I posted this same topic in another section but perhaps not the right one. So here it goes again: I bought some soil from the "soil and rock suplier" on Vancouver island and dumped it on the tarp. Covered it with another tarp to protect it from the rain. To my surprise when I uncovered it I saw a development of some kind of roots. I used this soil to plant several trees and all are suffering. I digged out some around the trees and sure enough the mat of the "roots" was so thick that I had a hard time to put the shovel through. Roots attached to nothing? I would be interested to hear if anybody knows what I am talking about...what this phenomena is... and posibly if the soil can be trated to get rid of it. It chokes my plants.
No answer to my question yet. I probably need a botanist/biologist, (rather than a gardener) because this is mostlikely a fungus feeding on composted wood in the soil. So how do we discurage it to grow? or even kill it...it is a monster Thanks
Yes, quite a few people have looked at the post, but I guess no one knows what it is. I guess I would call the source of the soil and ask if they knew anything about it. You might be able to spread it out evenly on the tarp and cover it with black plastic and leave it in the sun for a few weeks to try to kill it with heat.
Looks like the rhizomes of Elymus repens (couch-grass), a seriously aggressive invasive that is known for its allelopathic effects; i.e., it produces biologically active compounds that negatively affect the growth of other plants.
Thank you all for your responses. I will take another picture tomorrow. Douglas, It is not a Elymus repens. I have filled my raised beds last fall and there was absolutely no grass or any other green growing in the beds nor around the trees I planted in this soil. I know the rhizomes of Elymus repens and this is not it. It looks like roots but it is not attached to any plant life. It is not a root of a plant. I am starting to believe it is mycelium (mycelia) which perhaps penetrates the root organism and kills the plant. All my trees planted lately are doing poorly. I will experiment with Eric's suggestion....try to kill it with the heat. If it is actually hyphae then it will. But I am still puzzled by this. My garden center did not give me any answer. Thanks again
Ron, thanks for your response. I have more pictures of these mysterious roots. The soil is on the tarp and the "roots" are developing in the soil (not attached to anything) I am moving the tarp around. It has to be something in the soil that is developing this "stuff"and probably feeding on the decaying wood chips which were in the soil.
It might look like, but I do not believe it is. The soil was clean when I planted. I planted in several areas on our 8 acres. The story is the same . Will have to find some soil specialist on Vancouver Island and then I will post. This is how it starts and they are zilloins of them and the next picture is what it develops into in 8 months. The mat is just so thick that I have broken 2 shovels on it already.
Klahanie, I am in Ottawa, and we have a similar root problem in our back yard garden.......it is very shady there with little light which might add to the problem. We have been digging up the roots and trying to rid the soil of this for the past 6 years with no success. Appreciate if you have had any replies or success in ridding your garden of these roots. Thanks, Bill M
