Identification: yellow fuzzy balls

Discussion in 'Fungi, Lichens and Slime Molds' started by wazungy, Aug 9, 2007.

  1. wazungy

    wazungy Active Member 10 Years

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    hello,

    I have seen fuzzy yellow fungus in some of my clay pots. I suspect it is in the ones that do not dry out 100% between waterings but I could be wrong.

    The soil will smell fungy, and there will be what looks like tiny patches of yellow cottonwool, but it will have little 1mm tiny yellow balls in them.
    They are not spider eggs. It is some sort of fungus. The balls are amazingly hard. The plants growing in these pots do not do so well.

    What is it and how do I stop it from coming back (copper, zinc, systemic, something that will not kill a cactus please.)

    Thanks.
     
  2. MycoRob

    MycoRob Active Member

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    without a picture, it sounds like Leucocoprinus birnbaumii (do a google image search on this name and see if they look like what you have). They are not harmful. In fact, up to 25% of the mass in the soil in your pot is the mycelium of this fungus. You can get rid of the fruiting bodies but it won't do any good.
     
  3. wazungy

    wazungy Active Member 10 Years

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    Thanks,

    I did a google search.
    Leucocoprinus birnbaumii does not even come close to what I am seeing.

    I see the fungus when I unpot the root ball. Within the earth between the roots,

    fuzzy dense yellow cottonwool Inside the cottonwool are tiny 1 millimeter (1/32 of an inch or so) hard granules.

    No mushrooms or toadstools. Just dense yellow fuzzy patches in the soil.


    Anyone?
     
  4. wazungy

    wazungy Active Member 10 Years

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    Here is a photo.

    Yellow fluffy fuzz.
    Where it gets dense it makes little fuzzy yellow balls.
    Inside the balls is a very hard granule.

    What is this fungus and is it bad for plants?

    Wazungy
     
  5. link2007

    link2007 Active Member

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    It's probably fine for the plant. Dig down in any well kept garden is given mulch or compost and will almost always find mycelium (look like strands of white fuzz) growing through the garden. 99% of the time, this is harmless or benifical.
     
  6. link2007

    link2007 Active Member

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    Also, I can't see your photo.
     
  7. wazungy

    wazungy Active Member 10 Years

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    Yes, the photo.
    I have been working on that.

    THIS time I think it is going to attach properly.....
     

    Attached Files:

  8. Junglekeeper

    Junglekeeper Esteemed Contributor 10 Years

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    I was reminded of this thread after seeing the photos in [thread=29993]this[/thread] recent thread. Does the growth look familiar?

    The fuzzy, yellow balls in my potting soil are probably the same fungus. However I've not seen the cottony webbing before. Perhaps either because the conditions aren't quite right or because I scrape them away before they get to a significant size. They seem to occur throughout the soil but their numbers are greatest in areas exposed to air (i.e. soil on the surface and next to the side of the container.)

    Copper fungicide (in wettable form) appears to have an effect based on a test on two containers. A small amount of powder was sprinkled on the soil surface then watered in. This is the product I used. (Note the use of the product in this way is not listed on the packaging.) This seems to have pretty much eliminated the surface colonies but not the ones next to the container wall.
     
  9. wazungy

    wazungy Active Member 10 Years

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    Yes. The link you provided DOES show a very similar growth to what I have. Mine is pale yellow fuzz with tiny little balls.

    I have looked into copper, but I have read on some sites that copper and catci should not be mixed. I will have to look into this again. For now, I just unpot sick plants and if they have this growth I remove as much soil from roots as I can and then repot. I either throw out or bake the contaminated soil.

    Thanks for the reply.

    Waz
     
  10. wrygrass2

    wrygrass2 Active Member 10 Years

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    MycoRob, Could the tiny yellow balls the precursor to an actual mushroom? That is if Wazungy let them develop would they become an actual mushroom or are the tiny yellow balls the end product? Harry
     
  11. Junglekeeper

    Junglekeeper Esteemed Contributor 10 Years

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    The ones I have are like those pictured in the thread Identification: - Yellow houseplant soil fungus -id and advice? | UBC Botanical Garden Forums. The first picture (31413) is the most representative. Not too long ago I discovered a massive colony that had been growing for a number of months in a tub of soil; lots of mycelium and yellow balls but no mushrooms.

    Aren't spores microscopic in size? If so, I think it would be very difficult to be completely rid of the fungus once it's in the soil. Their numbers seem to come and go depending on the conditions. This year they were noticeable for a month or two during the summer. They don't seem to have a negative effect on the plants.
     
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2015
  12. wazungy

    wazungy Active Member 10 Years

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    No, I do not think I will ever see mushrooms from these fungii.

    What I have noticed is that some of my cacti do dont do as well when this fingus is present. It might be the conditions that the fungus likes that is detrimental, or the fungus itself. I do not know which. Probably the former.

    Wazungy
     
  13. Junglekeeper

    Junglekeeper Esteemed Contributor 10 Years

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    Last edited: Nov 4, 2021
  14. Mwilson211

    Mwilson211 Member

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    Just for interest, I also have this fungus, in my terrarium. I have noticed, once in a great while, tiny little mushroom cap structures, maybe 2-4 mm high, and half that wide. Currently, this fungus is causing me some concern, because it's heavily colonized my Moth Orchid pots in the terrarium. So far, though, it doesn't seem to be harming them...
     
  15. Exhaustus

    Exhaustus New Member

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    Many people I know have been having this "fungus" appear in plants ranging from Orchids (Coconut husk, and orchid moss), lilies (mulchy soil), to Snake plants (miracle grow soil). Through my searches I have found many opinions, and no Identification or confirmation anywhere. I had the a sample analyzed by a laboratory and results came back as "Non- Sporulating Hyphal" (no identification so I am sad). I am uncertain if this means the sample was unable to be cultured, or if it wasn't at the right stage of reproduction. Views under 400x magnification show tendrils and dense "fuzz" in the balls reducing light passthrough significantly, but no signs of a "core" without more light. No signs of nodules along the tendrils like with other molds. Some people have guessed it is a arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) but no confirmation. Of all the situations, this "fungus" grows in the roots. We have theorized it grows based off of airflow and moisture, but light seems to be less significant.
     
  16. Exhaustus

    Exhaustus New Member

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    Upon deeper searches there may be a relation to some sort of Sclerotium Disease, and the "yellow" stage may be teenage. Starting from white to yellow, to tan, to black.
     
  17. vitog

    vitog Contributor 10 Years

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    The one photo provided does not offer a clear picture of the structure of the "fungus". It appears to be either a slime mold or fungal mycelium that hasn't formed any fruiting bodies.
     

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