Have you noticed a yellow mushroom in your potted plants at home before? This is not something out of the ordinary, and many people wonder the same thing every day. Instead of freaking out and ripping them out, it is time you learn a little more about these mushrooms, what they are, and why they grow in your houseplants.
Here are the 8 facts to know about the yellow mushroom
Fact #1: These mushrooms are called Leucocoprinus birnbaumii
The vast majority of yellow mushrooms growing in houseplants, are known as Leucocoprinus birnbaumii, or formerly Lepiota lutea. Some people refer to them as plant pot dapperling or flowerpot parasol.
Fact #2: These mushrooms are not food
These yellow mushrooms are inedible, but the level of toxicity is not understood. No matter how tempted you are, do not try to eat them, or cook with them, as you may suffer from poisoning.
Fact #3: Yellow mushrooms grow as a result of contaminated soil
While you may not know it at first, when you begin seeing yellow mushrooms in your pot, it is a sign that the soil is contaminated. Mushroom spores infect the soil and then get sold in packages. Your soil was likely contaminated from the start, but you had no way of knowing.
To avoid mushrooms from growing, make sure you know exactly where your soil is coming from. Still, even reputable farms or factories sell contaminated ingredients, and thus, these mushrooms will appear at some point or another.
Fact #4: There are certain things to look out for
Identify a yellow mushroom by their bright to pale yellow color that is visible throughout the mushroom, including the inside. The cap is also about two inches tall and has an oval shape that may become more of a bell as it matures.
The stalk is a few inches tall and has a ring around it, but this ring may disappear. Even though this is a gilled mushroom, these do not attach to the stem.
Fact #5: This yellow mushroom is saprotrophic
A saprotrophic mushroom feeds off decaying or dead organic matter. That means that your mushroom feeds on the dead roots, decaying potting material, and insects. After they feed on these materials, they release them back into the soil so that your plant can use them for nourishment.
Fact #6: You do not have to remove them from your plant
As you see, your plant is safe with this mushroom around it, so leave it where it grows. As long as you do not eat the mushrooms, and no one at home does either, then your mushroom can stay safe and sound.
However, in some cases, the spores from this mushroom can travel to other plants and infect those too. Soon enough, you will have yellow mushrooms in every potted plant around the house. If you do not want your kids or pets to accidentally ingest these mushrooms, you should remove them.
Fact #7: Be sure to remove the mushrooms safely before discarding
To remove your yellow mushrooms, there are a few tips to follow as well. Start by taking the plant out of the house. You can then pick off all the mushrooms from the base and top the soil with new potting mix. In some cases, the fungus may have already infected the soil below, and growth can occur again. Finally, you can attempt to replace all soil. Remove the plant and get as much dirt off the roots as you can. Be careful not to rip off any roots or stress your plant too much.
Fact #8: If there is no danger, your plant will do better with the mushroom in it
We are all tempted to get rid of mushrooms at first, particularly because we tend to assume that they are slowly killing our plants. In this case, though, you may do more harm if you try to get rid of these yellow mushrooms without care.
Even when you are careful, the Leucocoprinus birnbaumii may grow time and time again. Unfortunately, these mushrooms are settled deep into the soil and plant, so they can prove difficult to get rid of. Even more so, when you attempt to clean your plant, you can cause irreparable damage, which may also lead to mushroom growth again.
If you are afraid of kids or pets eating the mushrooms, try finding a higher ground instead, or placing the plants in areas that are hard to get to. Sometimes this is easier said than done, which may mean you have to get rid of your plant altogether for everyone’s sake.
A little yellow mushroom never hurt anybody!
You now know everything there is to know about yellow mushrooms. Do not despair if you happen to notice them in your potted plant at one point, but do remember to keep them away from kids and pets!
