There are various types of fungi that will decay living tissue on your tree. Each month I shall be highlighting one, with a photo and brief summary.
Not all fungi decay live wood, some only live off dead wood. Decay Fungi can, by their very nature make a tree unsafe through weakening the roots, branches and stems of a tree.
Hopefully this blog will provide you with the tools to monitor your tree for decay fungi and call upon an expert for a detailed inspection if need be.
Honey Fungus or Boot Lace Fungus – (Armillaria species)
Common on deciduous and coniferous trees, there are two types of this disease.
This is a very dangerous fungus that can cause rapid decay to trees and also widespread tree loss. Usually a tree infected by this disease is prone to wind-throw, ductile fracture, root fracture, and in rare cases stem failure due to the fungus decaying the heart wood.
There is no method of control and normally infected trees would be recommended to be removed.
The fungus appears annually, usually late autumn.
The Fungus produces a white substance under the decayed bark called Mycelium.
The fungus spreads through the soil using it’s own root system this is called Rhizomorphs, this root system looks like boot lace hence the name Boot Lace Fungus (see photo below).
The fungus grows around the base of trees.