Mushrooms as Food for Nepenthes?

[Nepenthesis]

I have an abundance of pesky mushrooms in my greenhouse popping up in my Sphagnum cultures, Nepenthes pots, ect. I was wondering if my Nepenthes would enjoy snacking on a few of these. Most are a few centimeters, but if I allow them to grow, some can get to a few inches. I just pulled a pretty big one up, which made me wonder if they'd be of any use to my Nepenthes.

Any thoughts?

 

[mass]

Interesting concept.. curious to see the responses you get.
Myself, I don't actually know what kind of nutrients in fungi.

 

[Nepenthesis]

I just did a bit of research... Fungi store their food as glycogen, which is a sugar IIRC. IDK if that would be of any use to a plant...? We need a biologist/botanist to answer this lol.

 

[JB_OrchidGuy]

I would be afraid of introducing fungal spores into the pitchers. Treat your cultures with Bayer fungicide and it will get rid of the fungi.

 

[Nepenthesis]

I would be afraid of introducing fungal spores into the pitchers. Treat your cultures with Bayer fungicide and it will get rid of the fungi.

Ah, good point. I guess it could kill the plant then? Amphirion mentioned that without knowing for sure, the mushroom very well could contain something toxic to plants... So I guess I'll just forget the idea lol.

 

[mylesG]

if it aint broke dont try and fix it

 

[boxofrain]

they are carnivorous....not vegetarian!

 

[swords]

they are carnivorous....not vegetarian!

Swords adjusts some nerdy 1950s style black frame glasses with masking tape in the middle...

According to Charles Clarke's Nepenthes of Borneo he has a case study of N. ampullaria which seems to indicate they are more geared towards collecting leaves, flowers and assorted things falling from the forest canopy than insects. He speculates it may be a vegetarian carnivorous plant...

 

[Nepenthesis]

they are carnivorous....not vegetarian!

Mushrooms are Fungi, not plants... It's in another kingdom. Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protista. Mushrooms are in Fungi. Also, as I mentioned, they store their energy as glycogen rather than glucose.

 

[hcarlton]

Animals also store excess energy as glycogen...... save for possible problems with spores and toxins, feeding a mushroom to a Nep would not be much different than feeding it a bug.

 

[Nepenthesis]

Animals also store excess energy as glycogen...... save for possible problems with spores and toxins, feeding a mushroom to a Nep would not be much different than feeding it a bug.

Exactly why I wanted to do it -- I won't have to catch bugs for ones that don't catch many on their own. But because of the spores/toxins I won't do it. :/

 

[SubRosa]

If you fed them the right kind of mushrooms it could enhance colors.............it's been known to happen!