what is this "white fungus" ?

Can anyone help me identify a white fungus that has "grown" on my wooden edging border and has also appeared on some wooden stepping stones. It is now attacking the base of my azalae. It also looks like "strands" in the soil and has spread exceptionally quickly. It has rotted away the wood and is also clinging to grass that was next to the wooden border. It looks a bit like "bracket" fungus but I'm not sure since it is also in the soil. I have dug out and removed the affected wood, soil and grass. How else can I treat the area and prevent recurrence?

 

Sorry can't help - but I do hope someone else can. Sounds quite destructive.

 

many thanks for replying. Yes, it is very destructive. My poor plants are suffering - as well as me! I really do need some help. I do not feel happy at the prospect of digging up and removing plants in an area that is 20 feet long and 6 feet wide!

 

Sal - you can't dig it out. Its just not possible. I don't know of a fungus that attacks wooden steps and live plants. Wooden steps, boards and decking are always a problem and a bad mistake in our climate - despite harmful pressure sprays with fungicides and preservatives. I suggest that you remove all of the woodwork and burn it. That should clear up the fungus problem too.

 

Some photos would help. It might not be a fungus and it might be that it is not directly responsible for the ill health of your Azaleas. It seems to be travelling over things, there are just too many different 'hosts' for it to be an obvious pathogen.

 

I'm having difficulty trying to add some photos since I'm not a computer expert! I prefer to stick to gardening! I have been to quite a few garden centres now and the general opinion appears to be that it is a fungus of some sort, but no one has seen it before. I have removed all of the wood and affected plants. I have put some of the "white stuff" in a container and applied diluted Jeyes disinfectant to see what happens. I have dug up two azalae plants and you can see the strands all around the root ball area. The "white stuff" attaches to wood (my wooden edging border) and also attaches to any roots in the borders. I am going to persevere and find out what this is, since I do not want it to destroy my beautiful garden.

Thank you to everyone for their efforts.

 

Suggestions - why not contact Kew, and see what they think it is?

 

honey fungus ,,do the strands in the soil look like bootlaces

 

I think it is quite normal for a whitish fungus to appear on decaying wood. I thought honey fungus had black strands or am I mistaken? I see a lot of fungus around in the woods - it is a natural process fro breaking down wood and I get quite a bit in my garden. There are old tree roots and stumps. Some of them look very interesting and quite bizarre sometimes.

 

yes, "honey fungus = black bootlaces" is the first thought...

 

Have a look at this:-
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles1100/honey_fungus.asp
- and also google for pictures of the toadstools. Honey fungus has round tan coloured toadstools, not brackets, I do hope you haven't got this very destructive fungus.

 

Sounds as if you have one of the many infections collective known as 'wet rot' They attack dead timber in wet conditions and are part of the normal decay process. If it is also attacking your azealeas it could be that they are badly stressed already and any dead wood has been invaded. It wouldn't normally affect healthy growing plants.

 

Sal- i too have found a white fungus in my soil in different areas of veg. patch but it never seems to do any harm. I noticed it in soil close to a tree and the hedge. It resembles a white hair like structure

 

I had isolated patches of white fungus growing in my veggie plots and near my fruit trees, about 6" across. I used Armillatox at 200/1 to sterilize the soil and this seems to have got rid of it.

 

This is sals daughter, she will reply to all of you very soon but she has been very busy lately. i thought id post a picture of the 'white fungus'