What is this growing on my mulch?
Mulch serves a lot of incredibly valuable benefits for your flower beds, not only making them look more attractive, but also protecting your plants’ roots from wind, heat and suppressing weeds. When you invest in top-quality mulch, you are looking for optimal performance and if installed properly, that’s exactly what you’ll get. Unfortunately, sometimes even with proper installation and a high-quality mulch, you can still end up with an unattractive growth on top of your mulch. You might be wondering what this growth is and more importantly, whether it can harm your plants.
The growth that you may have spotted in your mulch is fungus. There are several types of fungal growths that occur in mulch, although unpleasant, fungal growth in mulch is normal. Many types of fungi assist in the natural breakdown of mulch. This mulch decomposition process is actually beneficial to your plant beds as it improves soil fertility by making nutrients more readily available to your plants. Decomposed mulch also increases the soil’s capability of retaining water.
Slime mold, to be frank, looks a lot like something threw up in your flower beds. Although quite gross, it is actually nicknamed as the “Dog Vomit” fungus. This type of mold begins as a bright yellow, slimy foam that really does look a lot like, well, dog vomit. Over time, the slime begins to dry and turn brown, and in the last stage, turns to a white powdery color. This type of fungus thrives in warm, moist areas of the flower bed, particularly in shady spots. Slime mold will feed on bacteria in the mulch for until it begins to eventually dissolve and disappear on its own. That means you can just leave it be, allowing the natural decomposition process to take place. But if it really bothers you, you can scoop it up with a shovel and dispose of it.
Another fungus named for its appearance, bird’s nest fungus resembles tiny egg-filled birds’ nests. The “eggs” are actually spore masses and these are naturally occurring fungi that are helping in the decomposition process and will not cause any harm. However, if it is bothering you, can you rake the areas where the fungus is growing and break up the growth.
Another fungus that you may stumble upon is the artillery fungus. This type of fungus also has an egg-like look. It resembles a tiny cup with one black egg inside. However, unlike the other fungus types, artillery fungus can actually become a problem—but not to your plants. Although this fungus grows in mulch, it actually shoots its spores causing them to stick to light-colored surfaces such as house siding or even your car where it will leave black specks that are hard to remove. As you might expect, artillery fungus gets its name from its shooting ability, the spores can be shot as far as 20 feet! The best way to try and prevent this fungal growth is by keeping your mulch well-raked, in order for it to be dry and aerated.
Mushrooms, which commonly grow in mulch, can pop up in a variety of colors and sizes. Though a lot of homeowners think of mushrooms as a nuisance, they generally are not a problem and won’t do any harm to your plants. However, mushrooms can be very dangerous, even deadly, if consumed. If you have children or pets, always be cautious of any mushroom growth that might occur in your plant beds and dispose of them safely.
If you have any questions or think you see something else growing in your mulch that wasn’t covered in this article, we at Lancaster Lawn & Landscaping, LLC are always available to help. Contact us today for all of your lawn care and landscaping needs. We look forward to earning your repeat business.