A new gardening question of the day appears every day of the year on the front page of Almanac.com. Below is the answer to one of the questions from our Gardening Questions and Answers Archive where you can find over 400 more gardening questions (with answers!).
Last season's mulch has a whitish yellow fungus-type covering on it. What is this?
Most mulches are mixtures of shredded wood and bark residues, and they decompose over time. Fungi and bacteria always accompany the decomposing process. Sometimes the fungi become visible. You may be dealing with a "slime mold," which is usually bright yellow or orange and can grow from several inches to more than a foot in diameter. This type of mold will dry out and turn brown, leaving a white powder behind. If you want to get rid of the slime, you can dump it in your compost pile or household garbage.
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