Question
ive read several websites on these mushrooms that have all of a sudden appeared in my avacado tree pot.  it is a small tree only a couple of feet tall and there is parsley growing at its base.   the mushrooms just started to appear.  i read one site that said they are poisonous, and another that said they arent unless you eat a dozen, i read one that said they just appear because the spore lands there, and some that say its because my plant was too big for the pot.  im wondering if there is a true answer or if its just like any other mushroom.  leave it alone and dont eat it.  some sites say they wont hurt my plants but some say i should get them out of the pot.   im so confused.  does anyone really know what they are talking about?

Answer
Christie,

Whether it is a mushroom that is edible or a toadstool that is not it is a fungus. I would not try to eat it unless I was absolutely sure it is edible. As for it hurting your tree, it will not hurt your tree by itself but it indicates that your tree is in poor soil or you are keeping your tree too wet. The spores could have come in and landed there or the spores could have been in the soil and sprouted when the conditions became perfect. Mushrooms/toadstools like an acidic wet soil so if the plant is being overwatered they will be very happy but your tree and your parsley will start deteriorating soon.

I would remove the culprits and lightly spray the soil with Lysol spray holding the can at least a foot away from the soil That will kill any fungal spores on the surface of the soil. Then I would adopt the following watering practices to improve the health of the parsley and the tree. When you water it an hour later you need to empty the excess water out of the drain tray so the plant is not sitting in a tray full of water. Then do not water the plant again until you insert a bamboo shish kabob skewer into the soil and it is dry at least half way down and the plant feels light weight.

If the plant has been in the same pot since it was first planted and is so top heavy it is falling over it is definitely time to repot it. It should not need repotted until the tree is at least 3 times taller than the pots width. In other words if it is in a 6 inch pot and it is 18 inches tall it is probably time to consider moving it to an 8 inch pot. Especially if you can remove it from the pot and see nothing but roots and not have the root ball fall apart. Do not move it to a pot more than 2 inches larger than the old pot. If you repot it you should you the cheapest potting soil you can find and buy a bag of perlite and mix 3 parts of potting soil to 2 parts of perlite. That will give you a light soil mix that will not easily support mushrooms or toadstools. If you have more questions feel free to write again. Good luck.

Darlene