Hi there: I may have overwatered our new lawn (about 7 weeks old) - this evening we noticed two patches that didn't look like they belong there :-/ From googling around I found this site and I would appreciate it if someone could take a quick look at the attached photos and confirm that it is in fact a fuligo septica... My plan is to stop watering for a few days to dry things out and restart with a much reduced watering schedule.... Any other advice is of course greatly appreciated! Thanks, Harry.
it is very likely fuligo septica, a slime mould :) I don't think that stop watering will prevent it from coming again...some specimens in your pics seems to have yet reached the crust-phase, when they release spores; damn, I'd everything to have these growing in my lawn right now! just learn to enjoy that marvel of nature
yeah - unfortunately I don't quite share your enthusiasm... What can be done to prevent the slime mould from reappearing? Right now it appears restricted to a certain lawn area and am considering taking drastic measures. How heat resistant is the mould? Would torching it with a flame be a long-term cure? Thanks, Harry.
it's a pity you're not interested in that, it's so fascinating ! I'd recommend to preserve at least a piece of plasmodium (that slimy thing); Generally speaking, fungi are easy to harm living beings, so their fruiting bodies and spores as well, can be killed just by boiling water (some spores may resist anyway). Torching your lawn bring me in mind somewhat of a war field, you against nature ! lol :D anyway...if you hate fungi so much then yes, it would be a suitable solution (also even better than using chemicals, like copper sulphate) as long as you fire dirt too. Slime moulds may persist, but it would surely take way long before they can grow back on burned ground. Hope this helps
I hate to use the F word, but you could pick up a bottle of Fungicide at your local Gardening center. Note that this will kill all the fungi on your lawn, including the beneficial ones that do so much good for your healthy green grass. Also, you'll have to keep pets and kids off the lawn for awhile after the fungicide treatment.
Reduced watering, and mowing, will soon remove the visible signs of the slime mould. I'd not worry about it, nor bother with any expensive chemical treatments.
thanks to all for the advice. It appears I am not exactly winning the battle :-/ Have reduced watering by a lot and the grass is as it should be around 2 1/2 inches but it is still reappearing as little spots in more and more places. I'll try the boiling water method - probably a little less disruptive to the lawn than torching it. What happens if I let it grow - won't it create a massive explosion of spores and infect other areas - or will it no longer appear as the bacteria it's eating runs out? Thanks, Harry.
If you let it grow, it'll dry away to a spore mass which will blow away in the wind. Once it has used up the excess bacteria and dead organic matter in the soil, it'll fade away. I'd actually skip the boiling water, it'll create ugly bare patches in the lawn where the heat kills the grass. And the dead grass will then form a food resource for another crop of slime mould. For the longer term - keep the soil fertility in the lawn down. Don't add any fertiliser, and when you mow, rake up the clippings to put on a compost heap, don't just leave them to decay in place.
Can boiling water be used in a mulched flower bed? This vomit fungus seems to be eating my plant's leaves it that possible?
Forgive me, I cannot resist mentioning again that if this is F. septica, it is edible, and since a good way to eradicate a weed can be calling it food and harvesting it unsustainably... :-) Ref: "... plasmodia of Fuligo septica and developing aethalia of Enteridium lycoperdon are fried and eaten by some parts of the population around Veracruz (Mexico). The large fruitings which are periodically collected in this area are called ‘caca de luna’(!) by the locals (Villarreal 1983, Montoya-Esquivel 1992)" excerpted from Volume 18 (2) August 1999 Australasian Mycologist
