Help! Fungus(?) is attacking my soil

[camelhive]

Hi,

I've recently planted a nice vegetable garden my new house. The garden is located where a huge tree used to be, and which was cut down several years ago (before I got the house) - I don't know what tree it was, and the reason for cutting it was that its roots were crawling under the house. The earth has since been left to dry through the summer, and a month ago I planted the new garden.

The raised beds are made of redwood boards. I got plenty of Miracle Gro soil for vegetable gardens, and according to the instructions - mixed them with the existing garden soil. While preparing the garden I had to dig around, remove old roots and stones, and I noticed some white chalk-like fragments, looking a little like styrofoam or burned wood. I took the bulk of them out of the ground, but I definitely have mixed some of them with the Miracle-Gro soil.

Two days ago I noticed white patches on top of the soil, looking a bit like bird poo (only in massive scale) some of which on the mulch between the beds. After digging into them I realized the little patches were only the tip of the iceberg - my rich soil has become a big lump of white, hard, spong like matter. This also explained why the plants I put in that area never managed to grow - wherever there was a struggling plant, I discovered a huge white sponge around it.

I'm looking for help here - obviously this seem to have come from the garden's soil, which has been completely dry before I started working with it. It has expanded in terrifying speed through out my garden beds in less than a month. I stopped watering the garden for now (assuming this is mold), but it's raining mildly in California at this time, and the garden is generally moist now.

Here are some photos as the monster is dug out of the soil:
https://i54.tinypic.com/241poat.jpg
https://i54.tinypic.com/307m7q0.jpg
https://i52.tinypic.com/2lmoqcp.jpg

Any help will be appreciated... Thanks!

[Kisal]

It looks like one of the slime molds, commonly known by the very apt name Dog Vomit fungus.

Molds and other fungi grow on decomposing material in the soil and are an indication that your soil is rich. It's a good thing.

Here is a link to a little page with some information about the Dog Vomit fungi:

https://www.personal.psu.edu/sam21/dogvomit.htm

[camelhive]

Thanks Kisal for the quick and comforting reply.

I've read about the slime/dog vomit molds/fungus, but I remain uncertain. Apart for not looking much like slime and being styofoam white, this supposedly harmless organism has definitely slowed down the vegetables in my garden, it has turned soft and fluffy soil into rock like sponge, and has spread frighteningly fast from nothing to a few sq.ft within a month. Am I supposed to let it go and wait for the end of winter with my vegetables?

[applestar]

I also think you just need to let the fungus do their work on the dead tree roots. The chalk-like/sponge-like masses are, I'm pretty sure, mycelial masses of the fungi that have colonized and are right now breaking down the roots. If you scroll down a bit to "Growing Mushrooms=Creating Fertile Soils" [url=https://fungi.com/mycotech/mycova.html]here[/url], you'll see them in the center photo.

Are you familiar with Paul Stamet's video and articles?

https://www.ted.com/talks/paul_stamets_on_6_ways_mushrooms_can_save_the_world.html

Scroll down to article links (the article above came from one of these pages):
https://fungi.com/mycotech/index.html
https://fungi.com/info/index.html

[camelhive]

Thank you applestar for writing - the reference was very interesting and I appreciate the link. Indeed it looks very similar to what is currently growing in my garden - a block of white chalk which (if indeed I got the material right) will turn into rich soil.

And yet, at this time I'm only trying to save my garden, not the planet. I know it might sound egoistic given the challenges Mr Stamet is facing, but all I wanted is an organic garden. Isn't the fungus going to spread to the roots of nearby trees (I have 2 maples which I'm kinda fond of)? Isn't it going to convert the cherished garden beds, made of redwood (I spent hours on those) - into soil? Also, what chance does my decorative mulch have against this mold - it's easily eating away at it... With all respect to nature's remedy to world crisis - what do I need to do in order to run a veg garden? Should I quit everything and grow letuce in pots?

[applestar]

OK, I can't give you a definitive answer. Maybe someone else is more knowledgeable about this subject matter. But as you can see from [url=https://fungi.com/mycogrow/index.html]this product[/url] ( please note that I have no connection to this particular company. it's just that I did a lot of research into growing culinary mushrooms last year and this website has most of the answers) some species of mycorrhizae are plant growth promoters. In fact most "premium" organic potting soils now contain mycorrhizae.

There are fungi that grow on dead plant matter and fungi that attacks and kills live plant matter. Your description -- ground where a tree was cut down, affinity to decorative mulch, etc. -- tells me that this is most likely the dead matter fungi and would not attack your live maples. You mulch ... well -- you could consider them raw material for fertilizer and organic matter like compost and humus (or shudder! Peat moss ) that you might have purchased next season, but now will not have to because you are growing your own. they will still suppress germination of smothered seeds and plants, though new seeds that get blown on top of them may germinate and grow readily after they take hold... But that can be said of any mulch.

In PS's research, vegetable crops that most profited from fungi were brassicas (cabbage and mustard family -- like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, arugula, turnip, radish, Chinese greens, etc. -- and carrot family like parsnips, celery, parsley, etc. Since these are all cool season crops, why not try planting them while you wait for the soil to mellow out? I think you have the mild winter to pull it off.

As for the redwood. I'm not entirely positive on this but aren't redwood rot resistant? Meaning they have some thing in them that resists fungi? -- terpenes or something ... Gah! I'm drawing a blank! So unless you are unlucky to have fungi species that are specific to breaking down dead redwood, perhaps it will be OK.

[camelhive]

Hi all,

Here's a brief update on my issue -

I've sent pictures of the fungus to 2 gardening experts and took samples to 2 local professionals - most notably the helpful guys at the California Master Gardeners programs (my local branch is at 1431 Waverley St, Palo Alto). Nobody was able to identify the fungus exactly and say it was definitely slime mold, but they all encouraged me saying that it was most likely a beneficial fungus forming due to decomposing material. I've been told that it's likely the fungus has grown under very specific conditions (temperature, dampness) and that its progress is stopped and may come again when the conditions are met again.

Another common thing to everyone I talked with is that they all spoke very negatively about Miracle Gro "Organic Choice" soil which I used in the garden. Everyone claimed it's not organic and that it contains plastic and fuel based ingredients (though personally I didn't have anything against it, and my artichoke, tomatoes, peas, arugula, cauliflower and broccoli seem to grow very nicely).

The fungi has taken over a large portion of my soil, converting a lot of it into a hard, white, spongy substance. There are patches of roughly 1-2 foot wide and 5-7 inches deep. As it didn't look like it's going to go away (and it definitely made my lettuces crumble and die) I reverted to breaking it down to tiny pieces with a shovel, and mixing up the soil. I've recently put in new veggies and I hope they will survive. I'll keep you posted!

I just wanted to say thanks again - applestar & Kisal - for addressing my issue.

[Sugarpistol11]

I live in Southern California and I have the same exact problem you are having and no one can tell me what it is either. The soil being chalky and in dried clumps and it does kill the plants! Mine started in a plant in the house and then I noticed it in my flower beds and it spread quickly. I thought maybe it had something to do with flies because I live around a lot of horses but I'm not sure. I looled closely at one point and had little brown pods that popped and there were tiny bugs in them. Have you seen this too?

[applestar]

Interesting -- you posted in a thread discussion from 2010, I read just the new post, ...then thought to see what else was discussed in this thread -- and my initial conclusion was still the same. Dry white chalky mass = fungal mycelial mass, brown little "mushrooms"/fruiting bodies. Bugs are very likely to enjoy those.

The plants dying may or may not be direct result of parasitic fungi. It could also be that the soil conditions that favor it's growth is not suited to the plants. What kind of plants are they?

[Niknikk]

Thank you!!! I have the same problem! I live in San Diego and this problem started last year when we had unbearable heat and humidity for most of the year. This past month we have received considerable humidity and the white spongy mold has returned! It primarily grows in shaded areas and at the base of plants. So basically, in the areas with the most moisture. I have also seen that bugs and spiders love this stuff when it is growing in the base of certain grass plants. I have actually spent all day trying to clean this stuff up especially when it is attacking the base of a plant. I literally get the clippers or rake because it does not come off plants easily. It is very tough. It is easy to pick up off soil but I had to pull some plants up and throw them away and scrape it off bark. It only comes around when it is hot and humid and Southern California usually is not humid. There is one area of the yard where it is growing that I am leaving alone for now to see what it does on its own. I'd like to know if there is something wrong with the soil that is causing this to happen because I don't see it in the neighbors' yards. Come to think of it, I first noticed similar white spongy mold growing in one of the wooden posts that was eaten quite a bit by termites. I also see it trying to grow underneath some of the the other wooden posts near the garden.

[Niknikk]

It looks like one of the slime molds, commonly known by the very apt name Dog Vomit fungus.

Molds and other fungi grow on decomposing material in the soil and are an indication that your soil is rich. It's a good thing.

Here is a link to a little page with some information about the Dog Vomit fungi:

https://www.personal.psu.edu/sam21/dogvomit.htm

Thank for this post! Although, it is not the white spongy stuff. I thank you because I have witnessed this twice and had no idea what it was. It did show up over night and made a mound. The brown powdery stuff would come up if stepped on or moved at all and freak me out because the word "spores" terrifies me. I think of the bad ones attaching to the lymph nodes in my lungs and hatching one day and wreaking havok.

[rainbowgardener]

I think the spongy stuff described grows specifically on dead wood and is part of breaking the wood down. The OP described a situation where the soil would have been full of dead tree roots. I don't think it would "attack" living trees or plants. However, the conditions that favor its growth may not favor plants, especially not most vegetables. And the wood fungus may change the soil in ways that are not favorable to growing veggies.

[MoniCooper03]

I too live in San Diego and recently bought a succulent and planted it in a pot. Three weeks later and the top of the soil is covered in small, white dots covered in fluff! It's spreading! This plant has been in my church lobby and I brought it home. Thinking I should repot. I use a special cactus mix potting soil that I've used for years. Help!

[imafan26]

You will not be able to plant much while there is so much decomposing matter in the soil. Believe it or not the fungi is busy turning that decaying matter into more soil. It also has to be pretty moist to do that.

I know you said you had raised beds. I am assuming they were open to the ground and probably was sitting on the area were the tree roots were. It will take a few years for the roots to be fully gone. When that happens the ground will likely subside. I had to have my beloved tree removed because it got too big for the yard and the roots were getting too close to the foundation. Three years later, the ground has now got a few large cracks and troughs in it where the tree roots have decayed. the stump is sinking but is not completely gone yet. I haven't done much with the space besides pull the weeds for a while. I am collecting materials to build a keyhole garden there, but it will take time to do that as I have a ton of other things to do too. If you keep turning the soil in the beds, the fungus will die out. It does not like the light. It also needs water so stop watering it. Fungal dominated soils are alkaline for the most part. A soil test may be a good way to find out. You can correct that with sulfur. Most plants do not like alkaline soil. if decomposition is going to be continuing for a while, I would also increase the nitrogen. As bad as it looks, the fungus does not feed on healthy living plants but ideally you do not want decaying matter in the veggie bed because the microorganisms that do the decaying use up nitrogen in the process. If you cannot move the veggie bed somewhere else. I would take out the soil and put a barrier in the bottom of the bed and then a few layers of cardboard to isolate the bed from the soil. Ideally if the soil underneath did not have the decay issue, it is better not to have a barrier in place. Make sure the veggie bed still drains. Fill with new garden soil.

When I bought my house there was a rock garden in the back yard that was in bad shape from neglect and because the house had been a rental for 10 years, the tenants did not take good care of the yard. I turned it into my main vegetable garden, but the soil was rock hard and I ran into a stump in the middle of it with lots of fungus around it. My neighbor told me that the origninal owner had a mango tree that got termites and they cut it down and built the rock garden over it. It took me a while, but I did end up digging out the remnants of the decaying stump which was softer since it had been buried for 10 years. I amended and brought in more soil and at that time I used miracle grow on everything in my yard. There were a few things that did not like to grow, but for the most part, I fertilized so much that nothing really starved.

This was many years before I found out about soil testing. The plants that grew best over the stump area were cabbages because they don't mind alkaline soils. The things that grew the worst were the root crops because I used so much nitrogen.