Repeat this treatment every 10 days for a month to kill any eggs that might hatch later. Be sure the plant is well-watered and not in the sun when you spray. Once they mature, spray them with the chemical free “Green Solution” 1/2 water, 1/2 alcohol, a few squirts of a liquid biodegradable soap, and a tablespoon of mineral oil. When mealy bugs are immature and crawling, use Yellow Sticky Cards to trap them. While feeding on the plant they secrete a sticky substance called “honeydew” which causes another problem because it attracts “sooty mold.” The mold covers leaves and stems ruining the plant’s appearance and interfering with photosynthesis. As the plant loses sap, leaves get spots, some turn yellow, leaves drop, stems get weak, and the plant just doesn’t grow well. These tiny sucking insects look like small pieces of cotton. The bugs suck the sap out of a plant they especially love the tender new growth. The bird's nest fungus grows on wood chip mulch.Mealy Bugs are one of the most annoying and destructive pests that attack houseplants. Slime molds will grow across mulch and other plants, too! Fungicides do not control bird’s nest fungi. Loosening the mulch with a garden fork or rake (permitting the mulch to dry out) creates a less favorable environment for bird’s nest fungi and should reduce their numbers. However, bird’s nest fungi can become a nuisance when the eggs stick to homes, cars, and other objects as they are difficult to remove. The periodioles eventually dry, split open, and release their spores.īird’s nest fungi are not harmful to plants. The eggs are splashed out of the nest by falling raindrops and adhere to nearby objects. The nests (fungi) are commonly brown, gray, or white and contain brown or white “eggs.” The “eggs” are spore-containing structures called periodioles. The tiny fungi are only one-fourth inch in diameter. Bird’s Nest Fungusīird’s nest fungi resemble small cups or miniature bird’s nests. However, the slime molds can be scooped up and discarded if they are objectionable. Most individuals simply let the slime molds dry up and fade away. Within a few days, slime molds typically dry up and turn into white, powdery masses. Slime molds are usually a temporary nuisance. Slime molds feed on bacteria and other organisms in the mulch. Slime molds are primitive fungal-like organisms. (It is sometimes referred to as dog vomit slime mold because of its bile-looking appearance). Slime mold is a brightly colored (usually yellow or orange) foam-like growth that occasionally appears in mulched areas in summer. Individuals can scoop up and discard the fungi if their appearance or smell is bothersome. Eventually, the stinkhorns wither away and disappear. Stinkhorns range from four to eight inches in height. The flies and other insects crawl on the stinkhorn, get covered with slime and spores, then fly away to other areas, disseminating the spores. The putrid smell of the stinkhorn cap attracts flies and other insects. As the fungus develops, a stalk grows upward and is topped with a slimy cap coated with a mass of olive green to brown spores. Stinkhorns start off as an egg-like, golf ball-sized structure in the soil. Several species of stinkhorn are found in Iowa. They usually appear in cool, wet periods in late summer and early fall. Stinkhorns are aptly named as they are horn-shaped and foul-smelling. Fungi that occasionally grow in landscape mulches in Iowa include stinkhorns, slime molds, and bird’s nest fungi. The decaying organic matter provides an ideal environment for some strange-looking fungi or fungal-like organisms when weather conditions are favorable. Wood chips and shredded bark are organic matter. Wood chips and shredded bark are commonly applied to landscape areas to control weeds and conserve soil moisture.
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