Tiny mushroom in the soil of my pinus sylvestris

ShimpakuBonsai

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A few days ago I discovered a tiny mushroom in the soil of my pinus sylvestris.
The mushroom is only 1cm in height.

The tree is growing for two years in this soil.
The soil is vulkastrat which is a blend of pumice, lavarock and zeolite.

Is this mushroom a good sign of a healthy tree and a good soil?

20220827_231255.jpg
 
I CAN be a good sign and in your case it probably is. Mushrooms are only part of a larger fungal colony living in the soil. Mycorrhizae fungus grows with the roots of many plants. It is symbiotic, helping the tree process nutrients it might not be able to process on its own. The myc gets nutrients from the tree in return.

Myc fungus pushes mushrooms up to the surface on occasion. It's generally a good thing to have mushrooms in your soil It indicates a healthy soil biome
 
The soil is pretty open and free draining so I don't see how but could it also indicate too much moisture if mushrooms are growing?
 
So mycorrhizi also form mushrooms?
If so, I did not know that but that is cool

Yes, in general, mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of basidiomycetes fungi. Most mycorrhiza are basidiomycetes, though there are some ascomycetes mycorrhiza. In any given location in North America the soil in the ground will have 5 to 25 species of mycorrhiza fungi, some places like old growth forests will have much higher diversity, in some farm fields where chemicals are used, diversity might be lower. Average city backyard might be 5 to 25 species. If I am remembering my Paul Staments correctly.

In a bonsai pot, the diversity tends to be lower, and there can be a regular die off of mycorrhiza and replacement of mycorrhiza, especially if you use chemical fertilizers. . The spores are everywhere in the air, so if a dose of liquid chemical fertilizer is hot enough to kill off mycorrhiza, new spore land and begin recolonizing the pot within days.

Mycorrhizal fungi often have really small mushrooms, very dainty. They only appear during episodes of high humidity and will be above the soil for only a few hours. They "melt" away in the first low humidity breeze. I see them most often in late summer, but you can see them any time of year.

If you are a mycophile, make a spore print. Also photograph, (need a good macro lens) the gill pattern on the underside of the cap. Armed with close up photos, and a spore print, you might be able to key out which genus and maybe which species of fungi you have. More than half North American species of mushrooms are as of yet undescribed. Keys will get you to related European genus, then leave you scratching your head..

If you ever want to describe a new species, get into fungi taxonomy, there is a world of "new things" waiting to be looked at closely.
 
Your tree is a goner
100% concur, look at that whopper. I wasn't quite sure if this was in the same vein as Bill's BC carving thread.

I enjoy seeing mushrooms pop up amongst the trees. Sign of a healthy little micro system amongst the roots.
 
Yes, in general, mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of basidiomycetes fungi. Most mycorrhiza are basidiomycetes, though there are some ascomycetes mycorrhiza. In any given location in North America the soil in the ground will have 5 to 25 species of mycorrhiza fungi, some places like old growth forests will have much higher diversity, in some farm fields where chemicals are used, diversity might be lower. Average city backyard might be 5 to 25 species. If I am remembering my Paul Staments correctly.

In a bonsai pot, the diversity tends to be lower, and there can be a regular die off of mycorrhiza and replacement of mycorrhiza, especially if you use chemical fertilizers. . The spores are everywhere in the air, so if a dose of liquid chemical fertilizer is hot enough to kill off mycorrhiza, new spore land and begin recolonizing the pot within days.

Mycorrhizal fungi often have really small mushrooms, very dainty. They only appear during episodes of high humidity and will be above the soil for only a few hours. They "melt" away in the first low humidity breeze. I see them most often in late summer, but you can see them any time of year.

If you are a mycophile, make a spore print. Also photograph, (need a good macro lens) the gill pattern on the underside of the cap. Armed with close up photos, and a spore print, you might be able to key out which genus and maybe which species of fungi you have. More than half North American species of mushrooms are as of yet undescribed. Keys will get you to related European genus, then leave you scratching your head..

If you ever want to describe a new species, get into fungi taxonomy, there is a world of "new things" waiting to be looked at closely.
Good luck getting a spore print from that little guy. Maybe 1/12" inch in diameter (assuming soil particles are 1/4"). Break out the plastic tweezers and DONT sneeze!
 
Thanks so far for the info.

The tree was collected in a forest and when I replanted it in Vulkastra two years ago I also left most of the original soil of the rootball.
So it could be possible there are spores from the original forest soil inside the pot.

The tree is growing well and there are quite a few new buds on old wood so I assume the tree is healthy.
Maybe I watered the tree a little bit much because we had a few weeks of very hot weather and last week there was a transition to normal temperatures and I had to change my watering behaviour.
 
Seems like it's from the inky cap mushroom family.
Determination is always fun to perform. A piece of alu foil beneath the cap will provide a good spore print in most cases. Leave it for a day or so, and out of the wind. Or just snap the cap off and put that on the foil indoors.

I get a couple of these every year and they seem to be non mycorrhizal but more or less general composters. They tend to pop up when there's been a lot of rain.
The white colored hood inky caps, the ones that turn to mush in a day or two and leave black mucus everywhere, are a sign of overwatering.
The one in the picture is pretty common in Europe. Not sure about the name.
 
When my trees are really "rocking"... And if I wake up early enough.. there are many pots with these, and other similar SPOROCARP (the above ground portion of the vastly larger Fungus/myco body)... They are TOAST after a few minutes of direct sun.

🤓
 
Go ask Alice...... when she's ten feet tall.
Bubble bubble...

....

Boom! I took the THIRD reference!!! (The journal/book)

...could've gone with Lewis Carol's classic.... That book is HONESTLY one of the most TRUE, HUMOR-FILLED writings you will ever come across...

Could've went with the beastly-breathtaking Grace Slick........as you did.

Strange how ALL have SUB-culture connotations.

Can anyone tell me who "Bill" is, in 'Alice and Wonderland"?

;)
 
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