Fungi Ideas, Tips & Guides

Dog food that is expired or stale can be used to transform the infertile soil. It is rich in nutrients that are known to boost plant growth. To multiply the effects of this dog food fertilizer, you can add clay cat litter and alfalfa pellets.

Rusts are fungi that will not kill their hosts, although they sure make them suffer. There is even a term for pathogens that require living hosts: biotrophs (in contrast to necrotrophs, pathogens that kill their host and live off the dead tissue).Think Gloria Gaynor – your plants will survive! However, repeated infections of this pat

Do you know that a dose of sweet can do wonders for the growth of your plants? Put a Tablespoon of Sugar in Your Planting Hole and See This Happen!

Our botanist, Yannis Christophides, was endlessly patient as we kept asking him to identify orchids that we had already seen several times. I came away confident that I could accurately identify four of the over fifty orchids that grow in Cyprus – the Naked Man orchid (no mistaking that one), Orchis anatolica, Giant Orchid and Serapia, but beyond that there are so many tiny variations in colour, pattern and shape of each small flower that I was seldom entirely confident. The orchids are more discriminating though – in particular, Yannis described their sex life which is complex and specific. To achieve pollination each species of orchid must attract its own unique insect by exuding a pheromone that only that insect responds to – sometimes from over a kilometre away. Once pollinated, the seed must be infected with a particular myccorhizal fungi for it to germinate. Evolution does result in some extraordinary processes. Sadly, there

Cinnamon is a well-known spice, popular for its uses in cooking, but did you know that it can also be beneficial for plants? Cinnamon dust, made from ground cinnamon, can be used in gardening to help plants grow and thrive. In this article, we will explore the Cinnamon Dust Benefits for Plants.

Coinciding nicely with my foraging ventures in the garden, the publishers, Green Books, invited me to a fungay foray in deepest Kent to launch their latest book – Edible Mushrooms by Geoff Dann (a licensed forager). We soon adjusted our ideas of setting off home at the end of the day with baskets laden with cepes and chanterelles when Geoff told us he had scouted the foraging area and there was hardly anything to be found – apparently it is a very late year. The foraging took place i

A Mutually Beneficial Relationship Since I began working with Carbon Gold, trialling their biochar products (and contributing to their website as The Charlady) I have begun to appreciate and understand just how important mycorrhizal fungi are to plants. They create a microscopic web that provides the vital conduit that exchanges nutrients from the soil for carbon from the plants.

Using untreated timber for your DIY tasks or construction work in your garden could cause damage to your external fixtures, such as ruining your decking, fencing or outer walls. 

If you are an ardent fan of white flowers (bracts), peace lilies must be on your bucket list. Whereas the plant is hardy indoors and requires little care to thrive, the flowering grabs much of your attention with uncertain results. So we’ve got this detailed article to help you on How to Get Peace Lilies to Bloom!

Fungi are a common problem in gardens and plantations, causing various diseases that can affect the health and growth of beloved plants. To help you combat the problem, we have the Best Homemade DIY Fungicide Recipes for Plants in this article!

Fish heads go to waste in most homes. However, you should think twice before tossing it into a waste bin next time, as there are many Fish Head Benefits for Plants. Surprised? Read on to know more!

Mushrooms grow in all sorts of places associated with waste: fungi can grow on paper, on cardboard, sawdust everywhere. Their coincident growth is rather a different thing, but the fact is that growing mushrooms is difficult. You can’t grow them in ordinary garden soil. Organic materials on which mushrooms grow are called mushroom substrates and used coffee grounds work well for this purpose because they are cohesive and already been sterilized during the brewing process.

Peppermint plant is a hybrid between watermint (Mentha aquatica) and spearmint (M. spicata). It has a strong sweetish fragrance and leaves a cool aftertaste when consumed orally. Growing it is similar to other mint varieties.Peppermint oil has many culinary, cosmetic, medicinal, and odorous uses. But do you know you can use it in the garden as well? Find out some of the best Peppermint Oil Uses in this post!

Growing Psilocybin or Magic mushrooms is easy if you take care of the humidity and moisture by providing favorable conditions. Let’s look at How to Grow Magic Mushrooms and learn everything about Harvesting Magic Mushrooms. 

If you want dramatic foliage on your plant, then here are 7 incredible tips on How to Get Split Leaves on Monstera. Keep reading!

Earthworms are tube-shaped worms, belonging to the genus of the annelids. Approximately 700 different types of earthworms exist worldwide. They live in the soil and help in increasing the amount of air and water into it. Earthworms are an important part of the terrestrial ecosystem, acting as little engineers, turning over and aerating the soil. They provide key assistance to gardeners, especially farmers as they act as compost-dwellers. What earthworms eat, they leave that behind in the form of feces, which is valuable fertilizer.

Chrysanthemums are tough plants that are known for being maintenance-free, and it’s hard to even imagine them dying from some disease.So when they start to look a bit sad and wilty, it’s easy to ass

You know how snake plants are super forgiving and simple to care for?They’re just as easy to pro

Chrysanthemums have earned their reputation as tough, maintenance-free flowers for the home garden and they’re extremely popular for this reason.If you want bright color without a lot of work or worry a

There’s nothing quite like the boldness of a tropical garden oasis. With their lush leaves and long-blooming flowers, canna lilies are a popular choice for gardeners to include in these spaces.Canna lilies are water-loving plants that thrive i

You head outside to enjoy your garden when you spot it: something has turned your beautiful camellias into a terrible scene straight out of a horror movie.The leaves of your shrub are totally bla

With their delicate flowers and lacy foliage, you might assume that bleeding hearts are super fragile and prone to diseases. But, as the saying goes, you can’t judge a book by its cover, and these plants are actually surprisingly resilient.In general, they’re just not bothered by insect pests, dis

The Canna genus is the only genus belonging to the Cannaceae family of plants. It contains over 30 species.Often called canna lilies, they are neither lilies nor l

While the name Phytophthora might not mean much to you, these organisms are a menace to agriculture and forests alike.The name is derived from Greek and tells you what you need to know about them:  p

There are some weird and absurd ways in which you can make sure that your plants get all the required nutrition they need–to be healthy. One of them is using pasta water! Surprised? Here is Why You Should Use Leftover Pasta Water on Your Plants.

Plants can benefit from a lot of things, and coffee is one of them. Surprised? Don’t be! We have some of the best Coffee Uses in the Garden to help you out!

Here’s all you need to know about How to Kill Plant Fungus with Baking Soda to make sure your green friends are safe from the issues of clubroot, black spot, blight, rust, downy and powdery mildew.

According to the Botanic Gardens Conservation International, there are around 60,065 species of trees around the world! The researchers also found that 300 of these varieties are on the verge of extinction. Here’s one variety you must read about.

As a child growing up in Delaware, I was always fascinated by agapanthus, a plant I was only familiar with from ogling books filled with pretty pictures of different flowers.I still vividly remember my excitement on m

It is hard to believe that mushrooms are the fleshy fruit bodies of several species of fungi. While some people find it eerie to eat these fungi, many others consider them an absolute treat.

In my opinion, there is no greater satisfaction than planting your own seeds and watching them grow into little baby seedlings.More than just being a magical process to watc

If you love mushrooms and have always been fascinated by the way they grow, it’s time to take the next step and grow your own.Foraging for mushrooms in the wild is fun, exciting,

Plants are weird and wonderful. Some days they look picture perfect and other times they look decidedly… wrong.Sometimes the problem is a branch that is growing

Smut fungi, or Ustilaginomycetes, are parasites that infect plants with teliospores that enter plant tissue, and have the ability to overwinter and return from year to year. They are known as “true” smuts.There are approximately 1,400 species that blight mainly ce

Are you frustrated with trying to figure out why your lettuce seedlings are dying?It’s so aggravating! They looked perfectly fine

To begin, you will be happy to learn that few diseases affect Bergeniaspp.In fact, members of this genus are widely studied