Can anyone help me identify this mold growing on my soil near my house (See attached pictures)? I noticed it last fall when I bought my house. Then I just scraped it and the surrounding topsoil off and threw it out. I also added started adding a layer of landscaping rocks from the foot of the house out twelve inches or so which is where I first noticed the small spores. This spring it has now come back with a vengeance, a lot near my brand new compost. Any suggestions as to how to deal with it? So far today I have just sprinkled some cinnamon on it which I read on this forum can help.
I'm no expert on fungi, but it looks like the photos of slime molds that appear here from time to time. They are generally harmless in the garden. Maybe some of the fungi experts will show up. I think spring has taken people from their computers into the garden lately.
Hmm.. that is a possibility. If that's the case, it is harmless. A better photograph would help. Maybe in non-midday light and also without flash -- it seems to have a fairly reflective surface, so the details are quite bleached out.
This morning I typed out a reply that I thought it was probably a myxomycete, now I don't see it - for whatever reason. Later: Saw that same question was posted on another site, and that is where I first replied.
Hey Ron B, that was me on the other forum you responded to as well. Thanks for all your help and sugggestions to my garden questions over the last few months. I will have to wait until it comes back before posting better pictures because I followed some advice I read about dealing with slime mold and sprinkled cinnamon on it, followed the next day by washing it away. It didn't seem like it was going away anytime soon as was suggested it might, instead it just kept growing and growing over the last few days. Will keep you posted. Cheers
Hi Zenshack, I'd love to see a close-up shot of this if you are willing to. In the second photo it does look a bit like the plasmodial trail of a moving slime mold, moving out from the centre culminating in the start of spore cases - I would love to get a closer look at it. If slime mold: Interesting, pretty and, as Eric and Daniel said, harmless. We found several beautiful species yesterday on Galiano, of colours including pink(Lycogala), orange, yellow (Fuligo), brown, purple, but no white. thanks frog
Here are some new pictures, the best I can do with the camera I have. I realized later I should have tried a different angle rather than all from above, so I'll see what I can do. This stuff is coming back faster than those darn dandelions!! It was two days ago I got rid of all the previous spots and now there is a bunch more, some of it appearing 10 ft away from were I first found it?! Now I will admit I have been watering part my lawn every day that it hasn't rained because I re-seeded a large area a few weeks ago, but the area this stuff has mostly appeared is NOT were I am watering.
