Mushrooms growing in house plants’ is the problem that may arise in your soil, but they would be a due to different reasons. Some people like them and think they make a beautiful addition, while others cannot stand them!
But how should you feel about them, well, the entire decision is up to you, but we want to share some knowledge on these to help you reach it better.
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What Are Reasons For Mushrooms Growing Potted Plants?
The reasons for mushrooms growing in the soil of your plants as it is an old one, and they would also appear from the air moisture around. They could also be the result of excess organic material in the plant, or through overwatering the plant.
Note that mushroom growth doesn’t actually mean that anything is wrong with your plant. These organisms help to decay and digest this dead matter that could be found in your soil. What the people don’t understand is if these are beneficial or not to their plants and if should they remove them.
– Old Soil
Spores may have been present from the very point you bought your plant, and they’ve only waited for the right moment and conditions to emerge.
The mushrooms first come out as small little balls on top of the soil, and as they throw spores and mature they grow to resemble real live mushrooms. Their bell-shaped cap grows to about two inches wide in full maturity.
– Appearing From the Air Moisture
The first and most obvious one is connected to the spores being present in the soil. If mushroom spores are flying anywhere near your plant, they’ll most likely fall to the ground and into your houseplant soil.
This is highly likely as the immediate air around your plant will bear a lot of moisture, and the droplets will carry the spores down to the soil.
These indoor plant symbiotic mushrooms will most commonly belong to the Leucocoprinus Birnbaumii mushroom specie, also known as Lepiota Lutea. These are small and yellow mushrooms typically found in smaller plant containers.
– Excess Organic Material
Another cause may take place in the rich organic material in the soil. If your soil is compact and is slow to release moisture, this will be a fairground for your spores to develop in full-grown mushrooms. When you try to use some commercial soil mix, they could be ones that are famous for fostering mushroom friendly environment, so if you don’t like mushrooms, stay away from this brand.
Mushrooms can be parasitic, but your indoor ones will most likely not belong to this family. These are beneficial mushrooms feeding on organic and dead plant material in the soil, helping your plants take in some extra nutrients. Their mycelium, which is essentially mushroom root, is going to interact with plants’ roots and improve nutrient intake and water intake capabilities.
– Overwatering the Plant
Finally, your mushrooms may emerge as the result of your plant care and because of your overwatering plants. If your watering regime leaves the soil completely moist with no time to dry in between watering sessions, which is why you will create a perfect breeding ground for mushroom spores, as the medium will be a perfectly moist one where they will grow.
How To Deal With Mushrooms in House Plants?
To deal with mushrooms in house plants you must repot your plant and remove the fungi. Then, you should supply a sufficient amount of sunlight, and schedule the watering sessions to avoid over-watering, and lastly, maintain a balanced feeding session.
If you want to have these mushrooms in your pot or not will be entirely up to you. Some people like them, while others don’t, but they definitely won’t do any harm and will help your plants fight off the damp and stale soil environment they’ve found themselves in. Nevertheless, if you don’t like these mushrooms, plucking them out isn’t going to cut it. You will want to re-pot your entire plant and change the soil.
– Repotting Your Plants
A clean and disinfected working environment will be best to ensure you don’t transfer any spores to your new plant house. Clean and disinfect your tools with some rubbing alcohol and water to ensure no disease comes in through your root rakes, shears, or any others.
Pull the plant out of the pot and once you have it out separate all the roots from the old soil. You want to be left with bare roots, to ensure no spores are touching them. Be careful not to hurt the roots though, you shouldn’t damage them or harm them, because this will damage the plant completely.
Now, inspect your roots for any signs of fungal disease, as your plant has been sitting in a moist environment, now is a great time to do so. If you have any roots looking sick, just cut them off. Now it’s time to rinse the mud away from your roots.
Now you can safely pot the plant back in the container, which is why you should use fresh and new potting mix and avoid that old soil no matter what. If you want to ensure no mushrooms will emerge for the next few years you’d want to go for soil breathability of the potting soil. Note that the best potting mix will include a healthy amount of inorganic particles which will promote airflow, drainage, and root growth.
Your plant will now benefit from a condition’s change, so choose a well-lit room, with low air moisture and plenty of air circulation. This will help your plant continue its growth in a mushroom-free environment.
– Supply Sufficient Sunlight
Try to keep your in house plants in a room with lots of sunlight and more importantly air circulation. If your plants grow mushrooms in the soil, think about how humid must be for them, and even for you. In this case, you should always try to aerate the room by opening the window when possible to allow the fresh air to flow through the room.
– Schedule the Watering Sessions
Another important part of the plant care is watering. Never allow your plant to sit in a soggy soil, rather than watering your plants on a strict schedule, provide water only when the soil has gone completely dry. When you overwater it, and the weather isn’t very warm, the fungi will develop because this is their key medium, as a result you must try to schedule the watering sessions, so that you reduce the risk.
– Maintain a Balanced Feeding
And finally fertilization — mushrooms will often pop out as a result of fungal spores feeding on remaining nutrients in the soil. That’s why it’s significant to go with a balanced feeding regime, rather than going overboard with feeding.
