|
Wed, Aug 22, 12 at 10:39
| Hi, I live in Central CT and over the past few weeks have been noticing this white 'stuff' growing in my grass. At first I thought it was a mushroom, but I don't think so. I've attached a photo. I would describe it almost like cauliflower. So far I have been pulling it out as I see it appear, but it seems to grow below the dirt level and I'm leaving holes behind as I remove it. I'm afraid if I leave it alone, it will get worse. Does anyone know what this might be and if I should leave it alone or attempt some chemical intervention?
The area in question is full sun, and I have been watering the lawn 3x/week for 1 hr/day (7am - 8am) as it has been a summer of high humidity and little rain fall. Also of note, the area where I am seeing this there was previously a tree which I had stump ground out about 3 yrs ago. I don't believe the stump grinder went too deep, so maybe this is something growing from some roots below the surface? Thanks for any assistance. |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| Someone will answer who is more knowledgeable than me but I have similar stuff growing where we had a tree removed. It's some kind of fungus that feeds on the decaying roots. I guess the good news is I've had this issue since last year and it hasn't spread or gotten worse. It's confined to two spots on either side of where the tree was. I sometimes pour boiling water on the white stuff and it blackens and dies back, but then it will reemerge. Kathy |
|
- Posted by dchall_san_antonio 8 San Antonio (My Page) on Wed, Aug 22, 12 at 20:05
| If you are very lucky it is one of the fungi that decomposes wood. Now that it is started, it cannot be turned off. I would not try to stop it. Instead I would encourage it with the occasional drink of water. I had a stump buried under compost for 10 years. I finally unburied and kept it moist to start the fungal decay process (sometimes called dry rot). Once that stuff started there was no going back. The 10 year old stump has disappeared just 24 months after I really went for the fungal approach. The worst thing you could do at this point is try to bury it under the soil. Let it breathe and keep it moist. |
|
- Posted by ibcruznsoon none (My Page) on Thu, Aug 23, 12 at 22:49
| Thank you for the responses. I actually stumbled across the Univ of MD Home & Garden Information Center website where you can submit a question to them and they will respond back. They told me what I have is Ganoderma fungus, which is the 2nd most common wood decay fungus. They said there is nothing that can be done about it, but that it should come and go until the roots below the surface are fully decayed. I'm glad I was able to solve the mystery and happier that it isn't going to take over my entire lawn. If anyone else is interested, the website for the U of MD was http://www.hgic.umd.edu/ |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Lawn Care Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.