Is anyone else here fighting Armillaria mellea,  or Oak Root Rot Fungus? It’s very common here in the foothills of California were there were oak tree forests.   

One of the fig cuttings I recently received in the mail and tried to root with the plastic bag method became moldy at the bottom. It was a prized variety, so I put it deep in a one gallon pot of potting soil to see if I could save it. I watered/misted it too much because an armillaria mellea cap appeared yesterday next to the cutting.  I’m going to throw away the soil, the cutting, and sterilize the pot with a bleach solution.

My back yard is infected with the fungus, but not my front yard, so I have to be especially careful to use bought potting soil in pots for young and susceptible cuttings and plants. A local agricultural agent was wonderful in helping me diagnose and remedy the problem. It’s possible to live with oak root rot by sterilizing pots, using bought potting soil to start bare rooted plants, and growing sensitive plants in pots or raised beds at least one to two foot deep. Descanso Gardens is a good example of a place that has a thriving and beautiful landscape in spite of the “challenge” of an extensive Armillaria mellea infection, so it’s not an instant death sentence. Some plants thrive in the ground without a problem. The plant next to it will die back over a period of months until it’s completely dead. Uncovering the top roots for plants in the ground to allow for air circulation may or may not help.

Figs are more resistant to this infection since they thrive in dryer soil conditions, which is one of the reasons I want to grow fig trees. Agricultural research has specifically mentioned the Kadota and Mission fig as being resistant to this infection. This link might be helpful: https://www.mastergardeners.org/pdf/Armillaria-list-2008-06-16.pdf

Here is a picture of the cutting and the Armillaria mellea mushroom that appeared yesterday.
   

I have oak trees all over my property and have seen mushrooms like that. I did not know they were a problem. I don't know if I have seen them on or near any of my fruit trees.

I know you already confessed to over watering. It is very difficult to not over water with regular potting soil - especially for an unrooted cutting.

If the cutting is not completely rotten, I would give it another chance. Could you just cut off the rotten part and wash it in a diluted bleach solution? Then maybe even hit it with a little copper spray to fight the fungus. I would try it again in straight Perlite or maybe some damp coco coir.

I dunno. Maybe that fungus is nastier than I thought, but I would have a hard time putting down a prized cutting without giving it every chance I could.

You have to wash cutting with bleach water for 30 seconds before planting it and use coco coir or perlite or moss. No soil should be used to start a cutting. And only use alittle bit of water to moisture the soil. The soil should almost be dry. Moisture will form when closed in bag. Never use wet soil. Cutting need very little moisture to root
richie zone 8. From louisiana. PS WHILE IN CLOSED CONTAINER YOU WILL NOT NEED TO WATER

Thanks Richard. I only put the moldy cutting in the soil as a last ditch effort to save it before throwing it away.
    Do you lose some cuttings treating them with bleach water? What percentage bleach to water do you use?
    All my healthy cuttings go from the moist paper towel and baggie directly into a 50/50 coir /perlite mix. The plastic cups are on a raised wire rack (the kind of baking rack you put cookies on to cool) in a plastic file box on a heating mat. The soil temp is staying at 80 degrees. One of the cuttings is too tall to close the top on the box, so the plastic top is just sitting lightly on top of the box, allowing some ventilation.
   Now I'm glad I did the paper towel/plastic bag first, because the infected cutting could be spotted and removed to keep it from infecting the healthy cuttings.
 

That is not a Honey Mushroom. Their appearance is more similar to Shiitake, more robust. What you have found is commonly referred to as LBMs or little brown mushrooms, identifying them is best left to professionals, some are deadly poisonous.

Not to hijack the thread, but hoosierbanana ALL mushrooms scare me!  I've had many grow in potted figs outside, in the lawn, in random places..... "Stay away," is how I play!  I love mushrooms, but only the ones deemed safe by the grocery store.

@AltadenaMara, How is it that the oak fungus is only in your backyard?  We are also in the foothills of Southern California, but the only thing growing wild here is Manzanita and Pines.  No oaks.  Did I mention the tumbleweeds?  Don't think we have any fungus in our soil.  It's too dry here.  So your cutting came with fungus?  Maybe whoever sent it will replace it?  We have some nasty looking moss on the north side of some boulders, but it doesn't seem to bother anything.

Good luck!

Suzi

Hoosierbanana, I hope you’re right. I’m not a mushroom expert, but the mushroom in the picture looks more honey colored in real life than in the picture. That’s why I guessed it was Armillaria mellea, which has been a scourge in my yard ever since I planted a Quercus lobata or Valley Oak tree here over thirty years ago.

Suzi, here in Altadena we’re close to the canyons, streams and arroyos where there are a few oak groves. The arroyo is around ten blocks away with lots of oak trees, including Oak Grove Park, now called Hahamonga Park. The Native Americans used to come up the arroyo to gather acorns. 

The birds and/or rodents must bring acorns in and plant them, because I’ve had several of the scrub oak trees sprout along the fence line like weeds. My neighbor insisted it was illegal to chop them down, so there were several until a windstorm blew them over.  

Honey mushrooms are a potential fig tree killer. They do not discriminate very much. One easy way to tell if they have killed a tree is to look under the bark. Honey mushroom fungus appears black and ropy, very similar to plant roots.