Mushrooms growing on my mounts

[Laserbeak]

Now you've given me ideas... I want to make a mount with an orchid and Psilocybe mushrooms!

[ALToronto]

Originally Posted by Laserbeak

Now you've given me ideas... I want to make a mount with an orchid and Psilocybe mushrooms!

For all I know, that's what my mushrooms are! I know Psilocybes grow in Canada natively, but I've never had one identified to me.

I've been picking edible wild mushrooms since I was 5 years old, and rule #1 is, if you don't know it, you don't touch it. Of course, you learn about the nasties - there are only 6 kinds that are truly dangerous - and my homegrown shrooms aren't on the bad list. But otherwise, they're non-descript LBMs - little brown mushrooms that only the most committed mycologist would bother identifying. Most likely harmless but bad tasting.

[Laserbeak]

Originally Posted by ALToronto

I know Psilocybes grow in Canada natively, but I've never had one identified to me.

I don't know what kind of species would grow in your area so you would want to make sure it physically looks like one of them first. Luckily they are one of the easiest to test for. Just bruise them and wait like 10 - 30 minutes. If the bruised area turns a bluish color, it's a Psilocybe.

Only one other type of mushroom in the world passes the blue test but it doesn't look anything at all like any Psilocybe species.

---------- Post added 10-11-2013 at 12:06 AM ---------- Previous post was 10-10-2013 at 10:16 PM ----------

Another benefit of mushrooms is that they break down organic material that the orchids can't use into simpler chemicals that act as fertilizer for them.

[Bud]

Some orchids have a symbiotic relationship with beneficial fungi....it helps them produce sugars needed for the plant....its the killer fungi and bacteria that we need to be careful of....
if you do not like mushrooms because you find them ugly....then you can do a fungicide spray the 'big guns' chemicals=not just the home remedy kind....that will do it.

[RJSquirrel]

it's a Psilocybe if it grows in cow dung here...In texas they feed the cows something that wont allow them to grow very well. They arent illegal if you find them growing only illegal if you pick them and have them in your possession or cultivate them. Like Peyote in the deserts here are only illegal if you pick them and possess them or cultivate them for purpose other than native american tribal rituals.

Also the Psilocybe is over rated as a hallucinogenic. It will make you puke and horribly ill before you ever see the rare purple spotted hoot owl.

And these are not the famed magic mushrooms of carlos casteneda fame. amanita muscaria are the ones used dried and smoked. Not eaten.

[ALToronto]

I have seen blue-bruising mushrooms. The one that is not a Psilocybe is actually quite tasty, with no ill effects whatsoever. I have probably seen Psilocybes as well, I just never bothered with them. Like any other LBM, they're not edible, so mushroom pickers like me avoid them.

There are a few mushrooms with psychoactive properties, but also nasty side effects like nausea, diarrhea, stomach cramps, etc. I had thought that magic mushrooms didn't give the side effects, but it doesn't surprise me that they do.

I'm using minimal fertilizer on these mounted catts, as I'm letting the mosses, bugs and mushrooms to provide some nutrients. I just hope that the mushrooms don't break down the branches too quickly.

The mount material itself provides plenty of calcium, so I add a little Epsom Salts and urea fertilizer to the water in the top basins. In 2 litres, I put in maybe 1/20 tsp Epsom Salts, and 1/100 tsp each 30-10-10 and 19-31-17. Once every two weeks, I spray them with Neptune's Harvest, also at about 10-20 ppm N concentration. These fertilizers are probably helping the mushrooms as much as the orchids.

[Laserbeak]

They are non-toxic, but the taste isn't that good and I know some people feel sick after eating them. I always froze them and put them in the blender with orange juice, vodka and ice. Didn't taste too bad and I never really got sick. The effect can be stronger than LSD if you take enough (4 or 5 full sized mushrooms) although it's more of a body feeling and less cerebral. It also lasts less, about 6-8 hours compared to 12+.

OK, I think I've said enough.

[Jules]

I know this is an older post but i just wanted to pointed out something- in the plant intelligence research field. I just finish watching a documentary where they talk about the forest out in bc, ca using the fungi as a network. The trees supply carbon dioxide to the fungi and the fungi give it nutrients. Interesting to see what happens with ur orchids - as the fungi spreads it should create a network between plants. But they were talking about fungi networks underground and yours is above!! I like a update of things you notice if you don't mind - like healthier plant with less root growth etc- very interesting!! Also mushrooms are "fruits" of the fungi - put a bag or cut them off if your worried about spores.


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[ALToronto]

Thanks Jules. I'm still getting mushrooms, and I pick them off as I see them. They start out looking quite nice plump little cones on fat stems, but soon the stem elongates and thins out, and the cone cap flattens out to a ragged circle and the dark brown spores come out.

These mushrooms don't seem to be poisonous - they don't have the fat sack at the base, like Amanita Virosa and its relatives. I've picked these mushrooms and then went on to eat food with my fingers, unwashed, and I'm still here to talk about it. I doubt they taste good, I haven't tried.

I've noticed about 4 different types of mycelium on my two living walls, and they each seem to colonize different branches (6 branches in total). I haven't noticed a big difference in growth between all the orchids on my walls - light seems to be the biggest factor, since some are closer to the lights than others. But no, the mushrooms are not hurting the plants, so I don't really care to eradicate them. At the same time, I don't want spores to spread, so I just keep picking them off. It's a nice ecosystem I'm developing! Here are this morning's photos. The first one shows a mushroom growing behind the encyclia.



There is no difference in root growth between wood- and hemp concrete-mounted plants.

[orchidsarefun]

I wonder if plant-harming fungi are kept at bay by the resident fungi ? Also - if you have sprayed or have to spray a fungicide on the plants, what would happen to the resident fungi ? I think fungicides are "targeted", but not sure.