Mushrooms are great in soups, stir-fries, spaghetti sauce, and pizza. Mushrooms are great for the kitchen, but finding mushrooms growing on trees in your garden doesn’t bode well for your plants. Mushrooms are eating the tree, but the tree may not survive long. Here’s what you need to know about mushrooms that grow on trees.
Mushrooms break down organic matter, which is mostly a good thing
Mushrooms are the visible fruiting bodies of fungi that can attack living tissue, but are usually restricted to feeding on dead organic matter such as rotting wood. This process is primarily beneficial because the decomposition of wood returns its constituent substances to the soil, enriching it. However, if you see mushrooms growing on a living tree, it is a warning sign that all is not well with the tree.
Shelf mushrooms are common tree feeders
What you are looking at (pictured above) is an amazing shape of a shelf or bracket mushroom called a “turkey tail” because it looks like the variegated feathers of a pet bird. Shelf mushrooms resemble the shape of a pizza. Instead of having gills on the underside that contain spores, they have numerous small holes. They grow from the sides of trunks or straight from the ground and break down dead wood on trees. Dead wood is the main root, or heartwood in the center of the trunk that gives the tree strength.
Watch: Grumpy’s Mushroom Field Guide
Why do some trees grow shelf mushrooms and others don’t? One cause is stress caused by prolonged drought, compacted soil, or overly wet soil. Healthy and vigorous trees are less susceptible to infectious diseases, just like humans.
Follow root and trunk best practices when planting new trees
The rest is physical damage. Look closely at the base of the tree (pictured above). A cavity is visible, probably caused by some piece of landscaping equipment. Keen observers will also notice that a thick plastic strap surrounds the base of the trunk. These straps hold the root ball together when planting a curly burlap tree. After planting, it is necessary to cut everything around the base of the trunk so that the tree is not strangled when growing. In this case, that wasn’t the case. The roots withered and a turkey tail appeared.
When this happens, you will not be able to save the tree. You can cut the mushrooms off the shelf, but they will grow back due to the presence of fungi inside them. Eventually, the tree becomes hollow and susceptible to falling over in strong winds. The best thing to do is to remove the tree before it falls.
Can I plant a new tree in the same location? yes. Keep it healthy, avoid damaging the trunk and roots, and be careful not to mound mulch around the trunk.
FAQ
What types of mushrooms grow on trees?
A variety of fungi grow on trees, including fungi, shelf fungi, and jelly fungi. Cap mushrooms are a type of classic mushroom, shelf mushrooms stick out from trees, and jelly mushrooms look like gelatinous lumps.
What types of mushrooms grow on certain trees?
Oyster mushrooms grow on poplars and aspens. Oak mazegil grows on heartwood or already rotten wood and produces stemless mushrooms called concus. Sulfur fungi grow on maple trees.
