Last year I put down mulch late in the summer and at some point I noticed what is shown in post #2. It seems to appear overnight. Last week I noticed some, scooped it up and disposed of it. Yesterday I saw this and thought, " wonderful another mysterious growth". Well the next morning it was what is displayed in post#2. Please see next post "Part 2". Does anyone have any idea what it is and what if anything I need to do to about it?
Thank you
Neal
A slime mould. They utilise decaying plant matter such as mulch, recycling the mulch into nutrients which can be used by growing plants; they are beneficial in the garden. They are also fascinating things, worth reading up on their biology.
Resin
PS you can put the two pics in the same thread, just put the second in as a reply to the first ;-)
Yuk! They may be beneficial to plants but they sure are nasty looking! Believe I'd have to compromise--cover it up with more mulch.
That would work just fine, provide it with more food ;-)
Thank you very much. I did a little research and it is a very interesting organism it may provide clues to the development of multicell organisms from single cell organisms. I will just turn the mulch over.
Actually you're kind of lucky to see a slime mould---while they are common in nature, they are not generally aggregated but individual cells. They come together occasionally to form reproductive structures. They are some of the "beneficial organisms" found in most good soils.
Oh no, I feel stupid now! I saw a large patch of this thing on my mulch this week and I threw it away....(of course it was before I saw this thread!)
I saw the first one next to a bus stop,on mulch of course.I thought some one had thrown up a milkshake.(sorry!) Then I started seeing them everywhere,and realized what they were. I've never seen slime molds the size of these! A lot of my co-workers have been freaking out over them. I try to explain that they're harmless and really cool but when they hear 'slime mold' they freak out even more.
I forgot to mention that sometimes you get a slime mold species that "glows in the dark". Had one in my backyard several years ago---it was spreading over flower pots and soil---really beautiful, glowing sort of neon green. In the morning nothing was left except dried reproductive structures. Marvelous organism.
Wow! I will make sure to check for that before I turn over the mulch!
Is this also slime mould?
Deb
This message was edited Aug 4, 2008 8:53 PM
Deb looks like Orville Redenbacher threw up there...
Postmandug: Gee, you're right. It does look like half digested butter-flavored.
I think I'll never go to the movies again!
DebenSC
Not a slime mold---but it is certainly fungal.
I'd say it is a slime mould, near the end of its life cycle when it is starting to 'dry out' into spore bodies. As typical of slime moulds it has climbed up that leaf, but isn't infecting it; the leaf is unharmed.
Resin
Does it smell?
I had slime mold a while ago and I just turned the mulch over...but now there is this horrible, pungent smell coming from my flower bed and I just cannot find the source. It's driving me nuts!
"horrible, pungent smell coming from my flower bed" suggests a stinkhorn fungus to me.
Resin
really? Is there anything I can do to get rid of it...spray something? I really can't find the "spot" but it smells the whole patio. Really strong smell, like rotting fruit or something.
This what my alleged Slime Mould looks like today. (And Ron, it doesn't seem to have an odor.)
Deb
