How to I kill mushrooms growing out of rotting tree stump?
by
Jodie Plato
+3
Several years ago we cut down a large pecan tree that was towering over our house that had lost 2 limbs during a storm, which damaged our home. Over 3 years ago, I chopped the the stump down the ground level, dug out 5 ft around it, then chopped down a foot at the shallowist level to 3ft or so at the deepest. I chopped out half of the root system. But couldn't get it all out. I planted an above ground flower bed and last year these huge clusters of mushrooms began growing and taking over the roots of the flowers and then the flowers and plants. I have tried digging them out, but they only came back. I removed all the flowers and plants and dug down and chopped the stumb and roots another foot. I wasn't able to finish removing the stump due to a medical condition. Within 2 weeks the remaining stump became covered in mushrooms. I applied fungicide, but it has helped much. Do you have any recommendations?
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Have you tried nitrogen ? They make it for lawns and garden but for this it would kill what has grown and keep more from growing.
Enjoy them. They are an asset to soil.
I would think that the mushrooms are beneficial to the decaying process of the stump. Sounds like your spending an awful lot of time and energy on something that will take care of itself over time without you lifting a finger!
Get rid of the stump and you will get rid of the mushrooms...
Begin by gathering a few supplies: a drill with a large bit or an ax, Epsom salt, water, wax, a tarp, and a shovel. Proceed to drill several 1-inch-wide holes in the stump's surface, including its aerial roots, ensuring each hole is placed at a distance of at least three to four inches. While six holes are sufficient, bigger stumps may require more. Ensure you drill down to around eight inches to allow for deeper salt penetration. Alternatively, you may use an ax to make hollows in the tree stump. Next, directly pour Epsom salt ¾ of the way up in the drilled holes and fill the rest with water to keep the salt moist. Then, plug the holes with wax. Additionally, cover the trunk remnant with a non-porous tarp to minimize rain and sun exposure so that the roots do not sprout again and the salt does its job of rotting the stump. Repeat the procedure every three weeks until the stump is dead, and dig it out using a shovel.
If you don't wish to strain yourself by drilling holes, you can use the soaking method to remove a tree stump. In a bucket, combine Epsom salt and water in a 1:2 ratio. Generally, soaking a single tree base requires two gallons of water and one gallon of salt. Pour this solution all over the tree stump and its largest exposed roots. After drenching the stump, cover it with an opaque tarp or a plastic sheet, and add a layer of mulch on top to weigh it down. You can also sprinkle a nitrogen-rich fertilizer around the tree trunk's base to further boost its breakdown. Repeat this method at least once a week and chip away at the wood as it decomposes. Finally, pull out all the stump remnants, especially the root system, when it completely dries out. After disposing of the stump, you can repurpose the space by adding soil and sowing grass or flower seeds.
Hi Jodie, the mushrooms are working on breaking down the old wood back into the soil. They will go away once their work is done.