White fungus coming from rotten wood
 

Hi All,
Our decorative wooden fence made of posts driven into the soil has rotted. We are digging it out (or my husband is!) while I type. There are tons of very white root-like strands running into the roots of shrubs and threading their way everywhere. I assume it is a fungus of some sort but is it dangerous? Do we have to get it out of everything? Is the soil contaminated?
Or maybe the plants can live with it once the rotten wood has been taken away. Hope so!
In hope of enlightenment,
Penny
PS. Research says it might be called 'Mine Fungus'

Most fungi are fairly specific - ie one that feeds on rotten wood tends not to feed on live wood. Fungi are everywhere, as are their spores. You would not be able to eradicate all the fungi in your garden.

Hi Kay, Thanks. Do you think then that the fungi is not 'attacking' the roots of our shrubs?

I would have thought it highly improbable, though not necessarily totally impossible. Getting rid of it from the soil would be impractical.

Have you ever spread bark chippings between plants? If you have, have a look - you'll find the underneath chippings are covered with fine white stuff - again a fungus. Many plants are in a symbiotic relationship with fungi whereby the fungus helps the roots pick up nutrients in return for supplying food to the fungus. It's just not worth worrying about fungi - in most cases they're doing no harm, in any case there's not much you can do, and worry just takes a lot of the enjoyment out of the garden.

White fungus coming from rotten wood
 

Pennyconny wrote in
:


Hi All,
Our decorative wooden fence made of posts driven into the soil has
rotted. We are digging it out (or my husband is!) while I type.
There are tons of very white root-like strands running into the roots
of shrubs and threading their way everywhere. I assume it is a fungus
of some sort but is it dangerous? Do we have to get it out of
everything? Is the soil contaminated?
Or maybe the plants can live with it once the rotten wood has been
taken away. Hope so!
In hope of enlightenment,
Penny
PS. Research says it might be called 'Mine Fungus'

That's the mycelium. Many different types of fungi have
mycelium that looks very similar; it is usually necessary
to wait for the "fruiting body" to appear before
identification can be made.

In the vast majority of cases the mycelium is harmless
to live plants, the common exception being "honey fungus".

And even there there is some doubt, with many people saying that honey fungus affects plants which are already failing in some way. It is one of the commonest fungi in the woodlands of the UK, and something that lived enthusiastically on living plants and is as common as that would be expected to do a lot more visible damage.

In the vast majority of cases the mycelium is harmless
to live plants, the common exception being "honey fungus".[/quote]

Hi Kay & Tom,
Weekend again and time to tackle this strange white root like stuff.
Well it doesn't sound like honey fungus and Kay makes a good point. Our woods would be devastated if it attacked living plants/trees.
I'm going with the only attacking stressed or dying plants.

Thanks for your help with this. Any further thoughts would be appreciated but I'm feeling a lot more optimistic about it.
Thanks again,
Penny