Grow Your Own Magazine

A small (10') ornamental garden tree (possibly Acer family, hard pruned each winter its first leaves in Spring are creamy white turning green in Summer) has suddenly sprouted two large fungi (dinner plate size!) growing at right angles from the main trunk. I will attempt to attach some pics. The tree, at least 20 y.o, wasn’t at its best last year and this year the recent floods seemed to finish it off - it is now dead or nearly dead. Fortunately it’s not very close to fruit or veg areas and as far as I can tell from Internet pics it’s not Honey Fungus…. but what is it and should I be alarmed? …. I’m planning on disposing of fungus and tree skeleton over the weekend - do I need to dig out the tree roots, do I need to replace the soil?

Also, once cleared the area becomes a convenient spot for an unheated greenhouse… I won’t be growing in the soil but tubs, troughs, pots etc – is that going to be OK or a hostage to fortune?

Very grateful for any advice.

bb

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The Polypore host is the tree and not the ground around it. It's difficult to identify which type it is from your pics but once you remove the tree, you will remove the fungus. The mycelium (the plant itself) does not live in the ground.

I agree with terrier. A bracket fungi growing on a ??? I think most of the acer family are tri-foliate, are they not? Not that it matters, if you're digging it out you shouldn't have any more fungal problems!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

Many thanks terrier and Snadger, I'm off now with my saw, spade and borrowed pick axe... Hope to be back online before Christmas..... bb

Gardening keeps you fit! Started digging and hacking about 1 p.m. and finally wriggled the stump and main roots out at 6 p.m. That tree was there when I moved here 15 years ago so the area looks strangely empty now but it was in a worse state than previously realised and a few of the remaining leaves had rust as well for good measure. Incinerated everything except the main bole which is too large, not sure how best to dispose of that (it won’t fit in a wheelie bin). If the soil is going to be OK – and it seemed in surprisingly good condition considering hardly touched in 15+ years, a plus for annual natural leaf mould I guess - I’ll reconsider the greenhouse idea as it’s a raised and sunny area, perhaps better included in the veg rotation….. Do I need to do anything more to deter the rust (which wasn’t severe but certainly was there)?

bb

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Hi Bazzaboy, I agree with Snadger that your tree didn't look like an acer but definitley had bracket fungus which appears on dead/dying trees & now you've dug it up you won't have any problems. As for the rust I don't think you should worry about that, if you get a bad case of it on other trees etc. you can spray with fungicide but it doesn't usually do that much harm & if it's only slight you can pick off the affected leaves. I've got a huge conifer that needs to come out & like you I'm wondering what to put in it's place if it goes.My space will be no good for a greenhouse which I would love but it's in a slightly shady corner so I'm thinking of putting in some sort of arbour seat & climbers. If you haven't got a greenhouse & the area is suitable I'd say go for it.

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Into every life a little rain must fall.

hi SueA

Many thanks for the info on rust - there are a couple of apple trees within spitting distance and I'll keep an eye on them (one seems indestructible anyway, it was hit by lightning before I moved here, was felled but a main branch speared into the ground and the whole thing seems to survive via that branch which now seems to be the main trunk. The original trunk has rotted away. As you can imagine it's a slightly unusually shaped apple tree and I was told by the previous elderly owner to say to it each year "Produce apples and you can stay, stop and you'll have to go!" And I do. And it does! I've an aerial picture of the site taken in 1972 when it was a big tree.... now it's more of an apple hedge!

I hope you do your arbour idea, sounds relaxing. I've several benches (in various states of decay) around the garden but I never get to sit on them, they just get used for boxes, pots, tools.... "oh must just do that", "oh why's that doing that?", "where did those weeds come?" etc. Think I might invest in a hammock and a blindfold.

Best wishes.... bb

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I'm sorry that you've had to hoof out your acer, BB, but wot with that and your apple tree/hedge, you've not done brill on the arborial front.....

....call me a sentimental old biddy, but would you consider planting another tree somewhere else in exchange for the acer you've got shot of......? If all else fails, consider sponsoring a 'plant a tree' via The Woodland Trust?

Makes you feel kinda 'good' don't it???

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Hazel
www.hazelandjanesallotment.blogspot.com
update Sat 15/11/2008......there's gold in them thar...compost bins!......

hi H

Yes I know what you mean but hope I’m ahead on that front… unfortunately haven’t got a forest (wish I did!) but the not-an-acer is the only ornamental I’ve lost and I’ve planted 4 other not-acers, and 4 fruit trees have met their end and I’ve planted (including 2 nuts) 10 – so it’s getting a mite crowded . North Notts was traditionally a fruit growing area, particularly apples (home of the Bramley?) – there was even a railway network that only operated in the autumn to transport the harvest, now long gone though some of the orchards remain. Guess the invasion of the EU apple and restrictions on sweated child labour have changed the economy to something more mixed (plus too many power stations, duh!)

Talking of trees, can somebody in South Notts, North Leics area explain “The National Forest” concept because when I head south I go past large placards telling me I’m entering “The National Forest” which is noticeably marked by a complete absence of trees… Is this a long-term government initiative? I know our local Robin Hood’s Oak and Sherwood Forest is a bit disappointing to American visitors because it’s not quite on the scale of Yellowstone Park etc but it is there and Rob’s tree is, even if now propped up on a giant zimmer frame, alive and green and rather grand in a humble way…

bb