Mulch is a valuable asset to your garden. It helps retain moisture in soil, prevents weeds from sprouting, and keeps pests at bay. However, mulch also provides the ideal environment for fungus growth.

Q. Just recently, I have noticed brown dots appear on the side of my house. When I try to remove them, I find it is almost impossible to do so without damaging my siding. What is going on? A. It ...

Is this the dreaded artillery fungus in my mulch? My brother had it in his mulch and he never did get off the black spots it shot onto his house and car. You dodged a bullet this time. This is bird’s ...

Q: Which de-icers are safe to use around my landscape plants? A: De-icers are a type of salt, and they are not safe around landscape plants. When de-icers are used in high concentration, damage to ...

Question: The company that power washes our house told me that I had artillery fungus attached to the siding. They said it came from my mulch. Is that true? Answer: Artillery fungus, or cannon fungus, ...

I've been augmenting the soil in my banquette garden beds and planting new seedlings for spring bloom. When I pulled back the mulch (mostly leaves and some pine straw) and turned the soil, there were ...

A few years ago I was working in a one of my client’s beds about this time of year. I saw these little black dots all over her walls in the garden near her front door on the hard surfaces of the ...

*Refers to the latest 2 years of stltoday.com stories. Cancel anytime. Artillery fungus spore masses stuck to siding Q • The siding and fence on one side of my house near a flower bed always gets ...