Mushrooms and bamboo

[mountainbamboonut]

Hello boo fans, I hope all is well. As a lot of folks on this forum do, I have many types of mushrooms that pop up ever year around my bamboos. Do you take the time to knock the mushrooms down (for any chance of them robbing nutrients) ? I'm guessing that it doesn't make a whole lot of difference either way but thought I'd ask. Cheers! And happy rhizome growing season to all.

[Tarzanus]

By destroying mushrooms you actually rob your bamboo of nutrients. Most of the fungi are beneficial and they help the plant getting nutrients for exchange for the plant's supply of water, because ot it's deeper root system..

[Nicholas]

Hello boo fans, I hope all is well. As a lot of folks on this forum do, I have many types of mushrooms that pop up ever year around my bamboos. Do you take the time to knock the mushrooms down (for any chance of them robbing nutrients) ? I'm guessing that it doesn't make a whole lot of difference either way but thought I'd ask. Cheers! And happy rhizome growing season to all.

As Tarzanus said most Mushrooms do not have a detrimental effect on bamboo (I've read a scientific paper I can't seem to find now that mentions detrimental effects of certain fungi perfecti on bamboo but I believe it was a tropical species) and are usually helpful.

Either way kicking over the mushroom won't really do much. Think of the thing you refer to as mushroom as the fruit of a much larger plant. It is like picking off the apples of an apple tree in the hopes that it will go away. ( or more precisely, simply picking the apples off and leaving them on the ground where the seeds can sprout ... )

Most mushrooms will improve the soil by breaking up organic material and releasing nutrients for other plants. If the mushroom can form a symbiosis (mycorrhiza) even better! (I believe for bamboo mostly arbuscular mycorrhiza). It is unlikely you will encounter a parasitic species attacking your bamboo.
Mushrooms form an important part of nature. They are the ones actively working on decomposing organic material.

If you have ever seen a pixie ring ( you know a circle of mushrooms) in a lawn you might have noticed that inside the circle the grass is usually greener and healthier looking.
A lot of mushrooms produce their fruit bodies at the fringes of their mycelial net so basically what you are observing is a big patch of soil full of mycelium and the positive effects on the lawn are clearly visible.

A lot of fungal activity is usually a good sign of a healthy soil. Bamboo self-mulches and mulch creates a good environment for fungi and decomposition.

[Tarzanus]

Mushrooms around my Shiroshima bamboo

I've seen various mushrooms growing around my bamboos, especially around Hibanobambusa Tranquillans 'Shiroshima'. There was a lot of rain and the soil never really got dry, so there was a lot of mycellium growth and after it got established enough, mushrooms appeared. Millions of them, like on the photo above. I hope they return next season.

[Nicholas]

Mushrooms around my Shiroshima bamboo

I've seen various mushrooms growing around my bamboos, especially around Hibanobambusa Tranquillans 'Shiroshima'. There was a lot of rain and the soil never really got dry, so there was a lot of mycellium growth and after it got established enough, mushrooms appeared. Millions of them, like on the photo above. I hope they return next season.

Looks like it is some kind of Coprinus (maybe Coprinellus disseminatus or micaceus).
It might be edible but I strongly advise you to make a proper ID, possibly by asking an expert.
Some forms of Coprinus are reported to also cause allergic reactions when consumed together with alcohol so also keep that in mind.

Having said that Coprinus Comatus is quite tasty and easy to ID if you happen to stumble upon it. You just have to prepare it quickly or store it submerged in water else it will dissolve into a black goo.

[mountainbamboonut]

Thanks for the awesome replies. I will let the mushrooms go. Pretty cool that they can in a way be thought of as fruit of a tree.

[Tarzanus]

Found the photo with the another type of mushrooms. These are quite larger and turn into black slime in just a day or two.

[Nicholas]

Found the photo with the another type of mushrooms. These are quite larger and turn into black slime in just a day or two.

Generally mushrooms whose fruitbodies turn into black slime/ink are from the coprinus genus.

These are most likely coprinus micaceus.

[Tarzanus]

Nicholas, they are very likely the ones you mentioned. Sadly mycorrhiza isn't their specialty, but they do break down organic matter.

[Nicholas]

Nicholas, they are very likely the ones you mentioned. Sadly mycorrhiza isn't their specialty, but they do break down organic matter.

I haven't eaten them before and you should stay away from alcohol if you decide to try them but they are edible.
Again only try them if you are certain of their ID. I don't think the coprinus family has anything that is very dangerous (avoid alcohol!) but some species can cause stomach issues.

[Tarzanus]

There are many edible mushrooms in the forest, I'll just stick with the ones that taste best and are 100% edible.

[Nicholas]

There are many edible mushrooms in the forest, I'll just stick with the ones that taste best and are 100% edible.

You need to move a bit out of your comfort zone

My personal favourites are Amanita caesarea, Sparassis crispa and Craterellus cornucopioides.
I actually got myself a microscope to be able to properly ID species based on their microscopic characteristics such as spore and cystidia shapes and sizes but have neglected that hobby for a while.

If you are into mushroom hunting and want to advance towards proper identification I can recommend "The Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain and North-Western Europe".

I've got the German reprint and it is a great book that also has the spore shapes and other microscopic characteristics. It is better suited for those that want to be able to ID a wide range of mushrooms as it does not go into much detail on taste but does point out if a species is edible or not.

[edit]
I'll add the warning again that you should always be 100% positive when collecting and eating wild mushrooms.
If one spends time researching about a specific mushroom they will know if there are poisonous look alikes and what to watch out for.
It is always better to be safe than sorry.

[oobmab]

You need to move a bit out of your comfort zone

The fact that wild mushrooms accumulate radioactive fallout is enough for me to stick with those grown indoors. Radioactive wild boar roam Europe apparently because of their affinity for mushrooms - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... rmany.html

[Tarzanus]

I mainlny look for Boletus edulis (or earlier variants of Boletus) and Cantharellus cibarius. These are quite common if you know where to search for them. Well I'm not that into mushrooms, I like to go for a walk and love to find them, but I usually give them to others, I over-ate them in my younger days.

They can accumulate radioactive fallout and here in Europe they haven't been picking them quite long after Chernobyl accident. Well, they are OK for a long time, they did the checking regularly when they were still contaminated. I find it unlikely that boar would get the radiation poisoning from mushrooms in Germany, perhaps if it migrated from northern Ukraine where Chernobyl is or somewhere close. Most of the Europe is safe .

[Nicholas]

They can accumulate radioactive fallout and here in Europe they haven't been picking them quite long after Chernobyl accident. Well, they are OK for a long time, they did the checking regularly when they were still contaminated. I find it unlikely that boar would get the radiation poisoning from mushrooms in Germany, perhaps if it migrated from northern Ukraine where Chernobyl is or somewhere close. Most of the Europe is safe .

The fact that wild mushrooms accumulate radioactive fallout is enough for me to stick with those grown indoors. Radioactive wild boar roam Europe apparently because of their affinity for mushrooms - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... rmany.html

I am trying to think of a way to break down the pretty complex topic so as to give you an adequate answer.

1) Yes some mushrooms can and do bio accumulate elements where radioactive isotopes exist such as caesium (Boletus badius is an example).
2) Some regions in Europe have experienced a high fallout during the chernobyl accident because of rain, others haven't. (Some parts of Austria were quite affected, the one where I am from however was not as it didn't rain off there) You can, in principle, go and pick mushrooms from specific areas of the country, dry them, and end up with activity that is too high to be deemed safe for consumption.
3) Radioactivity is misunderstood by many people. Anyone reading this is in fact is somewhat radioactive with a range of isotopes in their bodies such as carbon 14 (Used in carbon dating) or potassium 40 (go eat some bananas! ). Radioactivity occurs naturally and you will encounter varying levels of Radon throughout the world.
4) As Tarzanus pointed out caesium is not just restricted to mushrooms. Wild boars eat a lot of stuff from the ground including mushrooms so they too bio-accumulate caesium.
5) The bottom line is a large amount of the food you consume will contain some radioactive isotopes.
6) Consuming radioactive isotopes that can be bio-accumulated can become an issue if you consume them in very high quantities.
This can either be over a long period of time with lower dosages (e.g. eating mildly radioactive mushrooms every day for the rest of your life) or in a short period with high doses. (As happened with a lot of produce right after the Fukushima accident).

My verdict: As with anything you need to be informed and then make an informed decision. If you really love bananas you might be exposing yourself to much more
ionising radiation than the hand full of mushrooms you pick once a year from the wild. For me personally I eat the odd piece of boar meat once or twice a year and wild mushrooms a few times knowing that they are mildly radioactive.
Ironically I am less concerned about a caesium contaminated mushroom than GMO soy or heavy metal contaminated green tea from china (you would be surprised how badly contaminated that supposedly "healthy" tea can be).

Sorry about the rant
Just for the record: I am strongly against using nuclear power for energy production, especially in its current form.