You Are Here: Management Updates 2002 Archive July 12, 2002

Date: July 12, 2002
Category: Diseases
Subject: Slime Molds

In warm, humid weather, slime molds can appear suddenly on turf, other low lying plant parts, and organic matter such as bark mulch. They are not true fungi and are not parasites of plants, so they do no harm. In their slime stage, they can move like an amoeba and ooze up on leaves. Soon after that, they return to a powdery spore stage.The most common slime mold we see on turf looks like a whitish gray bumpy structure that turns to a mass of powdery spores. It looks very much like cigarette ashes and is easily visible to the eye, unlike most of the parasitic fungi. It can be hosed or mowed away. No other treatment is needed. The most common one on wood chips and bark mulch can be quite massive. It starts out as a bright lemon yellow and matures quickly into a beige mass known as the "dog vomit slime mold." There are pictures and more information at Tom Volk's Fungi website:

http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/june99.html

- Submitted by: Dr. Gail Schumann