Porcini mushrooms, chestnuts, chanterelles or meadow mushrooms are delicious and many people diligently collect them in the forest and on meadows. However, mushrooms that sprout from the flower bed are not suitable for consumption - unless you consult a mushroom consultant beforehand who gives the all-clear. In most cases, however, these fruiting bodies are at least inedible to poisonous, which is why you should only dispose of them in the compost. But do mushrooms in the flower bed have to be removed at all?
Mushrooms that sprout in the flower bed are rarely edible
Why do mushrooms suddenly appear in the flower bed?
There are many reasons for the sudden, even mass, appearance of mushrooms in the flower bed. Spread bark mulch is often to blame, in which spores have hidden, which could now diligently spread when they come into contact with moist soil. But also tree remains near the bed - for example from a removed tree whose root and stump are still in the ground - can have caused the fungal growth. These fungi help to get rid of the tree debris in an ecological way and should therefore definitely remain in the bed. By the way, even if the tree stump is a few meters away, the fruiting bodies can still appear in the flower bed. The actual fungus, the subterranean mycelium, can extend over many square meters and even square kilometers in some species. Sometimes, however, there is also an ecological imbalance behind the phenomenon, for example because the soil has compacted, waterlogging has formed or the pH value has dropped.
Do mushrooms damage flowers?
In this case, you should definitely do something about the uncontrolled growth of fungi, because the compacted, too wet or too acidic soil does not suit the flowers either. For this reason, you do not primarily fight the fungi, but improve the soil conditions. However, if the fungi have a cause, such as a tree stump decomposing or bark mulch applied, they certainly won't harm your flowers. You can safely leave the fruiting bodies in the bed, unless you feel disturbed by it.
Combat uncontrolled fungal growth
As a first measure, you can unscrew the fruit bodies from the ground or remove them with a shovel. Be sure to wear gloves when doing this, because the fruiting bodies can be poisonous and thus cause symptoms of poisoning if you are not careful. However, be aware that you can only remove the aboveground growths and not the underground mushroom mycelium unless you do a generous soil replacement. However, you can make it as difficult as possible for the fungus, for example by
- raise the pH of the soil with lime or rock flour
- improve soil quality with sand and compost
- loosen and aerate the soil
- To do this, dig or scarify it
- drain wet soil
tips
You can confidently dispose of young fruiting bodies on the compost, but not older ones. These can seed and thus contribute to further spread.