LBM's.
I think LBM's have the largest variety of edible species.
(Probably not those though)
I'd say that if you're cactus soil is able to grow mushrooms, then their might be a problem.
Maybe just push the mulch away from the base of the cactus to be on the safe side.
If the cactus wants nutrients, it can still find it further out.
(LBM just stands for "little brown mushrooms". I don't know if that is an actual scientific term, or just a common nickname. So of course I'm just playing a little joke.)
P.S. they make organic fertilizer (or none organic. I don't guess it really matters) that is specially formulated for cactus, but I believe that they don't need much fertilizer compared to other plants. Although, I've toyed with the idea that all plants would do well to have decomposing wood around them for the essential roles mushrooms play in the life of plants. Maybe try inoculation with a drought resistant species. I also don't weed out the legume spices of weeds in any of my plants. They can only help. (Those little clovers in your picture are in the legume family. I'd let them stay)
P.S.S. if that's not mulch, and is actually the soil, then I don't know how you have gotten away with growing cactus in it. I guess it's okay, until it suddenly isn't. You don't want that much organic matter, just mainly sand with fillers for better drainage and a light, loose, consistency, but regardless, you would want to screen out any larger wood/bark pieces from any store bought bag style potting soil for use with any plant, because it's just a poor quality cheap filler, comprising 1/3 to 1/2 of the material usually found in commercial potting soil. It usually takes two to four years before it serves any real benefit to plants, and in the meantime it's doing them a disservice. The problem is that it will absorb nitrogen from the soil and not allow the plant to get at that nutrient for a couple years, and probably longer in a dry environment. Of course, after a couple years, wood material becomes highly beneficial because once it starts to be broken down, it starts to release that stored up nitrogen slowly, and at a steady rate that is a great, long lasting source of food for plants, while also retaining moisture and opening up spaces for oxygen as it breaks down, keeping the soil from becoming compacted, and providing a place for fungi to thrive. All these are desirable results.The more wood, the better. But the trick is to use wood that is already starting to decompose. Or an easier method is to use alot of solid wood (lots of it, and big pieces, but avoid cedar and conifer sources) and just use extra nitrogen fertilizer for a couple years, thereby creating ritch anaerobic compost, right where you are using it, and with the least amount of effort, while still providing for the needs of the plants growing in the spot. (I wouldn't recommend this method of preparing soil in your case with cactus. nitrogen isn't ideal for cactus, nether is decomposing organic matter).
For annual cactus care, I recommend mixing in worm castings sparingly (or well decomposed mulch) to the soil of established plants. Decomposing mulch is good, but don't pile it up around the base of the cactus. And remember, cactus are top feeders, so the roots are still in danger of rotting if the mulch stays wet for long periods. I try to find the widest, and shallowest clay type pots. Cactus are top heavy too, so that also would make sense, despite them liking the leg room to spread out roots along the surface, they also are less likely to tip over with a heavy wide pot. The terracotta also helps the well drained soil from drying out too quickly and will retain heat on cold nights and facilitate heat sink from the warmer ground and keep the plants warmer.
Any bark/wood that you screen out of your potting soil is good to use as a top dressing for other potted plants, but use it sparingly for cactus for an attractive covering. I like using a course pea gravel because it helps hold down the perlite so you don't see a bunch of white crap showing on the surface when it floats up to the top.
P.S.S.S your perlite is growing a small amount of algae, so that can't be a good sign. A homemade soil mixture is best, and I recommend a course sand (masonry/contractor, not beach or sandbox/ play sand, because of harmful eliminates), perlight, coconut coir, and screened potting soil or aged compost, and a small amount of worm castings and coffee grounds, and also a bed of gravel in the bottom of the pot for drainage and a thin decorative gravel topcoat in a wide shallow clay pot. Most commercial cactus soils used peat moss, and it's not an environmentally friendly resource, and coir has better characteristics for your application and is a sustainable industrial byproduct. I'm also considering using pumice in place of perlite because it won't float to the surface, like those ugly perlite fuckers, but still serves the same purpose, plus additional minerals that cactus like. You will probably have to look online to find a source though. Epsom salt mixed with water is an ideal fertilizer, but I would use it in addition to a store bought cactus fertilizer. They don't need much, if any fertilizer, applied only in the spring and fall, to grow well. Limit strong midday sun, they like heat though, and avoid low areas where frost might settle. Positioning them to receive morning sun is ideal for warming them early after a cold night. A southern exposure is ideal for the northern hemisphere, and light shade is best for midday and afternoon exposure, but they seem to handle full sun fine (in zone 8 areas at least). It's said that they tolerate cold, but anything more than the mildest frost, or shortest drop below freezing has been anywhere from detrimental to devastating to my cactus.
Feel free to bump this thread to a cultivation forum. I got carried away.
Mushrooms and cactus don't mix is all I'm saying.
Even if they do look amazing together 🙂
-------------------- Just take um like you get um. Those ephemeral spasms of infinity, in suspended animation, born across a boundless ether of existential misery aloft a revelry (of awe) for the abhorrently sublime.
Edited by Sub-Easy (07/15/23 11:13 AM)
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