Honey fungus - a whole bunch of questions

[TreeTard]

Hey everyone,

Just registered today and hope someone may be able to offer me any insight which I lack on this subject.

Recently I collected a few Ligustrum stumps from a hedge I saw being dug up, two of them are fine, the third I quickly became aware was not responding as well as the others, eventually I put this down to something fungal issue, retarded root development, vague 'mushroomy' smell and white growth under dead bark etc. Well last autumn I did some carving on the deadwood and moderate to extensive pruning and I think this probably caused a reaction (stress induced) and last weekend I noticed for the first time the formation of fruiting fungal bodies on the barkside of some deadwood. I did not take pictures as in a panic I removed an destroyed the tree after concluding a likely diagnosis of a honey fungus (based on internet searches).

What I am hoping to determine and it would be great if anyone could share any insight is as follows:-

1, As other trees in my collection are potentially susceptible I removed and disposed of the tree (and growing medium). Was this avoidable with any sort of treatment?
2, Are there preventative measures I can take to protect my other little ones?
3, Can I reuse the pot, or will it be 'infected, if I can is there a treatment which I should apply to 'cleanse' it?
4, Normally I use an antiseptic liquid to disinfect my tools, I am not sure if this will be effective against such fungal issues, are there and recommendations for tool sterilization products of practices?

Oh yeah I am in the UK if that bears any relevance in regard to fungus species and available chemicals.

Well I look forward to any replies, many thanks

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Photos? Are you sure it is the "honey fungus"? There's thousands of species of fungi.

Generally, if the affected tree is in a pot, it won't spread to others except by spores. Usually a healthy tree will resist infection. Spores of pathogenic fungi need a wound to enter a tree, so not likely to enter a neighboring tree unless there's a fresh wound.

If more fruiting bodies (mushrooms) appear, get photos, then get a spore print by taking a piece and setting one on a white sheet of paper, and one piece on a sheet of black paper, to see the spore pattern & most important, spore color. Takes about 4 to 24 hours for spore pattern to be visible. Then you can verify the identity of your mushroom.

 

[0soyoung]

Generally, if the affected tree is in a pot, it won't spread to others except by spores. Usually a healthy tree will resist infection. Spores of pathogenic fungi need a wound to enter a tree, so not likely to enter a neighboring tree unless there's a fresh wound.

Yes.

SANITIZE YOUR CUTTING TOOLS, @TreeTard .

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Aluminum foil works better for collecting spores.
You can wrap it, and white spores dont show on white paper. On tinfoil, they do.

 

[TreeTard]

Cheers for the tips guys.

So the antispetic fluid is sufficent to cleanse my tools? I have been doing some reading a lot of people recommend soaking but i usually wipe. Any advise on that point at all.

Also will i need to treat the pot?

Thanks for the advise on getting a spore print. Thats news to me and a helpful point.

 

[penumbra]

After I remove loose dirt or soil I run my pots through the dishwasher.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

For cutting tools, alcohol dip and flame is the gold standard, but will quickly ruin the temper of your cutting edges, so not a good idea with tools to expensive to be considered disposable throw aways.

70% alcohol wipe - is more effective than 90% alcohol wipe. Isopropyl alcohol is what is normally used, available at any Rx department, relatively cheap. Methanol and ethanol will also work at the same 70%.

Trisodium phosphate soap solution, as a soak and then wipe will work but will corrode tools with time.

Household bleach, calcium hypochlorite solution is a good disinfectant. It will corrode tools over time. I use a 1 part household bleach, diluted with 3 or 4 parts water. Stronger is okay, more dilute you eventually run into the point where it won't work.

Hydrogen peroxide 3% as normally sold at local Rx. As is from the bottle will work. Safe to use on plants at ''as is'' full strength. Some recommend diluting, I would not dilute beyond 1% for fear it will drop below minimum needed to kill spores.

 

[ysrgrathe]

Wow I usually dilute to 2Tb per quart 3% h2o2.

 

[0soyoung]

Hydrogen peroxide 3% as normally sold at local Rx. As is from the bottle will work. Safe to use on plants at ''as is'' full strength. Some recommend diluting, I would not dilute beyond 1% for fear it will drop below minimum needed to kill spores.

Peroxide is effective at lower than 300 ppm concentrations. A commercial product targets this concentration.

I dilute 2 tablespoons per quart because once I've opened a bottle of 3% it immediately begins to weaken because of spontaneous decay of the peroxide.into some gas and water. Since I keep a bottle around for as long as 6 months, I am guessing that 2 tablespoons per quart is like still something stronger than 300 ppm. The first quart of solution I make is about 900 ppm. After that, every quart of solution I make is something less, but I'm pretty sure is more than 300 ppm.

Everything I've read and my results indicate that concentrations somewhat less than 300 ppm to 1% are effective and not damaging to plants (including seeds and freshly sprouted seedlings). Also, I'm led to believe that 3% can damage some plants - certainly the higher the concentration the more likely it has negative effects on what I'm trying to protect.

 

[TreeTard]

Thanks for the info really appreciate it