These weird things sprang up in a pot with my elephant ear plant - should I be worried?

SPedigrees

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I wasn't quite sure where this thread belonged. I thought about putting it under "pests" but I'm not sure that's what these creepy things are. They look like little round seed pods. Does anyone know what they are?
WeirdThingsGrowingWithElephantEars2.JPG
 

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I wasn't quite sure where this thread belonged. I thought about putting it under "pests" but I'm not sure that's what these creepy things are. They look like little round seed pods. Does anyone know what they are?View attachment 42483

look like small mushrooms (aka the reproductive part of the fungi that is also down in the soil below there).

i'd not worry too much about it. mushrooms/fungi just break down organic material so it is likely there's plenty of it in that pot.

what i would read up on is how much nutrients that plant might need to make sure it has enough while sharing that space with the fungi. some plants don't need much so look it up before assuming anything about adding more, etc.
 

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Oh thanks Flowerbug! That's such a relief to know. I can live with mushrooms, and your point about making sure that both mushrooms and plant have enough fertilizer/nutrients is well taken. Directions for growing Elephant Ears called for very wet conditions, so I've been keeping it in a swamp-like habitat - not surprising that mushrooms would find the environment alluring.

I have a related question: I bought the bulbs for this plant from Home Depot. I normally eschew big box stores' plants, but I was unable to find these bulbs anywhere online. What are the odds that pesticides/herbicides are likely to emerge from this bulb into the plant that now calls my front porch home (at least for the remainder of this summer)?
 

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Oh thanks Flowerbug! That's such a relief to know. I can live with mushrooms, and your point about making sure that both mushrooms and plant have enough fertilizer/nutrients is well taken. Directions for growing Elephant Ears called for very wet conditions, so I've been keeping it in a swamp-like habitat - not surprising that mushrooms would find the environment alluring.

I have a related question: I bought the bulbs for this plant from Home Depot. I normally eschew big box stores' plants, but I was unable to find these bulbs anywhere online. What are the odds that pesticides/herbicides are likely to emerge from this bulb into the plant that now calls my front porch home (at least for the remainder of this summer)?

i'm not sure i understand the question? are you worried someone will spray it?
 

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@SPedigrees may be interested in using it as poi.

I would be disinclined to the first year, anyway. Unless it is sold as an edible plant, I'd suspect that there is no great restrictions on what it could have been treated with. Perhaps it is a common enough question that the nursery has a ready answer.

Do you have somewhere suitable for it through the winter?

Steve
 

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----"i'm not sure i understand the question? are you worried someone will spray it?"----

No, I'm worried about what it might have already been sprayed with, or grown with, or genetically manipulated (while, or before it was a bulb) that might kill insects or harm other critters that come in contact with it as a grown plant.

Typically I grow all my plants (flower & veg) from seeds that were organically produced, or from seeds I have saved myself, but this year I just wanted some lavish foliage and HD was the only place that seemed to be selling Elephant Ear bulbs. I hope it was safe to buy and plant them.
 

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----"i'm not sure i understand the question? are you worried someone will spray it?"----

No, I'm worried about what it might have already been sprayed with, or grown with, or genetically manipulated (while, or before it was a bulb) that might kill insects or harm other critters that come in contact with it as a grown plant.

Typically I grow all my plants (flower & veg) from seeds that were organically produced, or from seeds I have saved myself, but this year I just wanted some lavish foliage and HD was the only place that seemed to be selling Elephant Ear bulbs. I hope it was safe to buy and plant them.

oh, ok, i'd not worry too much. you're not going to eat it or eat the potting soil so i'd say there's very little you'd be exposed to. after some rains the leaves should be washed off and also any sunlight exposure tends to help degrade a lot of things so i'd kinda consider it a very low threat.

now if you go out there and lick the leaves and chew the stems and start slicing the bulb up and eating that then all bets are off - however, i think the most likely thing you might encounter from the leaves might be some dust and random bird poos.
 

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