Honey fungus could be a sign of a distressed tree, but it’s treatable
An interesting amber-colored mushroom appears in many gardens. It’s actually pretty pretty, but it scares some people, especially when arborists and arborists report that it is fatal and kills their trees. Some gardeners ask if this is a sign that soil problems need treatment. Others ask if their trees are dying.
It’s a fungus called Armillaria mellea, also known as honey mushroom, that likely grows on injured or dead tree roots. It is important to know that it is not a soil factor or necessarily a sign of general stress and a seriously ill tree. However, it can be.
If this fungus grows at the base of a tree, it can be a sign of a serious problem, especially if the tree trunk is sticking out of the ground as straight as a telephone pole. That would indicate rot in the trunk or torch and bring the tree to its death.
The solution in this case is to stop watering and remove the soil to expose the trunk and torch, followed by applying compost, rock minerals, whole-ground cornmeal, and dry molasses to the entire root zone. The procedure is known as Sick Tree Treatment. You can find more complete details on this remarkable solution in my book The Organic Manual or in one of my online courses.
This honey mushroom was dead four days after treatment with whole-ground cornmeal. Hydrogen peroxide works even faster.(Howard Garrett / special article)
On the other hand, once lumps about a foot in diameter have emerged in the landscape, there really can’t be any harm in just leaving them – they don’t spread. They are not poisonous, but you or your pets would definitely not like them. These honey-colored mushrooms usually emerge anytime after the weather has cooled down, and often between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day.
Combating these fruiting bodies of the honey fungus is easy with non-toxic products. Hydrogen peroxide (3%) melts it to death in a few days – cornmeal takes a little longer.
If these clumps of fungus appear outside the tree trunk, they are likely growing from a damaged and rotting root, most likely a surface or a shallow root that has been physically injured. This is similar to dying limbs with the disease called hypoxylon cancer. Individual limbs can become unhealthy and die from physical damage, shade from the upper canopy, and other reasons, so this is not necessarily an indication of the general health of the tree.
[ad_1]