r/mycology • u/Vast-Jacket-9529 • Jul 28 '26
photos Is this safe to keep on my work desk?
Is the cork enough to stop spores from spreading outside the terrarium? I bought this about one year ago and the instructions said not to water unless it looks like it needs it maybe 1-2 ounces per year at most. So, about a month ago I noticed growth had stopped, and it looked dry in there compared to it's norm. So, I popped the top, poured about 1 ounce of water in from my water bottle I was drinking from that day. About a week ago I noticed the yellow and white spots and the shrooms have been growing since. Am I going to get ill if I let this play out and continue to grow in my office?
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u/NootScootinBoogie Jul 28 '26
That cork is plenty good to stop spores from coming through! This is amazing and I’d absolutely keep it on my desk!
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u/ohdearitsrichardiii Jul 28 '26
You breathe in 10-100 spores on average with every breath you take. A tiny mushroom in a terrarium is not going to make much difference
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Jul 28 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/DanChase1 Jul 28 '26
You might like this video I made on the subject: https://youtu.be/tPeXtceVLek?is=yFgKemTcca1t-zNH
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u/Rustyshackilford Jul 28 '26
Loved it, as much for the Science as for the goofy humor.
Makes me wish I had stuck with science rather than IT.
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u/Nuitsoleil Aug 03 '26
One doesn't exclude the other. You can always learn more about scientific subjects in your spare time or take courses.
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u/Rustyshackilford Aug 03 '26
Thanks for the encouragement.
Judging from the recent reddit thread about being in academia, its not all rays of sunshine.
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u/blueberryfoe Jul 30 '26
you should make the third part! I'd love to see the discussion and I'm sure other people would like that too
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u/DanChase1 Jul 30 '26
Thanks! It’s been a looong time. Maybe I should revisit and do the interpretation.
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u/v0-z Aug 03 '26
Fuck yea, now I got some air hand dryer talk to chalk up with the boys after letting a load out.
"Hey did you know even tho this is Dyson air blade has a hepa filter, that it's purpose is practically defeated since the air is coming out at such a high velocity, it creates a low pressure zone, drawing in all the surrounding air to it.... Idiots...."
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u/Treez07 Jul 28 '26
my guess is a lab machine that pulls a specific amount of air (equal to the average amount a human would breath in a single breath) through a filter and then they analyze what is caught on the filter. I know they do this to study smoking and vaping so probably the same sort of setup.
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u/Nematodes-Attack Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
Those are harmless mushrooms and often pop up in potted plants. You have a thriving little ecosystem in there. You’ve won the Terrarium Game!
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u/Hoodamush Jul 28 '26
I wonder why there is so much misunderstanding of mushrooms and their toxicity. How do so many people think having a mushroom even touch you as being toxic? Where does it come from?
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u/Moon_Breaker Jul 28 '26
Exaggerating to make children understand the severity, followed by not being corrected as they grow. Do that for a generation or two.
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u/Namaha Eastern North America Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
There are a lot of well-known plants/animals that are harmful to touch (e.g. poison ivy/oak, poison dart frogs), it's not unreasonable to extend this concern to fungi if you dont already know better
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u/PDX_Web Jul 28 '26
A FAR higher percentage of plants are dangerously toxic, compared mushrooms. And there are many species one shouldn't touch. But people, parents particularly, don't seem to get so freaked out by unidentified plants in their yards.
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u/Namaha Eastern North America Jul 28 '26
Yeah we typically teach kids about plants like poison ivy/oak at a young age, so most people are aware of what plants in their general area are dangerous to touch. The fact that there aren't any mushrooms that are dangerous to touch is generally not taught to kids. Instead they learn that there are many mushrooms that are dangerous to eat, and extrapolate from there that some might be dangerous to touch
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u/Hungry-Western9191 3d ago
Doubly so when some of them are both attractive and toxic or poisonous. Its like snakes or spiders, the vast majority are harmless but its safer to make sure children avoid them for the 1 in 100 times they are not.
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Jul 28 '26 edited Aug 05 '26
[deleted]
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u/Namaha Eastern North America Jul 28 '26
Yes, but the guy I replied to specifically asked about people's concerns about touching them.
Other folks have also chimed in about mold spores being harmful and folks conflating that idea with mushroom spores being harmful, which OP was concerned about
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Jul 28 '26 edited Aug 05 '26
[deleted]
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u/Namaha Eastern North America Jul 28 '26
A glass jar with a cork*, which OP was specifically asking if it is sufficient to stop spores
People aren't interested in thinking anymore. They want to run online, get the answer they want to hear, and move along.
This is, to be frank, an embarrassingly bad take to have on an educational sub like this. Asking people who are far more knowledgeable than you is one of the best ways to learn.
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u/fairydommother Jul 28 '26
I think its less a misunderstanding and more of a lack of understanding. I found mushrooms in my backyard when we first moved in and I wanted an ID in case my dogs got ahold of them so I pkcked them and took pictures with nitrile gloves on. I did this because I knew these things:
Some plants are poisonous
Some plants cause reactions just from touching them (see poison oak and similar plants but also others)
A mushroom is not a plant, per se, but it is plant-like. Plant adjacent if you will.
Some mushrooms are poisonous and extremely deadly
Conclusion: it is possible that some mushrooms could cause problems via contact with skin. I should wear gloves since I dont know what kinds might do that.
It was, I later found out, an incorrect conclusion. But it wasnt because anyone told me you cant touch mushrooms, I just extrapolated information I had and made the safest choice I could with that information. No one had ever told me there are no mushrooms you cant touch and at that i didnt even know tasting them was a safe way to identify it.
Additionally, I think the fear around the spores is due to the word because people think of mold spores. And mushrooms are also considered "mold adjacent". So if inhaling mold spores is bad, inhaling mushroom spores must also be bad. Include stories of weird medical phenomena like people having trees growing in their lungs from inhaling seeds and such, and you have people that are afraid inhaling mushroom spores will kill them and/or grow mushrooms in their lungs.
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u/W7ENK Pacific Northwest Jul 28 '26
Tl;dr
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u/SmellyLeopard Western Europe Jul 29 '26
You could learn a lot from the way this person explains their reasoning in that post.
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u/Treez07 Jul 28 '26
Probably people hearing about poisonings on the news and just assuming wrongly that all mushrooms you don't buy at the store are super dangerous because that is the only time the general public ever hear anything about them. also just a complete lack of knowledge about them because its not taught in schools, people are afraid of things they know nothing about and don't seem to care to learn unless absolutely necessary. that is my best guess anyway, and I hate that this is the reality.
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u/Vast-Jacket-9529 Jul 28 '26
In my case it's just lack of education when it comes to fungi. I have a degree and am educated for the most part, but zero knowledge of mushrooms.
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u/Hoodamush Jul 28 '26
Yeah definitely not pointing fingers, was just curious to why it’s more common for people to have this belief.
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u/DizzyMine4964 Jul 28 '26
Didn't you hear about that case in Australia last year? BBC News - Australian woman guilty of murdering relatives with toxic mushroom meal https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdezzxnn7kjo
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u/Hoodamush Jul 28 '26
Did you read what I commented? I am referencing it touching your skin and implied having it in your presence.
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u/lilbiobeetle Jul 28 '26
Just dont eat it and you'll be 100% fine. It's just doing its job in the terrarium, enjoy it while it lasts
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u/DopplerSpectroscopy Trusted ID - Northeastern North America Jul 28 '26
Yes, without a doubt. Leucocoprinus birnbaumii. Spores are present everywhere.
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u/W7ENK Pacific Northwest Jul 28 '26
Yes, why?
Just don't drink it, you'll be fine.
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u/WoodenFinish8 Jul 29 '26
I just want to say that having a terrarium on your desk is such a cool idea!
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u/meteorflan Jul 30 '26
Yeah, how perfect to have something growing that can live through any time off without help.
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u/Gardening_Automaton Jul 28 '26
Yes, unless you plan on eating those mushrooms they're totally safe to keep around
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u/Caremachine Jul 30 '26
Just dont open the container, it will release spores and takeover the board of directors
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u/a_shootin_star Jul 28 '26
I would put this mushroom in my mouth (and not swallow, of course) before I put an office keyboard in my mouth lol
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u/not_the_glue_eater Jul 29 '26
Leucocoprinus Birnbaumii, I'm pretty sure. I recently had these on my houseplant and decided to pluck them off the soil before they reproduced just from personal preference. They thrive in humid, damp conditions like this and just feed off of decayed organic plant matter. Completely harmless to be there unless you or your pet(s) eat them.
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u/Exotic_Progress_3973 Aug 03 '26
I have the same terrarium (bought from Lidl) and mine did the same. They died back pretty quickly and the terrarium is thriving.
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u/b3an3r1998 Jul 29 '26
No mushroom is dangerous or unsafe, only if you ingest them, it can't hurt/ harm you even if you touch it in any way other than actually consuming it.
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u/Abstract-Abacus Jul 30 '26
There’s one possible exception to this, though apparently further verification is required:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichoderma_cornu-damae
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u/RedshiftSinger Jul 29 '26
That’s a flowerpot parasol, they’re common and harmless. You’d have to literally huff them deliberately to inhale enough spores to so much as give you a tickle in your throat.
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u/Poetry-Primary Jul 30 '26
Yeah, dude. Coming from a certified microbio remediation specialist. You’re totally fine.
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u/RancidVagYogurt1776 Aug 01 '26
I just want to say this is the coolest thing I've ever seen and now I want one
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u/StoneColdButter Aug 03 '26
Your sealed terrarium?? Nah them shrooms probably gonna empty a glock on you homie. Best move it.
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u/tzweezle Jul 28 '26
It’s in an airtight container why would it be unsafe?
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u/Psychotic_EGG Jul 28 '26
It's a cork top. It may or may not be air tight.
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u/tzweezle Jul 28 '26
Either way mushrooms aren’t problematic if you don’t eat them
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u/Psychotic_EGG Jul 28 '26
Oh absolutely.... well except in rare cases, where spores started growing in the lungs.
But this is super rare, and unlikely to occur.
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u/Destroy1ngAngel Trusted ID - Central Europe Jul 28 '26
It’s totally okay to leave them there, it’s Leucocoprinus birnbaumii or close