Red Fungus - Ask Extension
Good morning! When I went out in my garden this morning, I noticed this reddish substance growing in the mulch. It was only in the spot shown in the p...
Knowledgebase
Red Fungus #878847
Asked July 26, 2024, 9:31 AM EDT
Good morning! When I went out in my garden this morning, I noticed this reddish substance growing in the mulch. It was only in the spot shown in the photograph. My toes are in the corner of the picture for a sense of scale. I am thinking it is some type of fungus, but I am not sure if it is harmful and also what I should do with it. I appreciate your help and advice. Thank you!
PS - I apologize if this is a duplicate as I did not receive a confirmation email and wanted to resend just in case.
Harford County Maryland
Expert Response
This may be a type of the less-commonly-seed slime mold species, and if so, is harmless as slime molds only consume other microbes and do not infect plants. The linked gallery page shows some examples of slime mold species found in Maryland, and a couple do look like what you found, though we can't be certain they're a match. Other types of slime mold can be quite common on garden mulch.
If not a slime mold, this could be any of a vast number of fungi, though similarly harmless in this case, as it would just be decaying the mulch (which is good, as it recycles nutrients into the soil) or decaying any organic debris just under the mulch. No treatment or physical removal is needed, and the above-ground growth will probably disappear fairly soon, especially if the weather remains dry.
Miri
If not a slime mold, this could be any of a vast number of fungi, though similarly harmless in this case, as it would just be decaying the mulch (which is good, as it recycles nutrients into the soil) or decaying any organic debris just under the mulch. No treatment or physical removal is needed, and the above-ground growth will probably disappear fairly soon, especially if the weather remains dry.
Miri
Great! Thank you so much!
You're welcome!
