I let the soil just be slightly damp and watered once a week. It’s outside and it’s been wiliting (the less wilted side I just finished propagating and put in) it’s giving way too much moisture, maybe from the humidity outside? I wanted to put it indoors but it was doing so poorly inside that I thought being on the deck would help. It gets indirect light most of the day and then some evening direct light.
by frivolusfrog
16 Comments
Leucocoprinus birnbaumii. The soil may be too moist if so many are growing through the drainage holes.
The soil may feel slightly damp at the top but I’m betting its soaking wet at the bottom of the pot. I’d highly recommend getting a cheap moisture meter off amazon so you can check the moisture levels deeper down in the pot. Guarantee you’re overwatering.
Seal the top, turn it upside down, enjoy your new fungal colony!
This would have made my day, but I’m easily entertained.
The mushrooms themselves aren’t bad, the problem is that they’re blocking the drainage holes. Monstera doesn’t need very wet soil so it’s probably looking sad because it’s too wet. If root rot has already set in it will take a lot of work to save it. You can get an antifungal soul treatment which will help with root rot and probably also stop the mushroom growth. For now just pull the mushrooms out and let the soil dry out for a bit if it’s really wet.
I would count that as a huge win
Pot. Remove all rotted tissue, anything brown and mushy, until only firm healthy roots remain. Now that you have a healthy system look at the size of the rootball. Your pot should be wanted 2 inches larger than the rootball. Substrate should be about 40% chunky grit. Substrate should meet or almost meet the lip of the pot. Wait a few days to water it so that the wounds caused by removing rotted tissue and caused by the task of repotting in general have time to callus. To water plant properly, absolutely drenched the substrate, allowing the excess to flow out the drainage hole(s) at the bottom of the pot. watering should be completed when the top 2 to 3 inches is bone dry. You can test this by sticking your finger into the substrate and if it comes out absolutely clean and dry, not even tacky, then it’s time to water.
this is a combination of too dense of substrate and too frequent watering.
I get these when I water my audrey ficus, but it’s super healthy and growing on a 3 season porch. Is it okay if the mushroom fruits when I water? I let it get pretty dry between watering, like 2-3 weeks (it’s in a massive pot).
Honestly I would want to keep those mushrooms more than the monstera if that happened to me
I thought….Alien Eggs….ooooh, pretty.
I got these in a bunch of my pots too!
its way ,way overpotted .the plant isn’t using the excess moisture in the soil leading to root rot .The only way to save it is put it in a much smaller pot ,and lay off the watering .I learned a long time ago these plants ,as do most indoor plants, do much better near root bound
The pot may be too big
Those are the biggest mushrooms I’ve ever seen lol. But yea repot. I use home made aroid mix. Half orchid bark mixed with large perlite charcoal I use the better grow orchid mix with those 3 in it if I’m being lazy. Other half I use rinsed or ph balanced cococoir bricks. I toss some pon in the mix too. You want soiless and chunky. It should dry out in a few days and the water should run through easy. Check the roots. Trim any brown soggy bits. Treat for pests if you see any.
I’m going to bet that the automatic watering glass you’ve got in the soil is your issue. The soil should not be staying damp between watering – this is contributing to soil density and I’m also betting that your plant is on its way to rotting from the roots up.
In a garden, fruiting bodies (mushrooms) are a good external indicator of a healthy mycelium and diverse soil microbiome. Rotting organic material like dead plant matter, exoskeletons & other animal bodies, etc. are essential to this balance, and mushrooms are simply a visible indicator of the incredible abundance in soil! But an abundance of rot and subsequently the presence of mushrooms in a potted plant is usually not preferred by people.
Outdoors, plants reach a beautiful equilibrium of life (growth) and death (rot) – in potted plants we are controlling the micro-microbiome ourselves a lot more; we remove dead leaves, balk at the sight of mould, and kill off “pests”. Absolutely nothing wrong with this – it makes sense when we want a more controlled, less stinky indoor plant experience.
Physical signs of rot such as fruiting bodies, mould, and detritivores are not themselves reasons to panic or go into kill-mode – perfectly normal in a healthy, diverse soil – but it is a sign that something is rotting, and that rot is moist and anaerobic. It is probably dead and dying root matter, and the abundance of moisture from that glass auto-waterer is keeping the area moist, dense, and therefore warm. Ideal conditions for mycelium! Not so ideal for the owner of the dying plant.
Rot is a perfect incubator for pathogens which colonise (disease) healthy plant tissue. Some of the leaves have started to yellow – these will not turn green again, and will either stay yellow or progress to brown and die off.
Your best bet to save the plant from further rot is to remove it completely, wash all roots and gently massage off signs of rot (slimy, brown, stinky tissue). You might even like to use a sterile blade to cut a little into healthy roots too as a buffer. Repot into fresh (see: mushroom and rot-free) store-bought soil. All this stress makes for a weakened plant, and it may not be able to sustain all its leaves, especially if its root system gets wounded (cut) in the process. It may have to sacrifice its leaves in order to survive.
Monstera are tough. You can cut it back to a mangled stump and it will (most likely) regrow eventually.
Sorry this was a bit jumbled, I just woke up. To summarise: your plant is unlikely to bounce back to its previous self. This is probably because the moisture and density of soil led to anaerobic conditions, leading to rot, and likely disease. Repot now and sacrifice leaves to preserve its weakened energy, and it will regrow. I hope this is helpful!
This is just personal experience so this might be different for everyone else. I water every between 2-3 weeks, sometimes up to a month. I let the soil almost completely dry out. I stick a skewer in right to the bottom and if only the tip comes up with soil attached then I water.