Whats this fan shaped fungus growing out of the stumps and is it toxic?

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

Hi all again, I've got another (probably stupid) question that Im curious about....

My wife went up to our little Stumptown (aka our homestead)last week and said that there was loads of off-white fan shaped fungus with a brown underside growing out from almost all of the stumps left from when we cleared a field for the house and garden. Usually the local moose will eat anything they can get to and the fact that this stuff has been left alone leads me to believe that its toxic, Im worried that our (eventual) livestock will eat this stuff and kill them. Does anybody know what it is?

By the way, anybody got any ideas on how to get rid of all these blasted stumps, I was hoping that they would rot fairly quickly, but Ann says they're still solid and arent rotting hardly at all, I sprinkled bacterial stuff that I got from Eagle hardware thats supposed to rot stumps quickly on them after I cut the trees down but it doesnt seem to be working. I cant really afford to have a bulldozer come up and tear them out and if I tried to pull them out myself I think I'd rip the bumper off of my truck in no time.

Any ideas?

Thanks

-- Dave (AK) (daveh@ecosse.net), June 06, 2000

Answers

Dave, I live in the NW and all around town there are signs advertising stump grinding and removal. I don't know how expensive it is but you wouldn't waste money by calling around. Good luck.

-- Amber (ambrosia75@wa.freei.net), June 06, 2000.

Dave, perhaps your stuff DID work. What you describe sounds like "conch", also known as "shelf fungus". It is the fruiting body of a fungus which is living on the wood inside the stump. Out here in Oregon, it is often present, even on living Douglas Fir trees, where a lot of conch is indicative of a defect in the timber value of the wood called "white speck".

Can't say if it's poisonous or not. Never particularly heard that it is, though.

JOJ

-- jumpoff joe (jumpoff@echoweb.net), June 06, 2000.


Dave, stuff just doesn't rot as quickly in Alaska. The cold weather keeps the beneficial organisms that cause decay down below optimum levels. (The good side to this is that your house should last longer!) The stuff you put on the stumps may help, but will take time. I don't think livestock will eat the fungus -- the only time I've seen fungus that were chewed on, they were edible varieties, which leads me to believe that animals are better than we are about telling the difference. However, if your animals are well fed, I think they will leave even the edible fungus alone -- it's not their first choice of feed. Can you get ahold of someone with a bulldozer? That's really the only quick way to get rid of the stumps. A good operator will be able to push the stumps up in a pile for you to burn, without damaging the soil too much, and you would be surprised at how much they can accomplish in a day, so it shouldn't cost too much. Or, set a pile of brush on fire, on top of each stump, but that's a slow way to get rid of them if you have many stumps. And you would have to stay right there, or risk a wildfire. Also, some people we knew at Delta Junction when I was growing up burned off some land, and the fire went into the very peaty soil and smouldered there for years. I would check prices on the bulldozer, personally -- I think it would only cost about $200 for a day, and you might be able to trade work with the operator?

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), June 07, 2000.

Dave, I won't even try guessing which particular fungus you've got, but it is a good sign. Rotting stumps out takes years.

You might check into stump grinders. Depending on where you live, you might be able to rent one yourself and do it. I've got one and it is a riot to use. In my area, having someone comes in and do it costs $1.50-2.00 per inch, measured across the widest part of the stump.

Even cheaper solutions are to drill a bunch of holes in the stump and add salt, nothing, or probably the stuff you've already used. You could also try building a hot compost pile around it. If you have a lot of time, pick a stump and whenever you have the time, go out and dig and hack at the roots. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), June 07, 2000.


Hi, Dave. I can't identify your fungus, and there are thousands of possiblilities to be growing on damp, dead wood. Your eventual livestock will probably not be interested in it, but prefer green things. I recall someone telling me that in Minnesota, a dead stump banked with compost will take about seven years to decompose.

-- Rachel (rldk@hotmail.com), June 07, 2000.


They are shelf or crust fungus. There are 36 common types in North America. Hard to tell what it is without more info. As for eating them:
I don't recommend eating them unless you know exactly what they are.

-- rich (pntbeldyk@wirefire.com), June 07, 2000.

Thanks for all the answers, I'm going to look into the stump grinding, it sounds like its my most economical solution without having to worry about a forest fire.

As far as the fungus.. Thank you Rick for your answer! Now I wont worry about it poisoning the livestock.

By the way.. how did you make your letters large and red? I thought this forum only accepted straight ASCII without any HTML formatting..

-- Dave (AK) (daveh@ecosse.net), June 07, 2000.


Can't be sure, but I THINK you are dealing with Oyster Mushrooms. They generally grow from hardwoods, and are most generally fond of "POPPLE", a local name for a variety of aspen. Quite succelent and tasty. But, never try a "wild" mushroom unless you or a trusted friend can identify it. There are a lot of good wild mushrooms, and there are ever so much more delicious than what you will find in the market. Best advice? Find someone who eats what he (OK- She) finds. Get educated! I know what wild stuff I will eat, and there is nothing better (around here) than a "Lobster" mushroom. I gather and eat them. Maggie figures that "You are just not dying from those poisonous mushrooms so I will try them!" Find an expert! Once you do - the taste of the supermarket mushrooms will make you retch!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), June 07, 2000.

If you can get some dynamited you could blow the stumps or use "farmers dynamite", ammonia nitrate & diesel fuel. Keep in mind that when you get rid of those stumps that you will have some big holes to fill. Homesteaders in the past, (19th century) who had neither the money or the equipment, (teams of horses) left the stumps and grazed or cropped around them until eventually the rotted away, I have done that and seen it done in Mississippi as recent as 30 years ago.

-- Hendo (redgate@echoweb.net), June 08, 2000.

Now that "farmers dynamite" sounds interesting (at least for the stumps that are farther away from the house).... cheap and I get the added bonus of getting to blow things up (whoo-hoo! always was kind of a pyro!)

Wife will probably freak though, I'd swear she thinks I intentionally try to kill myself on a regular basis.

What kind of ratio of fertilizer to diesel is there and how much will be needed to blow up an average stump (average in little stumptown anyway.. about 18 to 24 inches across)

As far as the fungus goes, I wouldnt think of eating it, just my luck that it'd kill me. As long as it doesnt kill my (someday) goats I'll be happy.

Thanks again!

-- Dave (AK) (daveh@ecosse.net), June 08, 2000.



Stump removers,,, Pigs. Dig small holes around base of stumps,, throw some corn in and let the pigs go to it... they will up-root those stumps in no time. :O)

-- Bergere (autumnhaus@aol.com), June 08, 2000.

Dave, my hubby & I took a mushroom identifying class, And the first & last thing our teacher taught us was, if you aren't sure what it is DO NOT EAT IT! We love to mushroom hunt! And being a vegetarain, we have really enjoyed those wonderful mushrooms! We have kind of yellow ones that grow like that in Ks. we call chicken mushrooms--boy are they good!!! But please do not eat unless you are sure what it is! But if--you find a mushroomer--who can show you in a book & identify it for you & it is a good one---oh! try it!!! You will become hooked-- am I right other mushroomers??? Sonda in Ks.

-- Sonda (sgbruce@birch.net), June 08, 2000.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ