Mushrooms growing on my mounts
 

No, not just fungus - actual mushrooms, stems, caps and all. I used well-seasoned wood branches that had been aging outside for several years. I guess they aged better than I realized. These branches are part of my living wall.

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...-left-wall.jpg

I made the mistake of not baking them prior to using them. I ran a torch flame over them quite thoroughly, some even lit up a few times. But I guess the flame wasn't enough to kill the mycelium that had set up a home deep inside the branch that is most affected. So now I have two encyclias and two catts happily growing on it, and once in a while, up pops a little brown mushroom. I pick them off as soon as I see them, of course, but that doesn't kill the mycelium. Now the mycelium has spread to the outside of the branch, it looks like rusty-coloured dense cob webs. It's covering one of the catt's roots.

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...m-mycelium.jpg

So - is this anything more than just a nuisance? If I need to get rid of it, what should I use that won't harm the orchids? Sulfur spray is not a solution in this case. Replacing the branch is also not an option.

I haven't had mushrooms on a mount, but I have had them in plants potted in bark.

I have yet to see any harm caused (fair warning; this is my experience with my plants and their mushrooms).

Actually I think that's kind of cool, just as long as the fungus is not harming the orchid.

I agree that it's kind of cool - this sort of thing must happen in nature all the time. I wonder if the orchids are getting any additional benefit from the mycelium. Unfortunately, it looks so ugly! I'll try peroxide and a Q-tip, but I get the feeling I'll be doing this forever.

For the future, is there anything I can treat wood with to kill any mycelium that may be lurking inside?

good question. Since its indoors, I would be a little wary of anything fungal. Isn't mold a fungus for example ? Spores released by your fungus may cause allergies and other nasty things....
Zerotol should eliminate the problem, it's safe to use indoors.

I don't think mushrooms hurt other plants. They sometimes grow in my potted plants and I just leave them be.

Leafmite is right, virtually all if not all mushrooms just feed on dead organic material, not living hosts. I'd let the mushrooms grow and not pick them, I think it'd look interesting!

---------- Post added at 07:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:41 PM ----------

They may actually be beneficial. If part of a root of the orchid dies, the mycelium from the mushroom will colonize it and keep nasty bacteria and mold that could spread to the living plant out.

I think if you boiled then baked it, it should take care of any living thing on/in the wood. But I don't think its a 100% permanent solution. All it takes is one errant spore on a random breeze.

Actually you would have to autoclave it or use a pressure cooker.

I agree - regular boiling wouldn't reach deep enough. However, since I make large mounts, with large branches, it's just not going to happen.

You can read more about this mounting experiment on my blog:

My Living Wall v. 2.0 - Concrete Elegance