Q. After the great rain last week I have large mushrooms
with diameters of 8 inches in my back yard.
One is in the middle of my Mexican Bird of Paradise. Will it kill the plant? My friend’s dog wants to eat the
mushroom. Is that dangerous?
with diameters of 8 inches in my back yard.
One is in the middle of my Mexican Bird of Paradise. Will it kill the plant? My friend’s dog wants to eat the
mushroom. Is that dangerous?
A. Mushrooms are common after rains in the desert
and elsewhere but particularly in the desert. They feed off of decaying organic
matter (organic debris like rotting wood, rotting plant life, particularly dead
plants). They are a normal part of the recycling process.
and elsewhere but particularly in the desert. They feed off of decaying organic
matter (organic debris like rotting wood, rotting plant life, particularly dead
plants). They are a normal part of the recycling process.
So when rain falls
and wets dead organic matter that was previously dry due to the desert, the
recycling process begins until it becomes too dry again and then stops. Just
knock the tops off and destroy with a rake.
+compressed+and+cropped.jpg) |
| Mushrooms in mulch at orchard after rain |
There are no guarantees the
mushrooms are not poisonous so please dispose of them before the dogs eat them.
The mushroom in the middle of your Mexican bird of paradise is feeding on
something dead and decomposing. It will not attack something living so I would
not be concerned.