Honey fungus, also called white-rot root disease, is the most destructive fungal disease in Britain’s gardens. It is the common name for a number of distinct species of the Armillaria fungus, of which there are seven in the UK. It spreads underground and attacks and kills the roots of many woody and perennial plants, predominantly ‘stressed’ trees.
Sometimes, in autumn, you will see honey-coloured or tea stained mushrooms on infected stumps, as well. The other commonly seen symptom of this fungus are the mycelial threads, which are black bootlace-like rhizomorphs which are found between the bark and the wood, typically at ground level.
This fungus affects and attacks trees, shrubs, woody climbers and, less commonly, woody herbaceous perennials. It grows on living trees as well as dead and decaying woody material. It spreads via rhizomorphs at the rate of around 1m a year.
What is a Honey Fungus Treatment?
Chemicals alone are not enough in honey fungus treatment. If its presence is confirmed, excavating, and destroying all the infected root and stump material is the only effective remedy. Tree stump removal services and taking away other woody material like roots from the soil, for example by tree stump grinding, prevents honey fungus. That is because it destroys the rhizomorphs’ food base, and they cannot grow in the soil once separated from the infected material.
At the same time, you can encourage healthy growth of woody plants in your garden by putting right any drainage problems and via proper feeding and mulching. Generally Honey Fungus only takes hold when the tree or woody shrub is ‘stressed’ or dying.
So, it is often best to destroy any stumps of all dead or dying woody plants once you know you are up against honey fungus. If you cannot remove a tree stump for any reason, a contractor should grind or chip it.
Tree Stump Grinding for Honey Fungus Cases
At StumpBusters, we help a wide range of clients from domestic customers to golf courses, developers, large estates, local government, and more. What is more, we have been in the business for more than 30 years, so you can be confident in the service we provide.
We have seen thousands of cases of honey fungus over the years, and so are ideally placed to advise on this issue.
We have all sizes of stump grinders which means we can gain unrivalled access and can provide a cost-effective stump removal service, especially in comparison to tree surgeons.
Finally, because we are the only UK-wide network, you can have great confidence when it comes to using our services as we have high standards of service all our operators adhere to.
Find your Local StumpBusters Professional!
We provide our stump grinding and removal services nationally, thanks to our group of professionals working in locations across the UK. If you think you may have a tree stump or woody shrub affected by honey fungus, talk to us before you talk to anyone else. Identify your local StumpBuster today – and ask us for a free stump grinding or removal quote.