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Micromegas

Bro's garden dying!

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hi guys my brother's garden is in big trouble!

 

pretty sure it's waterlogged and toxic soil, so black, no oxygen. what does it mean if a weird clump of shrooms is growing?

 

also see the mildewy spots, pretty much full shade. it's pretty stuffed i reckon and he'll have to dig it all up.

 

any thoughts? what would you do?

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19 minutes ago, Micromegas said:

what does it mean if a weird clump of shrooms is growing?

Maybe the conditions are better for growing mushrooms than plants.

 

That soil looks fairly good from what I can see in those pics. I'd do a PH test on it with soil taken from near the surface and also do another PH with soil from about 20cm deep to see if there are any problems. Maybe raised beds would give the plants some drainage if it's constantly too wet for plants.

 

Or turn it into a rice paddy.

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reminds me of female sabotage ... not assuming it happens to everybody but been afflicted by at least 5 females doing it so far ..

I hope that's one you can rule out mate and no offense meant if any taken

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You seem to be attracting the same females mate if your garden could be sabotaged on 5 different occasions... that's one hell of a pattern.

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22 hours ago, Micromegas said:

what does it mean if a weird clump of shrooms is growing?

The fungi are some kind of Coprinus/Coprinellus - they only grow on dead wood, so they are not harming your plants, just creating better soil. They're also edible, and can be used to make ink & dyes.

 

I have seen gardens looking like that when plants were put into too-shady conditions. Understory tropical plants still need some sunlight...sure in their natural environment the tree canopy is catching much of the light, but leaves don't block as much light as say... bricks. The shade behind a house is a lot thicker than the shade under trees. Dunno if that's what is happening here, but if it is he might need to rethink his plant selection. The soil looks fine too, not "fine" as in "just alright", but as in "damn girl, that is some fine soil you have there". Whenever I have to dig through soil like that to get to a pipe or something, I carefully remove all that fine black topsoil & set it aside. You could have hidden issues like pH/salinity or overall drainage problems, but black sandy loam is not a bad thing at all. If you live in a really high rainfall area and are going to be digging everything up anyway, then you could add a bit more sand, maybe. But the root structure in that last photo looks fine & healthy - no signs of rot?

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Thanks Sall and Anodyne much appreciated, great information, also nice ID on the fungus. Good to know that the soil is not as bad as I thought - I must have spent too long looking at red soil!

 

It is pretty much full shade from bricks/house/palm trees so i think shade and improper plant selection is the problem. I think some plants that enjoy that sort of environment might do really well in that case without doing anything with the soil.

 

Thanks very much my bro was quite relieved when someone contradicted my advice that his soil was no good and he had to dig it all up!

 

Any suggestions for nice shade-loving plants?

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Maybe Phytophthora. You can check the base of the trunks to see if there is rot getting in. 

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9 hours ago, Anodyne said:

The fungi are some kind of Coprinus/Coprinellus - they only grow on dead wood, so they are not harming your plants, just creating better soil. They're also edible, and can be used to make ink & dyes.

 

Careful not to consume these with alcohol, not always but can end pretty bad 

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8 hours ago, Matt1208 said:

 

Careful not to consume these with alcohol, not always but can end pretty bad 

According to this study of some North American specimens, coprine (the alkaloid that reacts with alcohol) was only found in C.atramentarius, not comatus or micaceus. So use caution, of course - species have been known to vary in alkaloid content between continents - but it's likely that this whole "ink caps can't be eaten with booze" thing has been exaggerated and extended to species which don't actually contain the compound. In light of DNA tests showing that the old "coprinus" classification actually included genetically very different species that just happened to dissolve into similar inky puddles, this variation in alkaloids actually might make a lot more sense than previously, when they were thought to all be in the same genus. Also, while combining coprine & ethanol can make you extremely nauseous, it is not dangerous in the sense of causing organ failure or death, like some other fungal toxins. Just to put it into perspective a bit.

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is that a Draecena in the first pic? i can send some cuttings if it doesnt make it.  i reckon it looks like its too wet and not enough light, id try cutting back some of whatever is blockin the light and id be putting cover down on that sexy black soil...

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13 hours ago, Anodyne said:

According to this study of some North American specimens, coprine (the alkaloid that reacts with alcohol) was only found in C.atramentarius, not comatus or micaceus. So use caution, of course - species have been known to vary in alkaloid content between continents - but it's likely that this whole "ink caps can't be eaten with booze" thing has been exaggerated and extended to species which don't actually contain the compound. In light of DNA tests showing that the old "coprinus" classification actually included genetically very different species that just happened to dissolve into similar inky puddles, this variation in alkaloids actually might make a lot more sense than previously, when they were thought to all be in the same genus. Also, while combining coprine & ethanol can make you extremely nauseous, it is not dangerous in the sense of causing organ failure or death, like some other fungal toxins. Just to put it into perspective a bit.

 

Well there you go, an interesting read

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Phytophthora is an interesting thought but unlikely in these circumstances. Apparently the canopy of palms is bangin' so I think excess shade and moisture + wrong plants is the answer.

 

Yeah it's a dead dracaena, thanks heaps for the offer saylor but i think he'll go for a species more tolerant of wet soil.

 

Those Zamioculcus are nice, I reckon he should go for something colourful like a mat of bromeliads, maybe some violas or something.

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Something that might do well in that spot could be Monstera deliciosa... I love bromeliads they have the sickest flowers, walking iris are quite nice when they are in flower also, i think they would fair pretty well in that spot too. anyway best of luck, lemme know if u need any cuttings :) 

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Truck in some loam and start again. The plants will do well if they are growing in well drained loam with access to the wetter soil below.

 

Needs at least a foot of real loam though, 2 foot would be better.

Edited by Halcyon Daze

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