Teddy Bear Magnolia, Lower Mainland, BC As I was building the frame for burlap wrapping of my ~18-20ft Teddy Bear magnolia, I noticed a fungus growing on the trunk of the tree, possibly identified as "Flammulina". For what it is worth the tree looks healthy. The fungus is near where a limb was torn off by snow a few years back, and at the base of where a limb was trimmed off. The scar from the limb was looking to be healing well My limited understanding has me believing that if there is a fungus on the tree then the mycelium is through the trunk and the tree is no long for this world. My question: Is there any possibility I can get the tree to survive? remove the rotted bark and treat the area? take extra care and proper fertilization? have the tree fight the damage and survive?
With such a large flush of mushrooms, the mycelium inside the tree must be extensive, and it is so low on the main trunk that it probably extends to the ground. The tree might still survive for a few years, but it will soon be hazardous as the interior wood weakens. As a precaution, it might be advisable to drill into the trunk to sample the strength of the wood.
The soil level around the root crown is also too high, perhaps has something to do with the fungus getting in. Otherwise, the mushrooms being arranged around the site of the pruning cut may be significant. And it can't help that the wood has been exposed to the weather (and accessible to fungi) where the one branch tore off - if you want to plant a replacement look for 'Saint Mary' or 'Victoria' as these don't seem to split apart under wet snow loads as much as various others. Particularly the overplanted 'Little Gem', which in addition to being more sensitive to cold than usual can be broken in half by snow in our climate region.
