Not damaging, just reacting to the change in environment. The potting medium was probably inoculated at some point, with the spores.

I'd remove the mushrooms and dispose of them, but you are likely to see more of them pop up when the conditions are right.

Hi Esther,
Do you have ventilation in your glass? I agree w/Rhizo, the mushrooms won't harm the plant, but they may continue growing if given proper environment.
How much light is your plant getting?
Last summer, from all the rain we got here in IL, I found yellow mushrooms growing in my citrus pots..And they didn't have a glass dome or any other glass surrounding them..it was just really humid. I plucked them out and thankfully, they haven't returned..I don't even think these mushrooms are toxic. I wouldn't eat one, but I remember reading something that said they're harmless.
I'm glad hearing your Fittonia's doing better..all it took was some humidity, so not your fault. Isn't it a great feeling? Toni

Thanks Toni and Rhizo--the mushrooms actually shrivelled up and died by nightfall. They were kind of cute before they left, tho.

Toni, that's the problem. How great can ventilation possibly be if the plant's in the glass jar? Well, I'll see til those mushrooms return. It *does* feel nice when your plant improves... I had such a weird "gardening" day on Sunday--found the mushrooms, found out my aloe vera has some root rot (bad!) and then discovered that my venus flytrap is digesting a cockroach... gross! LOL.

Have a great week!
-Esther

Esther, the mushrooms weren't bad finding..it's just means that jar is humid..As for the Aloe, I'm sorry about that..can it be saved? Perhaps you can remove the rot, or if the plant has side shoots, try rooting those.
Yuck a roach..how gross for us, but I bet the flytrap enjoyed its dinner..LOL. Do you keep your Venus flytraps under glass too? I never had luck growing them for long..Toni

Hi Esther,

I'd take the whole thing out of the glass if it were mine. I've grown Fittonias just fine in plastic pots on top of pebble trays (as well as in Terrariums).

Since you think you're Aloe is A. vera, that's easy enough to replace, but if you'd like to save it & it doesn't have side growths as Toni suggests (or pups as they're called). I'd suggest the following: remove the Aloe from its mix completely, cut off any rotted, soft &/or mushy tissue. If it still holds together in a rosette, I'd place it dry, no mix at all standing up in a clay pot & leave it alone to dry out. DO NOT water at all, give it a month & see what happens. It may grow new roots on its own. Good luck!

Karen..I've a question for you..I notice you mentioned in several posts you don't water after repotting/working on Aloes..Is there a reason for this? Just curious..
Do you not water Aloes each time you repot? Thanks, Toni

Hi Toni and pirate girl,

I had the fittonia outside of glass up until recently, but when the heat's on in my apartment, it's devestatingly dry, and I don't have a humidifier for it just yet. It's growing pretty nicely, despite the shroomlings!

I'm actually confused about the aloe... it smells bad around the base, but I realized it's not the roots. The stem and leaves all look good, so I don't understand. Maybe aloes just don't smell very good? The roots are brown/white/ green, but nothing looks like it's rotting per se. Even the brown roots look strong, even tho every book says that healthy roots are white. I'm pretty new to plants (the fly trap is my big success, ironically). So maybe it's not rotted??? I just don't know.

Some days are so smooth with the plants... and some days it's so confusing, esp. for a newby like me.

Thanks for all your advice, guys!

-Esther

Esther, I know what you mean about dry air and Fittonias.
I can't envision the container you have this plant in though..does it have two parts? In other words, does it have a lid? If so, perhaps you can remove it a few hours each day..

I sniffed my Aloes but didn't notice any smell..Esther if the leaves look healthy, perhaps you've nothing to worry about. Are you allowing soil to dry between waterings? I was wondering if something, like a mouse, died in the soil, but if you dug it up and didn't see anything that's out.
How about pets? Do you have a cat/dog? If so, is there any chance they wee-weed in the soil?

It's amazing your Venus Flytrap is your biggest success..I've been growing plants forever and can't keep one..LOL.
LOL, Shrumlings..hehe
Anyway, did you find pups/side shoots on your Aloe? Toni

Toni, thanks for sniffing your aloes, LOL! That is an amazing image. Now all I have to do is eat my shroomlings and we'll have a very different kind of forum.

But thanks for the info re: healthy leaves. I guess I panicked. Other than my flytrap, I have no pets. Maybe a cockroach died in there ;-)

I don't use any lids. For the venus fly trap, I use a big glass "hurricane lamp" I bought at Michael's. It's supposed to be for candles, but it's wide enough to place my flytrap pot into, and still tall enough to maintain moisture. It's twice the height of the flytrap. I cover part of the top (about 3/4 of the way) with saran wrap.

I should take a picture of it this week in case I'm not making any sense.

Anyway, the key is lots of sunlight. And the bugs... My husband feeds them b/c while I delight in the grotesquery, I'm too cowardly to actually do the deed. We catch spiders/house flies, and he picks them up with tweezers and lowers them into the jaws... you won't believe how fast they shut. *shiver*

Anyway, no pups for my aloe! I think it's still too small (?) for one? I'm relieved to see that healthy leaves means no rot. I wonder why it smells bad. Maybe I smell bad! LOL.

Thanks for all!

:)
Esther

Hi Esther,
A sniffing and shrooming forum..lol...NOw that'd be different..LOL

I've seen VFT's eat bugs before but can't keep them alive..I should buy one next time I see one for sale..they come in plastic cups w/lids for 3.99 or so..Does yours keep producing new plants? How long have you had it? Do you fertilize?

Does your aloe still have an odor? Could you be coming down w/a cold/sinus/allergies? I'm hoping as long as it looks healthy, w/o rot, there shouldn't be any problems.

Keep an eye on it and see how it does..Toni

Hi All,

Otter, I saw your post abt this at C&S but since I aleady starting addressing it here, I'm going to stay on this thread abt it.

Aloes don't normally smell bad; while I didn't just do the sniff test, I do know this for a fact, I've got abt 10 diff. kinds of Aloes & for a time I dated a pretty devoted Aloe collector.

If they smell at all it's from the leaves & have a sort of 'Aloey' smell like the Aloe vera gel used for burns & such.

I'm suspicious abt this smell thing, it's not normal. Could any pets have peed in the pot?

I'd take it out of all that mix, scrape off every last bit of that mix, change pots or sterilize the one you've got if you have to reuse it (either w/ bleach solution as you know is suggested, or I just use hot soapy water w/ dishsoap, if plastic pot you could sterilize w/ boiling water). Bad smell makes me think rot, are the brown roots firm to the touch or dry & brittle? If dry & brittle, cut them all off, they're dead. If any are soft & mushy, that is rot, you'll need to cut it all off ASAP. How does the base of the plant feel (the bottom of the clump of leaves, where they all join), is that firm to the touch or soft & squishy?

Toni, your question abt watering or not watering Aloes. They're not houseplants, they're succulents, right? Whose defining feature is the ability to store water in their tissues. So, I often don't water them after repotting, 'cause I'd rather they focus all their efforts on re-establishing after the repot, rather than on absorbing water, which they won't need for a while, as they hold their own water reserves which they can live off of for some time.

Also, my watering Aloes depends on what I'm doing w/ them. If I'm re-rooting them as I might do in the case of the stinking plant above, or if they've lost their roots & I'm re-rooting them (as I'm doing w/ a tiny Aloe desconsii right now), I leave them unwatered, in this case (the desconsii), the rosette is just perched on top of some mix, not pushed in, I want it to make contact w/ the mix, but am not watering it as this little plant has no roots whatsoever right now. Watering Succulents which have no roots is a quick ride to rot &/or death. The soil stays wet as the plant has no roots w/ which to absorb it, often resulting in the base of the rosette rotting.

What I suggested above abt standing up the Aloe dry in a clay pot to re-root, I learned from the Aloe collecting Ex. I saw him do this often, esp. w/ plants he'd separated, if they had no roots, or if they'd lost their roots. This same technique can be used w/ Crassula ovata (ordinary Jades), I've seen them left like this for several months, w/ neither mix nor watering & they DO root after a while. Once the roots are established, then they can be potted up & watered in.

Bedtime here, good night & Good Luck w/ it Otter.

Hey pirate girl and Toni,

Thanks for the info re: the aloe. I did what you suggested. How should healthy roots feel? The brown ones were a little brittle, but they also had green ends (about 1cm long). The base of the stem also feels pretty firm. The leaves are super healthy looking. I repotted (into the same pot sterilized), and the plant, while wobbly from all the abuse, looks healthy. I have no idea. I'm hoping I misjudged. I can't explain the smell, esp. since I haven't got pets.

Toni, a great website is http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq2000.html

It's very funny, and has an entire FAQ on venus flytraps, and another on carnivorous plants in general. Don't fertilize your flytrap, b/c the bugs serve as fertilizer. Provided you keep feeding it (I usually give it one bug at a time, wait for it to finish digesting before I give it another one), it will keep growing new traps. I've had mine since July (?). It hasn't entered dormancy yet... so I'll let you know if it dies then, LOL. There will go my big success.

For $3.99, it's worth it just for the fast growth. During its growing stage, you can practically watch the progress--there's a change everyday. Very satisfying.

Thank you both for your well wishes and advice! :) I love it here now more than before!

-Esther

Hi Esther,
I'll check out the website..thanks.
I find it most interesting how the traps devour a bug..amazing isn't it?
I've talked to ppl who fed their traps ground beef but dont know if that's good for traps or not.
I've also read, each trap can eat up to 6 bugs before their death..I'm just wondering if traps are in a humid environment, if they'll continue growing. I'd have to try it first-hand. You know?

I hope your Aloe makes it. Follow PG's advice..Thank God I don't have problems growing Aloes..in fact, most are in pots w/o drainage and several yrs old, no rot, but that's probably because I really let the soil dry out, and only fertilize twice a yr in summer.

Good luck on both plants..Esther, do you grow plants other than these two? Toni

Hey Toni,

What a loaded question. I have way more plants than an inexperienced newby like me should. I also just moved into a new apartment which will provide me a dubious winter... probably really hot and dry, and deathly for the plants. Egad. Anyway, I've got two crotons, a banana and a regular (?), a pachira I rescued from my mom who doesn't believe in sunlight, a new little agave, a buttonfern and a small assortment of sedums, echeverias and cacti. And the aloe, venus flytrap, fittonia.

I'm all over the place--some plants love humidity, some don't. Some needs tons of water, some don't... wish me luck this winter. I have no idea what I'll do about dormancy because probably the whole apartment will be heated except for the fire escape!

How about you? I'll bet you have a wonderful collection.

There's something really sensuous and fun about plants... I'm so glad I got into it. Even the weird moments (like inexplicable stenches and mushrooms) are rewarding.

:) I'll get off my soapbox now.

-Esther

Esther, yes you have your hands full, especially with the banana. They REQUIRE humidity. I'd be misting it daily for sure..CAn you buy a humidifer? They're really helpful..not only for plants but people too. Buying one for the health of people is a great excuse buying one for plants..LOL
Yes, I have a ton of plants..400. Everything from tropicals, succulents, and cactus. No flytraps though. My speical plants are citrus, hibiscus, and gardenias..those are my true love, and lately I've really been getting into various Crown of Thorns and Madagascar Palm cactus. I even started several from seeds. Wish me luck since this isn't the best time of yr to sow seeds.
I have my hands full too, believe me. LOL. But they're enjoyable and keep me out of trouble.
The only plants I'm looking to buy now is a tree azalea and another Crown of Thorns from a local nursery..we'll see..Plants are just fun..Toni

Hey Toni, Happy Thanksgiving! I spent a few days at my in-laws--so no computer access, but plenty of food to make up for it.

400 plants--wow. And my husband thinks I'm crazy. ;-) We finally got a humidifier, so hopefully my previous plant problems will go away.

Hope you're having a lovely holiday... It's officially COLD in NY, after a long Indian summer/global warming. Good luck on flytraps if you decide to try them! At 3.99, they're a pretty good deal. And more luck on your seeds!

:)
Esther