Can anyone help please. A neighbour has a fungi problem.

This weird fungus was growing on our Ash Tree that was dying. It was very
rubbery and hard, and no-one seemed to know what it was. We were advised to
cut the Ash Tree down, which we did but the Tree Surgeon couldn't take the
stump out as it was too big. We have since built a large concrete base over
it and put up a summer house. Believe it or not, that same weird fungus has
appeared on / in / through our carpet in the summer house !! What can we do
about it ?
The fungus that looks the closest is Inonotus Dryadeus. However, the picture
shows it weeping. The fungus coming up through our summer house floor (that
was around the base of the tree and progressing up the trunk in places) is
smooth and if you push it it is very resilient (I.e. you cannot scrape or
break it off, as it just goes a little brown and bends a bit). How on earth
could it have gone through a layer of concrete, the wooden floor of the
summer house and both the underlay and carpet ?

Any help is appreciated

Thanks Phoebe

In article ,
Phoebe B wrote:

The fungus that looks the closest is Inonotus Dryadeus. However, the picture
shows it weeping. The fungus coming up through our summer house floor (that
was around the base of the tree and progressing up the trunk in places) is
smooth and if you push it it is very resilient (I.e. you cannot scrape or
break it off, as it just goes a little brown and bends a bit). How on earth
could it have gone through a layer of concrete, the wooden floor of the
summer house and both the underlay and carpet ?

As the saying goes, they do, dearie, they do.

I haven't a clue what to do about it, unfortunately.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Phoebe B writes
Can anyone help please. A neighbour has a fungi problem.

This weird fungus was growing on our Ash Tree that was dying. It was
very rubbery and hard, and no-one seemed to know what it was. We were
advised to cut the Ash Tree down, which we did but the Tree Surgeon
couldn't take the stump out as it was too big. We have since built a
large concrete base over it and put up a summer house. Believe it or
not, that same weird fungus has appeared on / in / through our carpet
in the summer house !! What can we do about it ?
The fungus that looks the closest is Inonotus Dryadeus. However, the
picture shows it weeping. The fungus coming up through our summer house
floor (that was around the base of the tree and progressing up the
trunk in places) is smooth and if you push it it is very resilient
(I.e. you cannot scrape or break it off, as it just goes a little brown
and bends a bit). How on earth could it have gone through a layer of
concrete, the wooden floor of the summer house and both the underlay
and carpet ?

The fungus that you see is just the fruiting body. The main 'plant' is
the mycelium - a mass of fine hairs. So it is possible for the fine
hairs to creep all over the place, and then throw up a fruiting body
when conditions are right. Alternatively, it could be a completely new
growth carried by spores. Fungus spores are very light, and it's a fair
bet to say that the spores of the commoner fungi are everywhere, and
will take root whenever conditions are right (which is how they got into
the dying ash tree in the first place).
--
Kay

"K" wrote in message
...
Phoebe B writes
Can anyone help please. A neighbour has a fungi problem.

This weird fungus was growing on our Ash Tree that was dying. It was very
rubbery and hard, and no-one seemed to know what it was. We were advised
to cut the Ash Tree down, which we did but the Tree Surgeon couldn't take
the stump out as it was too big. We have since built a large concrete base
over it and put up a summer house. Believe it or not, that same weird
fungus has appeared on / in / through our carpet in the summer house !!
What can we do about it ?
The fungus that looks the closest is Inonotus Dryadeus. However, the
picture shows it weeping. The fungus coming up through our summer house
floor (that was around the base of the tree and progressing up the trunk
in places) is smooth and if you push it it is very resilient (I.e. you
cannot scrape or break it off, as it just goes a little brown and bends a
bit). How on earth could it have gone through a layer of concrete, the
wooden floor of the summer house and both the underlay and carpet ?

The fungus that you see is just the fruiting body. The main 'plant' is the
mycelium - a mass of fine hairs. So it is possible for the fine hairs to
creep all over the place, and then throw up a fruiting body when
conditions are right. Alternatively, it could be a completely new growth
carried by spores. Fungus spores are very light, and it's a fair bet to
say that the spores of the commoner fungi are everywhere, and will take
root whenever conditions are right (which is how they got into the dying
ash tree in the first place).
--
Kay

Do you have any idea how they can kill it off please?

Phoebe B writes

"K" wrote in message
...
Phoebe B writes
Can anyone help please. A neighbour has a fungi problem.

This weird fungus was growing on our Ash Tree that was dying. It was
very rubbery and hard, and no-one seemed to know what it was. We were
advised to cut the Ash Tree down, which we did but the Tree Surgeon
couldn't take the stump out as it was too big. We have since built a
large concrete base over it and put up a summer house. Believe it or
not, that same weird fungus has appeared on / in / through our carpet
in the summer house !! What can we do about it ?
The fungus that looks the closest is Inonotus Dryadeus. However, the
picture shows it weeping. The fungus coming up through our summer
house floor (that was around the base of the tree and progressing up
the trunk in places) is smooth and if you push it it is very
resilient (I.e. you cannot scrape or break it off, as it just goes a
little brown and bends a bit). How on earth could it have gone
through a layer of concrete, the wooden floor of the summer house and
and carpet ?

The fungus that you see is just the fruiting body. The main 'plant'
is the mycelium - a mass of fine hairs. So it is possible for the fine
hairs to creep all over the place, and then throw up a fruiting body
when conditions are right. Alternatively, it could be a completely new
carried by spores. Fungus spores are very light, and it's a fair bet
to say that the spores of the commoner fungi are everywhere, and will
take root whenever conditions are right (which is how they got into
the dying ash tree in the first place).
-- Kay

Do you have any idea how they can kill it off please?

There's something called Armillatox which is used against honey fungus
in the garden, or they could try one of the DIY dry rot treatments.

I've never had need to kill any fungi, so can't comment on relative
efficacy.

--
Kay

The fungus is likely continuing to grow on the stump and roots of the ash tree. It is the natural decay process of the wooden remains you left in the ground. Similarly I have had large fungi appearing in my lawn on the roots of a hawthorn tree I chopped down 8 years ago, and subsequent subsidence into the cavities resulting from the decay of those roots.

Whilst you could probably kill off that specific fungus with some kind of antifungal, if you can find some way of injecting it into the stump and roots, almost certainly some other kind of decay will eventually restart in that underground wood.