“The Crawling Vomit Fungus from Hell” (or Slime mold for short) September 2017

            As horticulturists, we’ve requested (begged) our clients to restore soil health and mulch their plants. So they mulch: Freshly shredded wood chips, mulch volcanoes, fresh grass clippings, shredded newspapers, etc. Never ask for what you ‘think’ you want, you may get it.

             The road to vomit fungus from hell is paved with good intention or newly shredded wood chips. The idea of mulching is correct. Just as the natural forest floor has layers, so should a cultured garden soil. Mulch restores soil. It reduces thermal and moisture fluctuations, retains nutrients, prevents erosion, and creates an environment for beneficial soil and root organisms.

            Using improper mulch can cause a new set of problems for the plants in the landscape or for the owner of the landscape.

            Freshly shredded woodchips have their use for temporary construction roads, wooded paths, fill for a compost pile, but should not be used as mulch. As wood chips break down, the organisms responsible use a lot of the nutrients in the mulch. At a certain point in the breakdown process the nutrients can be released in large quantity which can burn roots, causing damage to the plant.

             Fresh chips also have the ability to attract very odd fungi that may alarm homeowners. Slime mold ( Fuligo sp.) is an example. It resembles yellowish to pale orange ‘vomit’. That is how it will be reported. The oddity is that it ‘moves’. When the homeowner leaves in the morning, the ‘vomit’ may be near their front walk causing them to think a sick animal has been in their yard. When they return from work the ‘vomit’ will be a few yards down. “It is a saprobe, a vegetative body, one giant cell that ‘flows’ across a substrate engulfing and digesting small animals, bacteria, etc.” as explained by Dr. George Hudler. Lovely. It is more of a nuisance than a plant health issue, so patience and acceptance is the key. Once the chips break down or the climate changes the ‘vomit’ will be gone.

            Another example of an unusual fungus that love fresh chips is ‘Artillery’ fungus (Sphaerobolus stellatus).This is one that can be heard if the conditions are right. Packets of dark brown spores form on the wood chips. When the spores mature and moisture is right the fungus is literally shot into the air. The spore packets stick to any surface and stay there. The ‘glue’ is incredible and the spores are very unsightly. When the spores hit surfaces they make a sound. I had the opportunity to be on a property very early one dewy June morning. I heard the sound of raindrops but did not feel the rain. I realized the sound was low to the ground. As I bent over to listen, I saw leaves of a Euonymus shrub move slightly. At the same time I observed black dots all over everything. Any client who has a light colored car, house or deck is likely to be very unhappy especially when they find these spores don’t easily wash off. Dr. Hudler reports a product called “Jo-Max” is effective in removing these spores (with a little elbow grease included).

  Using the correct mulch is important to the landscape and possibly client relations. My personal preference for mulching  is aged ‘Black Gold’, spread 2’-3’ deep from the edge of the  root flare to the drip line of the tree, or spread throughout planting beds. It is decorative, stable and beneficial to the tree or plants. Proper mulching will greatly improve the landscape ecosystem without attracting things such as artillery and ‘vomit’, and will lead to the road of success.

Fran Reidy