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Artillery (Shotgun) Fungi
If your siding, car, fence or any
other surfaces around your house
have broken out with a rash of black
or dark-brown specks that do not
want to come off, you are probably
at war with something called
artillery fungus. It has become
increasingly common in recent years,
according to experts who have been
seeking ways to control and
eradicate it.
Artillery fungus, also called
shotgun fungus or Sphaerobolus
stellatus, usually originates in
wood-chip mulch that is used around
shrubs, flowers and other plants.
Wet, rotting mulch breeds small
mushrooms that shoot off spores for
distances of up to 20 feet. The
spores, which are sometimes mistaken
for insect waste or bits of tar,
cling tenaciously to surfaces such
as house siding.
” It’s just like Super Glue," said
Don Davis, professor of plant
pathology at Pennsylvania State
University's College of Agricultural
Sciences. Davis and Larry Kuhns,
professor of horticulture, have been
leading a five-year study of the
fungus, and they expect the study to
continue for several more years.
Davis said he gets 20 to 30calls a
week during the fungus' most active
seasons - generally spring and fall
when temperatures range between 50
and 68 degrees.
Davis said the rapid spread of the
fungus and the growing number of
fungus-damaged homes appear to be
linked to the growing use of mulches
made from recycled hardwood scraps
and tree stumps. Homeowners can take
a key step to control artillery
fungus by cleaning up wood-chip
mulch around the house and disposing
of it before the shooting starts
again in April or May.
Here are some additional tips:
Control. Bark mulch appears to
be more resistant to the fungus than
wood-chip mulch. Davis said
pine-bark chunks seem to be the most
resistant, and cedar, redwood and
cypress mulch also appear to be
resistant. "Even these mulches
should be replaced every few years,"
he said.
Davis said stone mulch (usually
small, decorative stones) "is the
ultimate answer" to artillery
fungus. Black plastic, held in place
by stones or boards, is also safe,
and some homeowners are getting good
results with leaf mulch. Kuhns said
fungicides do not work well because
"it's hard to determine when the
mulch becomes infested, making the
timing of the application . . .
difficult."
Insurance. If your house is
damaged by artillery fungus, check
with the agent handling your
homeowners insurance. Most policies
do not cover damage from fungus or
mildew, but some do.
Power-washing. Once the fungus
becomes attached to a surface, even
power-washing is not effective
unless it is done within a few weeks
of a fungal outbreak.
One power-washing expert said he
was able to remove the fungus using
200-degree water, with water
pressure of 3,000 pounds per square
inch, but this combination of hot
water and high pressure can damage
some types of siding and shutters.
Scraping. Artillery fungus can
be removed from windows by scraping
with a razor blade. Scraping also
can remove some of the black specks
from smooth siding, but several
homeowners who tried this reported
that a brown residue remains and
can't be removed. Scraping can also
gouge vinyl and painted siding.
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