn so that they can produce such dramatic fruit-bodies in spring; I'm not saying it's that, but the likelihood is that the fungus is neutral at worst and benign at best

if it was connected with a conifer it may well disappear if the tree dies

ultimately, without looking at the DNA you won't know . . . but I wouldn't be too worried if it were me

Chris

[fairplay]

Hi Nutty,

What photos are these you have looked at and why do you think this is worst case scenario ?
A garden I look after has had Honey Fungus for 15 years (maybe longer) and although fruiting bodies have failed to show for 2 years now, shrubs and replacement trees continue to die.

Unfortunately it's a holiday home for a very wealthy family, and none was in a hurry to take the drastic action needed to literally GET TO THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM and the fungus spread.
Matters did not help when various family members came down to stay and fill up the gaps (polluted soil) with more susceptible plants which I was forced to relocate to other non-affected parts of the garden but it was too late for they too had become infected and I had spread the fungus even more.

YOU CANNOT RUSH HONEY FUNGUS, you have to let nature take its course and let it exhaust itself of all underground nutrients, but if you can dig up ALL nearby roots, that will certainly help.
I dug up most, but not all, and the owners were in too much of a hurry to replant and we are now back to square one I fear.

BUT AT NO TIME have I come across anything looking like that mass of whatever it is shown in your original photos. Yes we have had Armillaria mellea fruiting bodies, and yes I have found plenty of roots showing the classic signs of very loose skin with a layer of white mycelium underneath.

We have no conifers though, and it could well be this is what Honey Fungus does to conifer roots, but I doubt it.
You also do not say why you felled the tree - was it beginning to look poorly or did you simply just want to replace it ?

Pete is right that fungi are part and parcel of a balanced ecosystem but where it enters a garden (wildlife friendly or not) the balance is always in favour of A.mellea and I would argue the list of plants which are not affected is very short.

If this mass does turn out to be Honey Fungus, almost certainly the roots should peel easily showing white mycelium underneath. If you cannot find this, then you can breath more easily (Maybe) !

Neil.

EDIT: In all this, I forgot to mention the well documented black 'shoelaces' which is the fungi's* means of spreading, but surprisingly in all areas of the garden I dug up, I never came across any but I'm sure it was present.

* Help me out here someone, should this correctly be fungi's or funguses or fungus's - I don't want Chris pouncing on my back !

[fairplay]

I've left it too late to make a 2nd edit - just to say I've just noticed Chris got in a reply shortly before me, but at least we seem to be in a general agreement it ain't all bad.

Neil.

[watsthat]

Nicely put Neil. I suppose it depends what kind of wildlife friendly garden is proposed. I seem to remember that annuals are ok with honey fungus, so lots of options there and lets not forget that it may not be honey fungus.

Pete

[fairplay]

Yes, I should have made clear I was talking strictly about woody plants (shrubs and trees) as HF doesn't seem to affect annual plants or even biennials*, so in that sense you do have a big list to choose from.

Neil.

*As far as I can make out.

[hamadryad]

This isnt honey fungus, that I garauntee.

Honey fungus mellea, gallica, ostoyea etc play important roles in arboreal biomes, and really only hassle the weak and the sick, or stressed, they particularly the mellea fair so well in gardens where over watering is a key player, the honey loves it moist, the wetter the better.

this is reflected by timber protection that involves a misting of water to stem the aeration and activation of latent saprobes, but it has the reverse effect and encourages honey.

ive seen many a newly planted hedge killed by the owner overwatering generating the right conditions rather than the fungi being the no1 enemy.

as for this fungi, its a poor photo but like chris suspect its a sclerotia