I am new here also, but I have also loved gardening, birds, photography, writing, and anything to do with the outdoors. Perhaps we can have something possitive to share with all you oldies, LOL! I would love to be a part of this group and would appreciate any feedback you can give on any of my articles.. Thank you.

Greetings to both of you. I've been a gardener and plant lover for more than four decades. I love to share my knowledge about gardening and different types of plants with others, and hope that in the process, that my writing encourages people who doubt that they can grow things, that anyone can be successful. 

As the root manager of the home and garden channel, I oversee the sub-channels within this channel and the sub-channel managers. If either of you have questions about specific articles, you are more than welcome to contact me with specific URLs to articles. 

As for rating, we do not choose what we are given to rate. When you write articles to any given channel, once the article is submitted, you are then directed to a pair of articles to rate. Helium is overhauling the payment plan, so until you both get some experience and writing stars, you may find that what you are able to write to is limited. If you find articles while looking around on the site, and you think you'd like to write to them, I'd recommend that you keep a running list of things you'd like to write to. What I do is copy and paste the URLs into a Google Docs document or any other word processing document. I then use the strike through feature to mark them off after writing to them. 

Take some time to read the articles of other people. Once you see how experienced writers tackle a title, you will get a sense of what is expected. If you are ever uncertain as to what is meant by a title, don't write to it until you can get clarification -- either through staff by writing to content@helium.com or by contacting the channel manager who oversees the channel where that title is posted. By not writing to titles that seem vague or ambiguous, you will be able to protect yourself against the possibility that your article will be deleted. 

Remember too, that anything you write must be original and can't be posted anywhere else for one year from the date on which the article was posted. 

Again, welcome! The flower photo we used for this group is one that was taken of one of my Rose of Sharon blooms. My husband took the picture. I'm in Texas and love the longer growing season we have here -- even though this past winter was miserably harsh and I lost a lot of wonderful plants and flowers. 

Susan Klatz Beal

Root Channel  Manager, Home and Garden, Community Editor (EAB) and Title Seeder 

Any mushroom growers here? I have a shiitake mushroom log. Right now, I have green mould growing on it I'm trying to get rid of by daily applications of peroxide and gently rubbing it off. I use Q-Tips for this. The mold doesn't hurt the mycelium (white stuff the mushrooms grow out of) or log, and won't harm humans. However, it is kind of gross. After I get it off, I am supposed to soak the log and then put it in the fridge 12 hrs, then keep it in a dark place till I see the mushrooms. Anyone have any tips for getting rid of the green mould faster?

Meanwhile, I do have a few gardening articles for you to read and lots of other cool stuff!

I appreciate any input any of you have for me.

Erin

I suspect that green stuff is moss, and it commonly grows on trees, so it's not surprising that it would grow on a log. Mushrooms are fungus, so I doubt that what you are seeing is any kind of mold. I wouldn't use hydrogen peroxide because you may kill good bacteria that can help the mushrooms grow. In the future, if you need an organic fungicide, look for NEEM oil or agricultural grade corn meal (not gluten.) I wrote an article about using corn meal as a as a fungicide some time ago.

Susan Klatz Beal

Channel  Manager , Home and Garden, Community Editor (EAB)

Where would I find the stuff you mentioned? Are they expensive? I have never heard of either of them. I have tried to avoid getting any on the mycelium for fear of damaging it, although a professional mushroom grower told me not to worry about it. Will moss damage the log ot the mushrooms? My dilemma is this: I'd like to get rid of the moss, but after I do I need to soak the log again- moss enjoys a damp environment. To further enlighten you on what I have been told, see the following link: http://shitakemushroomlog.com/care&handling.html

I would just leave the moss alone. I suspect it's an indication that the environment your mushrooms are growing in is ideal. Besides, it's very common to see moss growing up the bark of trees. Where I live, that's not the norm because we're in the thick of a devastating drought, and the temperatures are as hot as 100 degrees F.

You can find NEEM oil at garden centers. My local grocery store used to carry a product made by a company called Garden Safe. The product is a 3-in-1 Fungicide, Miticide and Insecticide, and the active ingredient is NEEM oil. There are many places on the Internet that sell it as well. I like it because it's completely organic and non-toxic. I use it on tropical plants that provide nectar for hummingbirds.

As for corn meal, if you have an agricultural supply store anywhere near you, you can buy it there, and it will be pretty cheap that way since they sell it in bulk. Otherwise, you can buy food grade corn meal at the supermarket. It's usually sold in 1 or 2 pound bags and costs around $1 or not much more. Be sure that if you purchase it from the supermarket, that you are buying corn meal, not corn gluten meal. The difference is hugs. I used it on my brugmansias because they are known to get fungal problems. Unfortunately, it wasn't disease that killed the plants, it was a horribly cold winter with record breaking temperatures that are not normal for Texas. So, the temperatures were too cold for a plant that is normally hardy here.

Susan Klatz Beal

Channel  Manager , Home and Garden, Community Editor (EAB)

I tend to agree that hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol could be a problem for good fungus, although it doesn't seem to do it alot of harm (but works pretty slowly on the moss, anyway- I've been trying to get rid of it for about 10 days). I like your cornmeal idea. Should I dilute it first and then apply it to the mossy areas?

I'm furthee bothered by the fact that my log is flaking a bit-  I really don't want to hurt it (it's an oak log, btw)

The mushroom farmer advised me to 1. Get rid of the green mold (probably he said this mostly because it bothered me so much- after all, it won't harm the mushrooms)

AFTERWARDS:

1. Soak in room temperature water for 24 hrs.

2. Give log a light tap with hammer at both ends.

3. Put in plastic bag, tying the ends shut.

4. Put in fridge for several days.

5. Untie and put in a sealed, dark cupboard box for a week (in a room)

6. Open box (should see mushrooms)

Repeat every 2 weeks.

The good news is, not only do I see white mycelium, but also small raised white fuzzy dots- these are the mushrooms starting. Now I wonder somewhat if I should give my log a soak (1) and do steps 2-6, or just soak and then put in the sealed, dark place, or what? I certainlt don't want to hurt it by letting it dry out. On the other hand, maybe if it has green moss it has enough water? I had been giving it some water daily until I got really determined to try to get the moss off. I would like to keep the white mycelium healthy while avoiding a complete moss infestation- hopefully moss won't eventually rot the log? The log is supposed to last 3-5 yrs.

 I live is NS. Here, you can put the log outside in a shady area during summer. It would definitely stay moist, because we typically get LOTS of rain! I have a forsythia bush that would give part shade, apple trees that would give more. So far, I prefer inside where I can control conditions better.

If I sound a bit desperate, I am a bit. I have veggie and flower gardens, but apart from recent research, I know little about mushrooms/mushroom growing. I just really enjoy eating them!! (button, portabello, and would like to eat more gourmet but not pay a whole lot for the privilege!!!!) Thank you for your help.

I wouldn't be surprised if the log is flaking because of the peroxide. It may be drying it out. I don't know anything about growing mushrooms. In fact, I don't eat them either -- I kind of have a thing about fungus -- and the texture just grosses me out. (I do, ironically, eat shitakes in vegetable spring rolls -- but that's because the taste is concealed by a lot of cilantro.)

When you use corn meal as a fungicide, you don't do anything but sprinkle it on the soil or on the plant. I wouldnt' use it on your mushrooms because it's a fungicide, and it might kill them.

The information I found was about a study that was done at a branch of Texas A&M University. The thing that prompted the study was the fact that when farmers planted corn where they had grown peanuts the previous year, the next time peanuts were planted, they didn't get the usual fungus that kills them. The theory was that the fact that the corn provided a fungicide that stayed in the soil after the harvest. So, they decided to try corn meal on other things, and it proved to be successful.

In the past, I had a huge vegetable garden and had lettuce, peas, haricots verts, all sorts of colored sweet peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, spinach, Brussels sprouts, leeks, zucchini and tons of other stuff. We're living in an apartment, and unfortunately, the landlord isn't real appreciative of my growing stuff - even though it makes the place look better. It's also too hot here for lots of stuff, and since we're in a drought, the difficulty is compounded. I feel for the farmers who may lose millions of dollars this year if we don't get some drenching rains soon.

Susan Klatz Beal

Channel  Manager , Home and Garden, Community Editor (EAB)

Do you mind my asking what haricots verts are? I've been a gardener for years but have never heard of them.

They are green beans -- small tender French green beans that are sold in gourmet specialty stores and often in the frozen vegetable department. They're very delicate and tasty. I grow them because they typically cost about $6 to buy in a grocery store when they're available in the fresh produce section. Patty Pan squash is another gourmet vegetable that's super expensive to buy. They cost about $7.99 a pound - and not much less on sale. They are like zucchini, but they are small, round and scalloped. My mom slices them and sautes them in olive oil with shallots and/or onions.

Susan Klatz Beal

Channel  Manager , Home and Garden, Community Editor (EAB)