What Does It Mean If Mushrooms Grow On Your Tree?
Mushrooms are a sign of rot, often seen growing on the ground or on dead wood. If mushrooms have recently appeared on the trunk of a living tree on your property, you'll need to know what this means and how to take care of the problem.
What does it mean if mushrooms grow on your tree?
Mushrooms are a fungus that attacks the tree's tissues and breaks down the tree's fibers. Mushrooms break down trees from the inside out, so by the time the mushrooms are visible on a living tree, this is an indication that the tree is sick and very likely dying. Eventually, mushrooms will cause the tree's roots and trunk to weaken. When this happens, your tree will be in danger of falling over, which may happen without warning.
What are some of the other signs that your tree is sick?
Sick trees often display many symptoms, including:
- Cankers. A canker is a wound on a tree. Cankers may appear in areas where branches have been lost, or they may appear on the trunk. A canker may be a raised area on the tree, or it may be a crack or pit in the tree's bark.
- Leafless branches. Trees that are sick may lose leaves on affected branches, or they may experience a thinning of leaves all over the crown of the tree.
- Loss of branches. Sick and weakened branches on the tree may fall off for no obvious reason.
- Leaning trunk. Most trees will lean, but the lean should not be pronounced. In addition, the lean of the trunk should not become more severe with time. If your tree seems to be leaning farther and farther over time, this is a sign that your tree is no longer balanced and that the roots are no longer anchoring the tree to the ground.
What should you do if mushrooms are growing on your tree?
If your tree has mushrooms growing on the trunk or is displaying some of the other symptoms of illness, contact a tree service like Smitty's Tree Service Inc in your area. Likely the tree will need to be cut down in order to avoid accidents on your property.
How can you prevent your tree from getting a fungus in the future?
Trees often become infected as a result of an injury. To prevent injuries in the future, keep your lawn mower away from trees when cutting your grass. If at any point your trees need to have branches removed, have a professional tree service cut the branches to ensure the pruning is done properly.