Not all the fungi you see in the garden are bad. Have you noticed unusual shapes, growths and bright colours amongst soil and leaf litter? There are the decomposers of the plant world, without them there would be little breaking down of organic matter in gardens and natural areas.

These are not harmful to plants and will be beneficial to the garden in the long term. The organic matter they are feeding on breaks down and is converted into nutrients in a form plants can absorb.

Usually the growths are harmless, being more of a nuisance than anything else and extensive growth can cause water repellent soil or mulch, preventing water reaching plants roots. Regular applications of wetting agent such as Seasol Super Soil Wetter & Conditioner will break down this growth and allow water to reach plants roots.

Smothering can be a problem with young seedlings. If this is detrimental to plants use a pitchfork to loosen the soil around the plants. In lawns sweep away fruiting bodies if they are unattractive. Otherwise enjoy these unusual growths in the garden, knowing they are working 24 hours a day to improve soils naturally.