Advice - Honey Fungus

gregmcateer · 3 May 2012

Hi folks,

My mum has a cherry with suspected honey fungus.

Simple question - should I take some for turning, or run like the plague? #-o

Thanks in advance,

Greg

andersonec · 3 May 2012

"IF" it is honey fungus then she may have a serious problem in her garden, it spreads underground, It isn't a very common problem but can be bad. "If" it is and you take the wood you have a 'very slight' chance of spreading the spores. There are many other fungi which people mistake for honey fungus and start to panic, take a piece of bark off at ground or below ground level to see if there is any signs, you won't see the 'toadstools' until autumn when it's mushroom picking time.
Read about it here. http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/pro ... px?pid=180

(PS I used to run my own plant nursery)

Andy

dickm · 4 May 2012

Wouldn't have thought there would be a problem, unless you leave infected logs on the soil surface, or spread chips/dust from turning directly on the garden.
Does anyone know whether honey fungus causes any sort of spalting?

gregmcateer · 4 May 2012

Thanks Andy and Dick.

I'll tread warily and see if I can ID a bit more clearly.

Cheers,

Greg

andersonec · 4 May 2012

dickm":ellfl03r said:
Wouldn't have thought there would be a problem, unless you leave infected logs on the soil surface, or spread chips/dust from turning directly on the garden.
Does anyone know whether honey fungus causes any sort of spalting?

Dick,
It only affects directly underneath the bark and rarely gets any higher up the trunk than 1m. I think spalting is caused by different fungi and each tree has it's own specific variety but don't quote me.

Andy

dickm · 5 May 2012

andersonec":7a2d1w57 said:
It only affects directly underneath the bark and rarely gets any higher up the trunk than 1m. I think spalting is caused by different fungi and each tree has it's own specific variety but don't quote me.

Hope this doesn't count as quoting!
Thinking about it, spalting is caused by decay fungi, rather than more general pathogenic ones, so you're right. Must look up some detail on Armillaria; now where's my plant pathology book from long-ago student days???