sphaerobolus fungus,also called shotgun or artillary fungus.

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nqr Vermilion, OH Oct 05, 2013

i have very large perennial beds and borders.they have been invaded by this terrible fungus.we have already scraped most of the dirt and plants and mulch off and taken it to the dump.it still continues to grow very quickly. how will i ever get rid of it?i have no pictures but it was identified by a professer from ohio state college.it almost looks like slow release fertilizer until it opens and fires tarry spots everywhere.my plants got deseased so bad we had to take them to the dump.i know it thrives on mulch,but how to get rid of it?

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steadycam3 Houston Heights, TX(Zone 9a) Oct 05, 2013

I got good info by googling. One thing it said is that it will get on your house, your car, your lawn furniture and if not removed within 2 weeks, it will leave damage. It also said it it an artifact of the unusual weather in Ohio with heat and lots of rain. It sounded as if it is always there and due to the perfect conditions for it, it really accelerated in growth. Much like after a rain, we see rings of mushrooms here and there. I got the idea when things dry out, it will settle back down. One suggestion was NOT to replace with new mulch right away as it will just become feed for the fungus to grow more. A suggestion was made to use rock or gravel mulch which doesn't feed the fungus. It is not harmful to humans and usually causes no problems. It was all the rain that did it.

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nqr Vermilion, OH Oct 05, 2013

it was like the perfect storm. i have so much area of garden plus i cant yet slow it down.will the cold winter help?

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steadycam3 Houston Heights, TX(Zone 9a) Oct 05, 2013

I think it should slow it down or stop it because it needs the heat to multiply. Remember it is always present but usually causes no problem, just goes about its business of breaking down organic matter. I would think to get rid of it is impossible. Helping things to dry out should shut it down and maybe the cold weather will help to shut it down. If you have another wet Spring, I would switch to gravel mulch pretty quickly.

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