Poria Incrassata is a highly destructive fungus that causes wood decay. It certainly earned the name of ‘’The House-Eating Fungus’’, which makes it all the more terrifying. Among other things, poria needs water to grow, and it even uses its root-like structures called rhizomorphs to transport water from the soil to the wood that it wants to ”eat”.

Due to its climate and other conditions we will mention, Southern California is conducive to poria growth, which is why homeowners need to be aware of efficient methods for poria removal and prevention.

Here’s what you need to know about Poria Incrassata treatment and prevention.

First step to successful Poria Incrassata Treatment

No Poria Incrassata treatment will ever be efficient if you don’t accurately establish that it’s this malicious fungus infesting your home. As a layman, you can’t hope to identify poria on your own. However, there is a tell-tale sign that should alarm you: the sight of rhizomorphs. The rhizomorphs look very much like plant roots and once they break open, they smell like mushrooms. In addition, rhizomorphs often appear alongside a squishy orangey fruiting body, which is an alarming and hard-to-miss sight in itself.

Still, there are other signs of Poria Incrassata infestation you should be on the lookout for:

The baseboards separating from the floor
The formation of threadlike membranes under wallpapers or floor coverings
Drywall or plaster swelling and probably crumbling
Vine-like roots branching out irregularly and spreading to your foundation or subflooring

Knowing your options

Unfortunately, Southern California has been heavily infested by Poria Incrassata due to the many favorable conditions for its growth. In truth, not all of them are specific only for SoCal. These conditions include temperatures of 32 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, water, oxygen and digestible carbon compounds like wood.

The only thing you can possibly hope to control is water. More specifically, you need to sever the connection between wood and soil so the fungus isn’t allowed to grow. Luckily, once you got that covered, Poria Incrassata cannot grow – it requires all the above mentioned conditions; the elimination of any one condition might just do the trick.

Poria Incrassata and faulty construction

Many homeowners wonder if faulty construction is to blame for poria’s growth in their homes. In reality, faulty construction isn’t the sole culprit, even though flaws in the construction can provide access to rhizomorphs. Without the flaws, that additional access wouldn’t exist.

Even if faulty construction isn’t conducive to poria growth in itself, it can still contribute to the development of other highly destructive wood decay fungi.

For all the reasons above, homeowners should have the construction carefully inspected, especially if they are purchasing a new house. If they are renovating their home, they should hire a full-service contractor to make sure the architects, poria remediation experts and plumbing technicians communicate smoothly and avoid oversights.

Proper clearances between wood and soil

Since Poria Incrassata thrives in ‘’wet’’ conditions, dehydration is the way to go. When it comes to construction, it’s imperative to prevent the rhizomorph to reach the structure. A contractor should secure proper clearances between wood and soil to prevent poria infestation. Also, a contractor should:

Prevent wood from coming into contact with soil
Fix cracks in perimeter foundation and slab on grade
Make sure there’s no ‘’ponding’’ near the house coming from sprinklers or other sources of water

General guidelines for Poria Incrassata Treatment and Prevention

Even though Poria Incrassata treatment should be left to trained and qualified professionals, homeowners should be familiar with the necessary action. It includes:

Locating and removing poria’s source of water; this will entail leak detection and repair
Cutting the roots and scraping poria from the foundation
Identifying and removing contaminated soil
Drying out infected areas
Replacing decayed wood
Scheduling regular inspections by a poria removal and remediation expert once the fungus is rooted out

Poria Incrassata treatment misconceptions

Some homeowners falsely believe that they can use plastic covers to prevent poria. Unfortunately, plastic covers actually allow poria to spread by providing a ‘’traveling route’’. Houses with concrete slab floors usually require plastic covers to prevent moisture, which makes them susceptible to poria infestation.

Also, many like to believe that poria infestastation can be curbed with chemicals applied to the wood surface. Poria treatment is far from being that simple, so homeowners should always contact a full-service poria remediation contractor to deal with this destructive fungus. Otherwise, they risk doing more harm than good.

If you suspect you home was infested by Poria Incrassata, don’t waste another minute – call KIC Restoration, a licensed full-service contractor that provides fast and reliable Poria Incrassata treatment, including removal and remediation, to all of San Diego County. Call us 24/7 at 858-257-1348 or toll-free at 866-265-5245 and we’ll restore your home to its healthy state!