Bamboo Orchid has a mushroom! Friend or Foe?
 

Aloha,

My name is Laura, and I used to live on Hawaii. Before I left for Austin, Texas, I wanted to take some plants with me so I purchased a Bamboo Orchid Plant seed (approved by the U.S. Dept of Ag.). However just a few minutes ago I noticed a little mushroom popped up in my orchid plant bowl overnight. I really don't know what to do since I am new to growing orchids, and so I seek your expert advice. Is the mushroom bad or good for the plant? If its bad, how do I get rid of it and make sure others don't pop up? Is there a natural solution to getting rid of the mushroom? I don't want my orchid to die, its only just starting to grow!

Thank You Kindly,
Laura

P.S. I'll attach a picture. Does anyone happen to know what type of mushroom this is? Maybe if I can identify it, I can figure out if it is harmful to the plant, to pets, or to me?

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...bymushroom.jpg

Mushrooms aren't friends, they're fungi. It could be indicative of excess moisture, but at any rate you want to get rid of it.

The mushroom you can see does no harm, but the presence of the mushroom means there is fungus growing throughout the media, breaking it down fast, putting your orchid at risk of a soggy death.

You could try a fungicide, or simply repot the orchid in fresh media after removing ever bit of old media from the roots and keeping a close watch for more mushrooms.

Bamboo Orchids and Fungi
 

Thanks for your reply! Since this morning about 8 more mushrooms popped up. I didn't know much about orchids so I did some research online and aside from all other articles and you yourselves telling me to re-pot the plant, this article threw me off:

Orchids and fungi -- partners for life

"Three Thai orchids have been found to rely on a wide range of fungi to help them take carbon out of the soil instead of producing their own organic carbon. [....] These orchids have no chlorophyll and rely on fungi colonizing their roots for their carbon supply."

I guess I just didn't know if my type of orchid, which was labeled "Bamboo Orchid," and bought while I was in Hawaii, was one of these types of orchids which rely on this fungi.

However, after reading what so many people have told me, and to have 8 more mushrooms pop up in less than 12 hours, I decided to listen to the experts and remove the plant from the soil. I hope my plant survives the night wrapped in a napkin. All the stores are closed on a Sunday night so I can't buy new orchid mix. Stay strong, lil 'chid!!!

And thank you for your advice!