Mushrooms growing! - Orchid Board

brush · #1 03-07-2009, 12:38 PM

I need a little help from all you orchid experts out there .
I have recently repotted some phalaenopsis of mine about a couple of weeks ago . I used orchid bark and spaghnum moss , sparingly , I might add. I have never had any problem before but I am having a problem now.

The plants I repotted a couple of weeks ago , I have noticed some little mushrooms growing in the mix . I don't think this is a good thing , and I will probably end up removing them as soon as I can. I don't keep my mix very wet and don't water too often . What I am thinking is that there must have been some mushroom spores in the spaghnum moss , as I have used the same kind of moss previously and never had a problem .

If anyone has any input on this , I sure would be glad to hear anything from anyone . My plants are so healthy right now and I would hate to see a few mushrooms be the downfall of such beautiful plants. Will look forward to any and all replies.

Blueszz · #2 03-07-2009, 01:44 PM

Hi Brush,
I don't think the mushrooms itself will harm your orchids. The only 'problem' I can think of is that your medium breaks down faster due to the mushrooms. I would advise to take them out ASAP to avoid the form spores and spread in the pots that way.

Mushrooms need humidity to devellop, despite you say yo don't keep the mix very wet, I'm affraid you have it too wet to be good for Phal's. Does your orchid mix every get dry?

Nicole

brush · #3 03-07-2009, 01:51 PM

The plants that have the mushrooms growing have not been watered since the 16th of Feb . , which is well over two weeks . I did not water too much but they now are in need of water . I have done the same things for my other plants but have not had any problem before this . Because our house is not kept really warm they tend not to dry out too much . I usually only water about every two weeks, and if they still feel heavy when I check them I don't water , I wait a few more days . I will be taking the mushrooms out though.

Des · #4 03-07-2009, 02:15 PM

Mushrooms need a good temperature drop to germinate . check your night temps they might be a little low for phallies. Do you have a max/min thermometer ?

brush · #5 03-07-2009, 03:19 PM

My temperature at night is around 68-70 degrees . It about the same during the day .
I think the spores were in the moss , it was a separate pack from what I have used for my other plants.

neb · #6 03-07-2009, 09:03 PM

You could try soaking in physan 20 it is designed to kill fungus and other nasty stuff but not your plant.

brush · #7 03-07-2009, 09:11 PM

Thanks for that suggestion . I am trying to stay away from chemicals if I can. Do you know of anything natural I could use . I also use some cinnamon sprikled in my mix , also used a mixture of listerine and water for the roots before repotting. If you know or if anyone knows something that is natural , I'd be glad to hear it.

neb · #8 03-07-2009, 09:35 PM

You could try and soak in black coffee let it cool first the shroom wont like the change in ph or you could raise the nitrogen level I don’t think the fungus will like that either.

Cinnamon and Asprin should help too

Undergrounder · #9 03-08-2009, 01:38 AM

Hi brush have you got a picture of the mushrooms?

Mushrooms themselves cause no harm, as someone said though, the mushroom mycelium will break down your media faster. Check the media for a white, fluffy, powdery, or stringy substance. This is the mushroom mycelium itself, the thing that does the eating of decaying material.

If you have mushrooms it won't matter if they drop spores or not, they will already be able to spread through the mycelium alone. Not all mushrooms fruit with low temperatures, there are different mushrooms for all seasons. Post a picture and we can tell what kind they are, what they live on and when they're likely to fruit.

brush · #10 03-08-2009, 07:44 AM

Thanks undergrounder and neb for the suggestions , I shall give them a try .

I don't see any white , fluffy , powdery or stringy substance in the mix at all . I don't have a picture of the mushrooms , as I have taken them out of the pots. They are very small but long and thin , small cap , and a tan color . This was fresh mix that I used . I will be watching them closely , as I don't want them to get out of hand on me and I don't want to have to repot again too soon.