A lot of people grow strawberries in their backyards because they love the fruit. It does happen, though, that strawberry plants get mushrooms growing on them without being asked. Do the mushrooms that look like they belong with the strawberries really pose a threat?
What Types of Mushrooms Grow in Strawberry Plants?
There are a few main species of mushrooms that tend to pop up in strawberry patches:
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These mushrooms have names like coprinus and shaggy mane. They have inky caps. At first, they are bell-shaped and have a clear cap. As they get older, they turn black “ink” and blend into the ground. They prefer disturbed ground and composting vegetation.
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Fairy ring mushrooms – Mushrooms like agaricus and marasmius form mushroom “fairy rings” – circular patterns growing outwards in the dirt. They indicate rich organic matter in the soil.
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Puffballs – Roundish mushrooms like lycoperdon and calvatia grow on the ground among plants. When stepped on or poked, they release a “puff” of spores.
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Coral fungi – Unusual branch- or fan-shaped mushrooms like clavarias can crop up, They resemble sea coral with their eccentric shapes,
Are Mushrooms Harmful to Strawberry Plants?
Mushrooms themselves do not damage or infect living strawberry plants. They are the fruiting bodies of fungi whose threadlike mycelium lives in the soil. The mushrooms serve to distribute the fungus’s spores to expand its network.
Most mushroom species found in gardens are saprotrophic – they feed on dead and decaying organic matter like fallen leaves and dead roots. Their role is to break down this material and release nutrients back into the soil.
A few mushroom types are mycorrhizal symbionts. They form cooperative relationships with plant roots, exchanging nutrients for sugars. Plants like strawberries often depend on these beneficial fungal partners to thrive.
The mushrooms are temporary seasonal structures. They do not steal nutrients away from the strawberry plants or competitively exclude them. In fact, their presence often signifies healthy, fertile soil.
When Are Mushrooms Problematic for Strawberries?
Mushrooms themselves are harmless. However, some may potentially signal underlying issues that could cause trouble:
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Too much water—mushrooms usually fruit after it rains a lot or when they get too much water. Standing water can lead to root rot in strawberries. Improve drainage if mushrooms constantly appear.
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Undecomposed organic matter – Materials like wood chips or mulch that are slow to break down can spawn mushrooms temporarily. Ensure mulch layers are thin and well-composted.
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Weak plants—Fungi may grow on strawberry plants that are stressed, damaged, or dying when they have the chance. Varieties susceptible to disease may also show more mushrooms. Boost plants’ vigor to limit fungal growth.
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Contaminated soil – Certain mushroom species only thrive on polluted or contaminated soils. Identify mushrooms carefully and test soil if they seem indicative of toxins.
Overall, occasional mushrooms in the strawberry patch are no cause for alarm. But if they become excessive or suspect, problems like poor drainage, compaction, or nutritional imbalances may need addressing.
Are Mushrooms Among Strawberries Safe to Eat?
This is the big question – can you still eat strawberries if they’re growing alongside mushrooms?
The short answer is yes, it is completely safe to consume strawberries with mushrooms growing among them.
As explained above, the mushrooms are not pathogenic to the plants. They are simply decomposing organic matter in the environment.
Here are a few tips for safely harvesting and eating strawberries with co-occurring mushrooms:
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Pick ripe, healthy strawberries as usual. Avoid any damaged, diseased, or overripe fruits.
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Carefully check for and remove any visible dirt, debris, or mushroom pieces adhering to the strawberries.
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Wash the strawberries thoroughly under running water before eating or cooking. This further removes potentially clinging spores or soil.
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Remove and discard the green caps and stems. Only eat the sweet red berry portions.
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Refrigerate soon after picking and eat within a few days for best quality and safety.
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Cooking strawberries into jams, baked goods, or other recipes further ensures safety. Heat deactivates any possible contaminants.
As long as basic kitchen hygiene practices are followed, there is no danger in eating strawberries alongside mushroom growth. The fungi pose zero risk of toxic, allergenic, or infectious contamination of the harvested fruits.
Tips for Managing Mushrooms in Strawberry Beds
If mushroom growth seems excessive, here are some tips to restore balance to the strawberry planting:
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Improve drainage – Add organic matter like compost to poorly draining soils. Install drainage ditches or gravel beds if needed.
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Aerate compacted soils – Till or loosen overly dense, compressed soils to allow gas exchange.
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Use raised beds – Planting strawberries in raised mounds improves drainage and reduces fungi.
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Water appropriately – Don’t overwater. Allow the soil surface to partially dry out between waterings.
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Use mulch judiciously – Apply only thin layers of well-rotted compost or grass clippings as mulch.
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Remove debris – Keep dead leaves, fallen fruits, and spent plants cleaned up to limit fungal food sources.
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Let soil rest – Rotating strawberry patches to new ground every 3+ years helps disrupt fungal life cycles.
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Grow resistant varieties – Choose strawberry cultivars bred for disease and pest resistance.
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Improve light exposure – Thin overly crowded berry plants and canopy trees/shrubs to increase sunlight.
With attentive soil and plant health management, mushrooms and strawberries can successfully coexist in the same garden space.
The Takeaway
Mushrooms frequently appear among strawberry plants due to their affinity for moist, organic-rich environments. While they may look out of place, the fungi do not harm the living plants. With proper harvesting and washing precautions, berries growing alongside mushrooms are perfectly safe to eat. A few management tweaks can minimize excessive fungal fruiting if desired. So don’t be alarmed by a mushroom or two cropping up in the strawberry patch!
Leather rot is a relatively common pathogenic fungus (Phytophthora cactorum) that can affect strawberries in any stage of development. It can infect green strawberries. It can infect ripe strawberries. And, it typically only causes minimal damage to commercial farmers. However, home gardeners can lose many strawberries to the fungus if care isn’t taken to avoid infection.
Infection of healthy fruit and subsequent brown spots on strawberries from leather rot typically happens during periods of wet weather. Rainy April, May, and June weather set the stage for infection. Spores of the fungus stay in the soil and can infect strawberries when it rains for a long time. If water remains in contact with fruit for an hour when the temperature is between 62 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit, infection is likely if spores are present. Brown spots on strawberries will come soon after infection as the pathogenic fungus sets up shop in your fruit.
Brown spots on strawberries are most easily seen on immature fruit. If the fruit is still green or white, the spots will be most visible. Ripe fruit can get leather rot also. However, the brown spots will not usually be as noticeable. Other times, the spot will be purple or just darker where the virus is, making the strawberry look sick. Usually, along with discoloration, there will be an odor and unpleasant taste in infected berries.
How to Prevent Brown Spots on Strawberries
Preventing leather rot infections is the key to harvesting healthy strawberries.
- The first and most important thing you need to do is find a well-drained spot for your strawberry bed. Good soil drainage prevents standing water. Since there is no standing water, it is hard for the fungus to stay on the strawberries long enough to infect them.
- Use a thick barrier mulch. Leather rot can’t spread if there is a good layer of clean straw on top. Clean straw help reduce or eliminate splash from rain. It can assist in drainage. It also keeps the strawberries from lying down on the ground, where the pathogenic fungus is.
- Avoid shade. Plant your strawberries in full sun to make it less likely that fungi will get in.
- Line up the rows so that they face the direction of the prevailing winds. More or less, most places get their weather from the same general direction. The fruit and leaves of your strawberry plants will dry out faster if you plant your rows that face the wind.
- Avoid excessively dense plantings. Make sure there is enough space between your strawberry plants so they can dry out. Also, using too much nitrogen fertilizer can lead to lots of plants growing too close together, which will shade the berries (see 2). above!) and create an environment conducive to infection.
- Pick fruit early. Every day as soon as the plants are dry, go pick! Taking the strawberries off as soon as possible during the day can help keep them from getting infections.
- Keep an eye out for strawberries with brown spots and take them off the tree. Strawberries with brown spots need to be taken out of the strawberry patch as soon as possible for the health of the other plants. Strawberries that have leather rot will spread the organism that causes it if they are left in the field.
- As a last approach, fungicides can be used.
Pay attention to your strawberries! If they get brown spots, cull them as soon as possible. Leather rot can be a pain in the neck. Fix as many things as you can that make your strawberry bed setup better for the fungus instead of worse for it. Good luck!.
Bortrytis fruit rot is a problem for strawberry growers all over the world. This ubiquitous fungus can attack fruit before or after harvest, transforming a beautiful red and juicy strawberry into an unappetizing and infectious mass of gray mold in just hours. Bortrytis fruit rot also attacks strawberry flowers. In conditions of relatively low temperatures, between 58 to 72° F (15 to 22° C), and high humidity, up to 80 percent of your crop can be lost to bortrytis fruit rot.
Bortrytis spores land on mature leaves and wait for them to die. As the leaf matures and begins to decay, the fungus produces spores that land in flowers. They may kill the flower outright, or land deep inside stamens where they lie dormant waiting for the fruit to form and start producing sugars. As the strawberry becomes sweeter, the fungi grow. The characteristic gray mold may become noticeable before or after the fruit is harvested.
One way to stop the growth of bortrytis on ripe strawberries is to chill them immediately after harvest. Waiting even an hour can give the fungus a chance to destroy the newly picked fruit. Strawberries need to be chilled to between 32 to 37° F (0 to 3° C) and held at those temperatures until just before they are eaten. If you see a moldy berry in a clamshell or a flat, remove it immediately to prevent contamination of all the other strawberries in the container.
If gray mold is a repeat problem in garden strawberries, try spacing them out so more air can circulate around the leaves and flowers, creating an environment in which mold cannot flourish. Or grow your strawberries in hanging baskets. If you are growing strawberries in a raised bed, plant them along the edges so their runners hang over the edge and get more air and sunshine. Remove “mummy berries” that can spread the fungus to other plants.
If you are growing your strawberries in a greenhouse, turn up the heat two to four times a week so your plants spend the night at about 77° F *(25° C). This will discourage the growth of the fungus. Make sure your fans are on a timer so there is adequate airflow over your crop.
Sometimes it is possible to fight fungi with beneficial bacteria. Sprays of Bacillus subtilis QST 713 (sold under the brand names Cease and Serenade). Streptomyces griseoviridis (sold under the brand name Mycostop), and Streptomyces lydicus WYEC 108 (sold under the brand name Actinovate AG) applied before any signs of Bortrytis infestation will help. So, will sprays of potassium bicarbonate keep the surface of leaves and flowers too alkaline for the growth of the fungus? The bacterial sprays and potassium bicarbonate are non-toxic and may be acceptable for organic certification. (Ask your agricultural extension agent for the exact details of regulations in your state or province.)
Commercial strawberry growers often attempt to control bortrytis gray mold with toxic chemical agents. The problem with trying poison gray mold is that it reproduces so often that mutations occur that it has the ability to resist fungicides. Among the fungicides that are unlikely to be helpful are fenhexamid (sold under the brand name Elevate), pyraclostrobin + boscalid (sold under the brand name Pristine), cyprodinil + fludioxonil (sold under the brand name Switch), and thiophanate-methyl (sold under the brand name Topsin). Your extension agent can help you find fungicides that are still effective against bortrytis gray mold in your area.
What To Do About MUSHROOMS In The Garden?
FAQ
How do I get rid of mushrooms in my strawberries?
Just brush the schrooms away with a hoe or rake. Put straw or mulch around the strawberries, please. You don’t want the fruit or leaves to touch the ground.
Should I remove mushrooms from my garden?
As an FYI- picking them out would do absolutely nothing. We only see the mushrooms because they are the fruit of the fungus. The fungus has a whole body under the ground. It would be akin to picking your tomatoes and thinking you’ve taken out the whole plant.
Do mushrooms indicate healthy soil?
Yes, mushrooms are often a sign of healthy soil with active microbial life. However, if they’re excessive, it may indicate too much moisture or decaying material.