White smelly fungus killing perennials



Since late spring we’ve had a white smelly fungus killing the perennials stem by stem. It smells like nothing else! It appears on the surface of the soil and is also in the wooden sleepers making up the raised beds. Just recently the fungus on the sleepers has started growing into plaque-like growths rather than mushrooms. It appears in a few places in the garden but has so far taken perennials in just one bed as victims. They were achillea and echinacea. It is in the bed where the acer sits too but the acer seems so far unaffected. I’m also worried it’s spreading in the air in that a few other plants have a white powdery residue on them.


Any advice how to get rid. I have no clue.
Thanks,
Helen
Thanks,
Helen
0
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I guess it could be coincidence but it seems like it’s going from plant to plant killing each one as it goes.
If so, what did you use to fill the beds? If you've used something like a really rich manure-based mix it could be that the soil is too rich and poorly draining for the plants you've tried to grow.
How long have the plants been in? What sort of summer did you have (wet or dry?)
I'm wondering if there's too much manure / spent mushroom compost been used? That can produce a funny smelling mould and is probably not suitable for echinacea and achillea unless very well mixed with lots of garden soil and grit.
A couple of years ago I bought in a truck load of 'soil improver' which was a mix of mushroom compost and farmyard manure. It was well dug into a new border but - from the smell of it and the 'burning' of some of the new plants - it was clearly not properly 'matured' before being sold. At least it was reasonably well 'diluted' with garden soil. Two years on everything is good and it's lovely soil.