For the fourth time, I've had to pull a mess of toadstools out of the pot my oregano is in. They're bright yellow with small rounded caps -- I'll scout around and ID it if I can -- and about four inches tall before the caps begin to open. Very powdery as I pull them out. Stems are about as big around as my little finger, and I have small hands. They grow all around the plant.
I don't know a heck of a lot about fungi. I'm wondering if this has established under the main roots of the oregano and I won't be able to get rid of it. Also whether it's somehow poisoning the herb. I'd hate to take my mother some nice fresh oregano and get her sick. I guess to be on the safe side I should burn the whole thing... unless someone can assure me this is not disastrous. Any suggestions? I'm going to try to ID it now.
Toadstools
Hi Brigidlily,
Try watering your oregano with chamomile tea for the next couple of weeks and see it that gets rid of the fungi
Thanks, dovey! That might just do it. I can't find a good ID website (they all want me to buy whichever book they're selling) and I just went to our county ag. extension office and they have a book with about 12 pages of fungi. Kind of irritating -- if I were the ext. agent I'd have every ID book in the world in my office.
I'll try the chamomile -- I have plenty of those teabags.
Brigidlily, I have on occasion noticed the same toadstools only in some pots. I had always assumed they were spores in the potting soil? Will be interested to hear what you find out... pod
The extension agent told me the spores for this and a gazillion other fungi are everywhere, and every now and then conditions are perfect and it grows. He told me it's most likely completely harmless (but don't try to eat it) and if I put the oregano in the ground it doesn't mean it will spread to the whole garden -- in fact, it's apparent conditions in the rest of the garden AREN'T right for it, because it's not growing there. Just the exact conditions in that pot are perfect for this one. Just told me to wash the oregano before I use it, which of course I'd do, anyway. I still haven't ID'd it but one day I will.
It's hard to identify because there are a million different kinds of them.
With your determination I'm sure you will find it and then tell the ag. extension office.
*LOL*
I had a professor out at the local university -- Lamar or more fondly "Harvard on the Neches" -- who was a fungus nut. Maybe I'll give him a call. Though I've never seen this one before it can't be all that uncommon.
And instead of throwing it away, I'll take it out there to him!
Definitely take your toadstool to your fungus nut professor. I badgered a similar professor into teaching a community college class on fungi and he used to take us out collecting. My husband had major reservations about trusting my identification abilities, but there are a few delicious ones that are easy to identify and one of the most common of them grows in lawns and pastures.
The yellow one may not be edible, but there are lots of yummy mushrooms out there if you learn to identify them.
And I agree with your professor, I have never heard of a toxic mushroom poisoning a nearby plant if it has been washed. Just don't eat any mushroom you can't identify.
I think I had these same fungi in a pot of Arabian Jasmine on my patio last weekend. They were bright yellow and growing in a cluster at the base of the plant. I was very disconcerted as it's been 100+ degrees for the past few weeks and I didn't think mushrooms would grow in that kind of heat. I yanked them out and am I'm crossing my fingers that they don't invade my Basil that's growing in pot right next to it. Geez, there probably going to come back if you've had them 3 times.
bethie, it sounds like the same situation -- very hot, and just the right set of conditions in the pot. They may come back -- just pull them up again. My extension agent said by no means get rid of the plant. I'm kind of trusting when I put the oregano into the garden itself this fall (keep your fingers crossed) it will eliminate the conditions and thus the shroom.
pajaritomt -- be mighty careful of those shrooms that turn purple when you squeeze them... lol
Brigidlily,
Okay. I don't eat any that turn purple, but I see a lot of them. I only pick 4 or 5 kinds that are easy to identify.
BTW, mushrooms love hot wet weather.
Betty