Black Spots On Siding From Mulch

The worst thing about this fungus is that it shoots spores up to 20 feet which often land on siding cars and anything else that surrounds the mulch.

Black spots on siding from mulch.

Artillery fungus black tar spots on houses artillery fungus seeing black tar spots on the sides of your house or vehicles. Some tell us it s from spiders. Artillery fungus black spots on siding and vehicles. To kill the spores in lighter areas cover the zone with black plastic and allow the sun to cook the spores out.

These are microscopic flowers that shoot tar like substance up the 2. This common fungus is often found in bark mulch especially hardwood mulch too. Also the use of gravel or plastic mulch will not cause the formation of the spores. We have thousands of tiny black spots pin head size all over the siding of our house.

The black tar like spots that are all over your vinyl siding are more than likely a fungus called sphaerobolus stellatus better known as artillery or shotgun fungus although it s most often found on the east coast it can grow anywhere and especially thrives in areas that have cool damp springs or rainy fall weather conditions. Artillery fungus black spots on siding and vehicles. We have these small black spots that look like specks of tar all over our white vinyl siding of our house. Plant a low maintenance groundcover in the area instead of using mulch.

Others have said it s a fungus from mulch. The spots are about the size of the head of a pin and appear to be black or dark brown in color. Here is a photo of what the actual fungus that produces the black spores. There is some suggestion that artillery fungus in mulch such as cedar and pine bark nuggets may occur less frequently than hardwood.

If you notice lots of tiny black or dark brown spots developing on your siding above a landscaped area of your yard as seen below it is most likely artillery otherwise known as shotgun fungus. By sandy feather penn state extension. Save for later print. Add a fresh layer of mulch.

The artillery fungus or shotgun fungus is a wood decay fungus that likes to live on moist landscape mulch. Replace wood mulch with landscape fabric and small stones. Its adhesion properties are legendary and the spots can be difficult or even impossible to remove without damaging the surface. This will buy you a year before the fungus reaches to the top of the new mulch.

The mulch is being contaminated by artillery fungus also known as sphaeobolus stellatus. Artillery fungus is a wood dwelling fungus commonly found in mulch.