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Cj Verde wrote:
Alan Stuart wrote:
What kind of mushrooms could pose problems to plants? I was under the impression that mushrooms and mycelium meant the soil was healthy.
-Alan
From Armillaria Root Disease
Armillaria root disease is found throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. In the continental United States, the disease has been reported in nearly every State. Hosts include hundreds of species of trees, shrubs, vines, and forbs growing in forests, along roadsides, and in cultivated areas.
The disease is caused by fungi, which live as parasites on living host tissue or as saprophytes on dead woody material. The fungus most often identified as causing the disease is Armillaria mellea (Vahl: Fr.) Kummer. Recent research, however, indicates that several different but closely related species are involved. Therefore, the generic term Armillaria is used to refer to this group.
These fungi are natural components of forests, where they live on the coarse roots and lower stems of conifers and broad-leaved trees.
As parasites, the fungi cause mortality, wood decay, and growth reduction. They infect and kill trees that have been already weakened by competition, other pests, or climatic factors. This type of activity occurs throughout the United States--especially in deciduous forests of the East. The fungi also infect healthy trees, either killing them outright or predisposing them to attacks by other fungi or insects. Such behavior typically occurs in the relatively dry, inland coniferous forests of the Western United States.
Hopefully, a tree planted in an HK would be healthy enough that this wouldn't be an issue, but it might be better not to include infected wood.