I just had one Page tree die, apparently from Phytophora according to our extension agent. My container grown Key Lime also had a fungus problem, mainly on the stem about a foot above the graft, so I cut off almost all of the stem above the graft, leaving just a few inches of the stem, washed and trimmed the roots a bit, and re-potted it in a mix of CHC and potting soil.

I keep the CHC in a 30 gallon plastic tub, so I can rinse it every so often. Anyhow, when I started shovelling out the CHC to make up some potting mix, it was covered in fungal mycelium. Has anyone else had this occur? Any idea if it is a problem fungus that is going to kill citrus?

I have 70+ trees in CHC's and for the last four years or so, I have seen from time to time a yellow colored "mycelium"??? type of growth on the CHC's. I have never had it analized to actually see what it is, but it has never caused any problems at all to my trees. For all I know it might even be benefical. Is yours a yellow coloration? If you ever identify it let me know. Thanks. - Millet

if you Wikipedia-search Coir, it talks about the bio-softening of it. they soak the whole husks in bacterial solutions to well, soften the fibers.

Id think the pH of CHCs would limit the types of garbage that can sucessfully grow on them.

Sorry you lost a plant tolumnia

OH! youre an orchid. cool. neat name, and i finally Googled it.

The mycelium is white, and I will take it to the plant pathology lab tomorow and get an ID on it. I will let you all know what I find out.

A yellow mycelium sounds like a slime mold probably. I have had them growing on other things in the past with no problem.

Tolumnia, now that you mention it being white, mine also might have actually been white. To tell you the truth I really did not pay that much attention to it, and have not looked for it for quite some time. I do seem to recall that it looked sort of like a thin layer or cottage cheese. I'll look again, now that the subject has come up, to see exactly what color it is. Garnetmonth yes, Tomumnia Orchids- come in just about every color imaginable. They are, or were, Oncdiums, but it believe that I have heard that they have been put into their own family "Tolumnia". They actually don't require watering very much at all, only misting. Millet

Millet, close about Tolumnia. The group of species, mainly from the Caribbean islands, is definitely separate from Oncidium. Chromosomal data, Tolumnias have 2N=42 or so, Oncidium 2N=56 mainly, as well as our molecular systematic data based on DNA sequencing, show that Tolumnia is quite separate from Oncidium. Tolumnia is actually closely related to the groups of species put in Psygmorchis, Erycina, and the "Mexican odontoglossums" also know as Rhynchostele.

For what it is worth, Tolumnia is a genus, not a family.

A lot of hybrids have been made with tolumnias, many really nice and showy.

A bit off topic however.

Tolumnia, I dug around in many of the CHC containers that my citrus are growing in and no longer see any of the fungal mycelium. The fungi seems to have completely disappeared. Abbout the Tolumnia Orchids, my "information" comes from a semi-orchid hobbiest and yours from a professional orchid votary. Thanks for the information. I wrote it down in my journal. - Millet

Millet:
When I transferred my W Murcott the sides of the wine barrel looked like this. It appears it is the same fungus you are talking about.

Benny, that is the same as I had, and must be what Tolumnia is talking about. He said that he will post back with the name of the fungi when the University identifies it. As I posted, there is no longer any sign of the fungi in my containers, nor did it ever cause any type of problem. I'm wating to hear from Tolumnia. He is very knowledgeable, especially strong in Orchids. - Millet

It did not bother my plants either.

What a relief. I discovered this in my orange jessamine last week. It is planted in CHCs. It was just as Millet describes, yellow, kind of a thin cottage cheese layer.

Unlike Millet, I was very bothered by it (cause I don't know better, and freak out over everything), and tried to remove as much as I could. I noticed it's only on the outside edge of the pot, not the center, and it was only one side of the pot.... was that the side facing the wall heater now? I can't recall now that I've rotated it.

Today, I looked, and there was maybe one tiny patch, it has now gone white and filamentous rather than cheesey, all the yellow is gone, and it seems ok. Glad to hear it's not detrimental.

Hi Gen, wondering if yours could be salt build up. I had a couple plants that had white stuff around outer edge of pot & when I flushed it, it went away.
I remember that it was kind of powdery and/or crystalized. Just my 2 cents worth.

Generally, you will not see the mycelium or build up thereof
of a Phytophthora form from a plant grown in a container.
You are far more likely to see the symptoms of a soil borne
Phytophthora in the plant, rather than on it. If anything the
Phytophthora, if the soil medium tests positive for it, came
from the soil or potting medium the plant originally had or
was grown in prior to your using the CHC.

Jim

Hi Patty,

I know what you are talking about, but it can't be that. It smells like fungi, bigtime. Even though I don't see it anymore, I still smell a musty odour. Granted, I need to put my nose right in the soil though.

The jessamine is blooming and growing a lot right now. Doing much better than last winter.