Question
Hello!
I recently received 2 bromeliad plants and one of them have A LOT of mushrooms growing out of it. The mushrooms have relatively small, fuzzy-looking brown caps and white stalks that are about as wide as the caps. Some een have a fluffy, white fuzz growing off of it.  

While I have found a number of sites that talk about a different type of mushroom that is bright yellow or white, I have not found anything talking about the particular mushroom that is growing on my plant. Are there certain mushrooms that are actually harmful to the plant/my breathing space? Should I just get rid of the plant? (I have many friends who say that they throw away plants that have fungus growing on them).

It is rather unsightly, but I would keep the plant if I know that they are not harmful.

I will send a photo of the plant and fungus shortly.

Thank you so much!
-Stacey

Answer
Hi Stacey,

Thanks for emailing the photos.

There are thousands of different kinds mushrooms or fungi. They are harmless to your plant and to you unless you eat them or have specific mold allergies.

No need to discard your Bromeliads. Scrape off the mushrooms and remove loose surrounding soil. Do this repeatedly as new ones pop up and eventually you may get rid of them all. There are also fungicides that can be applied as a drench to the soil, if you want to go that route.

Another alternative is to remove most of the soil and the web of fungal roots in the potting soil and replace it with fresh potting mix that is very porous.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions. I

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Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

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