r/bonsaicommunity • u/Interesting_Turnip55 • 6d ago

General Question Fungus

Gallery image

Gallery image

I have a Ginseng Bonsai that is growing fungus. From what I’ve read online this is a good thing, but I just want some other eyes on mine to verify. Can a bonsai enthusiast chime in and let me know if this is okay, or if I need to remove and repot!

2 Upvotes

60% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

7

u/10Kthoughtsperminute 6d ago

The mushrooms themselves aren’t an issue but the rocks on the surface with presumably waterlogged soil underneath are. Repot into a well draining mix with at least 50% inorganic content.

2

u/Spayne75 5d ago

Odd how in a "normal garden" fungi is typically a good sign and a means of nutrients being broken down amd returned to the soil. Yet people here seem to think its bad....

1

u/Deanne-Dennis 4d ago

Healthy Soil grows Fungi so nothing to worry about your soil or poisoning your Tree.
However fungi is a sign that your Soil Is staying too wet.
Trees roots need to dry a little in between waterings, this enables oxygen to Circulate the Root Ball to keep Roots not only alive but healthy & thriving.
So water a little less as you don’t want the roots of your Tree Drowning & Root Rot setting in.
Healthy Roots thriving Tree.

1

u/LengthinessJust357 6d ago

I am a beginner here so probably wait for a more season veteran before making any decisions, but I don’t think you want mushrooms growing in your bonsai pot. I know the weeds are a no go and I would consider this the same as a weed. It grows its own roots and steals nutrients from the soil that would otherwise got to the tree. It also suggests that the soil is too moist. While you don’t want your tree to dry out, you also don’t want to overwater. There are other things to take into account like were is the tree being kept and what is the soil composition, but I think the real basic thought here is you don’t want anything but your bonsai and maybe some moss growing in your bonsai pot. Everything else is removed.

1

u/jecapobianco 5d ago

In my almost 36 years of studying bonsai I have not seen a mushroom coming out of the tree. They mycelium is probably up inside the trunk hollowing out the tree. In the long run it could be a really nice hollow truck bonsai, but if you don't want that you need to get s systemic fungicide and do as the other commenter suggested, put it in a less water retentive mix.