Mushroom Problem Solved

Mar 31, 2010 2 Replies

I grow shiitake mushrooms on oak logs in my basement. Last week, I noticed two small mushrooms budding on one of them. The next day, one was larger but the other was gone. A couple of days later, I noticed that the cap of the mushroom seemed to be deformed or missing on one side. The next day, more was gone, and finally, there was just the stalk. I wondered if mice were eating my mushrooms, but our two cats have access to the basement all day and night, so I doubted if it were mice.



The next day, when I went to water them, I noticed something strange on the stalk; it was a slug who was eating the stalk. That slug must have eaten the cap a little at a time each day. I'll put some slug bait under the shelves, out of reach of the cats of course, and hope that solves the problem.



Paul


You need the active ingredient to be iron (ferric) phosphate , e.g. Sluggo, which is non-poisonous to mammals (iron + phosphate).

Thanks for the warning. My wife says she has some stuff that she uses in the greenhouse and she's very careful about what she puts out there. I'll double-check before I set it out, even though the mushroom garden is sealed off from the cats.

Paul

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