GARDEN FUNGUS

» MrsSauer - GARDEN FUNGUS

I am wondering about cocoa bean mulch and the higher likelihood of fungus during wet weather. There are many plants in my gardens that are suffering or expiring, and I can see from the cocoa bean mulch there there is a fungus or mildew growing in it. I could very well be that I have laid the mulch too thickly. Anybody with this same problem? I like the look of cocoa bean mulch, but I am about to remove it from the garden or water with a systemic antifungal, like the article suggests and in future years - forget about the cocoa bean mulch!

-- posted by MrsSauer

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» CarolWallace - Re: GARDEN FUNGUS

In response to message posted by MrsSauer:
I used cocoa bean mulch a few years back and also saw that fungal growth - but it didn't harm anything - in fact its basically a sign that the mulch is doing its job. Some fungi are just signs that decomposition is taking place.

The only reason I didn't use it again is that we got a chipper shredder and are making our own mulch. Although in my book the more serious problem with the cocoa shells is that they get very slippery when wet and you need to take care if you need to step into the bed for any reason.

-- posted by CarolWallace

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» Mary_Henry - fungus on cocoa mulch

Cocoa mulch almost always goes through a moldy period the first time the weather becomes extremely damp or humid. As Carol says, the only true problem is getting slippery when wet. The fungus does not attack your plants. When the mulch dries a bit, just rake it or stir it with a broom to make it look better and it likely will not mold again unless you add new mulch to it.

-- posted by Mary_Henry

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