RE: Seed Storage Blunder: Can You Help Me Solve This Puzzle?
OKay, I am absolutely no expert. Totally guessing here.
First of all, you collected these from random trees. It is hard to know exactly what fungus they would be unless they grow more. However, you could look more into what types of mycelium like those particular trees. Probably not, BUT, some edible mushrooms that you would possibly see would be shitake, oyster, turkey tail, reishi, and lion's mane. It could be simply because you grabbed some nuts that had fallen on some ground with a lot of spores. The presence of fungi might actually be a good sign. As long as its not mold fungus. If it's from one of the edible types and you remember where you found those seeds, might be a good place to return to forage for some shrooms.
Either way, if it is an edible mushroom or another type of mycelium, something to remember is that the mycelium that is in the soil serve a function. That function might be to help decompose that outer shell to help allow the nuts to sprout. The shells are thick, afterall.
Why are they sprouting so soon? Maybe in the wild they are covered by a thicker layer of soil, leaves, branches, etc, that takes longer for the sprouts to make it to the light. Maybe they have been kept a little too moist in too warm of an area with too much light. Maybe the temperature has not been cold enough for long enough. Maybe there is absolutely nothing abnormal about them sprouting now. It might take a long time after they sprout to really get established.
I would put them all in one big sprouting container in soil. Forrest loamy soil, possibly. After they get big enough, transplant into pots then slowly harden them off (i think). They are going to be really small so if you plant them right in the ground, they might or might not survive. Afterall, there must be some reason in the wild so many nuts/seeds are produced. Imagine if every one survived? Anywaym if you grow them a year or two inside pots, they will be stronger with more likelihood for success next spring. Growing them as a nursery would. Once reason when you buy fruit bushes and trees from nurseries, you rarely get younger than 2 yr old plants. Sprouting is one thing, but surviving after sprouting is another.
There was my total guess, observation, and advice. Hope that was helpful. That'll be $100 steem. haha =p
Thanks for the lengthy reply :)
You are right that it could also be a fungus that was on the nuts to begin with. Although I have no idea what it might be. I don't think it is any sort of mold. I forgot to take a picture of it but I could peel the fungus off the buckeyes in a layer. It was very rubbery like cooked egg white.
I may have had the medium too moist and that triggered the spouting maybe. The articles say things like moist or slightly moist but don't really tell you how to achieve it.
I also found out today from one the articles that the buckeyes could be kept in a sealed baggy for up to 4 months which is probably what I should have done.
I am think I will end up trying to plant the sprouted seeds but haven't really figured out the logistic of that yet. There isn't a lot of room in the Tiny House.
the picture reminds me of turkeytail, lionsmane, or reishi mycelium which i think like decaying oaks. i have hazelnuts in the freezer right now. i should take them out soon. you could keep them inside a couple weeks maybe then plant them since room is tight? or plant them now? or just toss them somewhere randomly.
I hope you are right and it is some sort of edible mushroom or at least something beneficial.
I kept the Buckeyes that have the fungus so I am curious to see what happens.
here is a link showing how some homegrown lion's mane looks as the mycelium is beginning to grow. from the reishi and turkey tail growing on our property where we had some oaks cut down, chipped into mulch, then left there, they appear to have similar mycelium growth to lionsmane before it fruits into the mushrooms. The big problem with mushrooms in the wild is nature is not a sterile environment. there are probably a lot of different fungi and bacteria scattered about objects laying on the ground. anywhooo, here is the link. that white stuff in the first picture is the mycelium beginning to grow. at the very beginning, it is sparse but can be seen within the substrate if broken apart, and too me, looks similar to your first picture having grown them in a kit myself. It is rubbery like an overcooked hardboiled egg.
http://biol213-plants1.blogspot.com/2016/04/mane-mushroom-patch-pilobolus-culture.html
Thanks for the link.