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Put the FUN in Fungus!

© Emily Levitt

Several years ago, one of the wettest summers on record poured through North Georgia. This summers' weather appears ready break the record set back then, at least in my garden. It's mildew mania out there.

High temperatures and humidity seem to be the order of the day in much of the Eastern United States this season. What can a gardener do when there is so little sunlight and so much steam? A trip to the to the library to become familiar with the 'fungus du jour' is always an option, or a cruise through the search engines can be enlightening. There's a lot of material on " fungi--friend or foe?" on the net.

During the previously mentioned sodden summer, the library kept my son busy with books featuring glossy pictures of all kinds of toadstools and mushrooms. The addition of a strong maginifiying glass enhanced the entertainment value of the world of spores. (Hey, it was loads cheaper than DisneyWorld, and had educational value---not to mention the perks that come with finding your own bugs.) The only rule we had was DO NOT EAT ANYTHING you find in the yard. Period.

The pictures flipping away, on the right, are edible morels (from Tom Volks' Fungus page) but there is little an amatuer can see to disitinguish this gourmet delight from other fugni you might find in your own wooded areas.

I was amazed by the sheer number and varieities of fungi in our one acre garden. The only drawback was the ability of some specimens to eat their way through the perennials.

I know, it sounds like a small thing, but there you are. Dead plant material --with the fresh price tags still in the potting shed-- did not make me happy. Out of absolute desperation, I tried a pre-emergent method , a systemic fugicide which had been recommended for use on peonies----copper sulphate dust. Barbara Allen, another Georgia Master Gardener who teaches a perennial gardening class, said that the simple application of ground up copper suphate crystals around the perimeter of emerging peonies would prevent blossom rot. It really did, and I went forth to use the dust on eveything which was susceptible to mildew or fungus.

I have used this method on all kinds of plants, with more success than I thought possible: chelone, monarda, Becky daisies, camellias, August Beauty gardenias. An application of about a tablespoon per linear yard, watered in well, seems to do the trick. Remove and destroy as much diseased material as you can before application. (Don't compost anything which shows evidence of disease.)

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