What Type of Soil Does Fungus Like?

Mushrooms grow best in dim, damp places rich in dead organic matter.

The fungus kingdom includes a huge variety of organisms such as mushrooms, yeasts, mildew and molds that can grow just about anywhere, on just about anything. Mushrooms are the best known of the fungi because of their beauty and because some species are gourmet delights, while others are deadly poisonous. Most types grow in soil, but there's no single specific soil type that's best for mushrooms. However, there are specific environmental conditions that favor mushroom growth.

Growing Conditions

Since mushrooms and other fungi have no chlorophyll, mushrooms must absorb their nutrients from the dead organic matter where they grow. Mushrooms grow best in places that are dim, damp and rich in dead organic materials. For this reason, forests are one of the best places to find mushrooms.

Locations

Where to look for mushrooms depends on the type you are trying to find. Some only grow around certain species of trees; others only on fallen logs; still others only on fallen leaves, dung, mulch or compost. Some can tolerate sunlight while others shun it. Mushroom hunting guides can tell you the best environmental conditions for finding the mushrooms you are interested in. They also will tell you the best times of year to look for those specific types.

Organic Sources

Organic matter in soil comes mainly from the dead leaves, fruits, stems, limbs and trunks of plants and trees, and from dung and dead bodies of insects and animals. Fungi and bacteria eat this dead organic matter, breaking down the compounds of carbon and hydrogen into carbon dioxide and the acidic or mineral forms of nutrients such as nitrogen that the fungi, bacteria and green plants need to grow. In effect, they enrich the soil while feeding from it.

Mushrooms Are Fruit

The part of the mushrooms that is above ground is only one part of the entire organism, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service website. They are its fruiting bodies and their purpose is to spread the spores by which the fungal organism reproduces. The bulk of the organism is underground in the form of long, thin strands called hyphae that combine into thicker structures called mycelium. These structures collect the soil nutrients that sustain the entire fungal organism.

Types

There are three basic types of soil fungi. Saprophytic fungi, such as mushrooms, enrich soil by breaking hydrocarbons down into forms they and other organisms can use for growth. Mycorrhizal fungi colonize plant roots as symbiotes that take carbon from their host plant in return for bringing soil nutrients to the plant. Pathogenic fungi cause diseases that cripple or kill the infected plant or other organisms.

References

• Utah State University: Fun Fungi Facts/Mushrooms
• USDA Conservation Service: Soil Fungi