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Decatur, IL

I no longer grow in my garden area at home because of severe fungal disease problems (Phytophthora). Recently I noticed a couple of yellow blobs on the ground (kind of looked my cat's puke at times)around the base of my oak tree where impatiens are growing. A couple of days later this blob turned a chocolate brown. This morning when I was watering the impatiens what looked like a dense, brown cloud or smoke(spores?)blew off of the blobs. Does anyone know (or know anyone who might)what this might be from my description? I don't want to spend a bunch sending a sample to a lab. I vaguely remember something like this emerging from my garden soil years ago. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Anyone have any success in controlling major infestations of fungal diseases such as Phytophthora or Fusarium?
Charlie

7/4/2003 3:05:00 PM

Montoursville, PA

Charlie, This has been the most humid wet spring in my gardening history. Lots of fungi are showing and have been showing up where never seen before. It is a fungi hunters dream year. I believe that is what you have. The spore you saw distributed by the winds will need another year like this to come back and attract your attention again.

In our North Central Pennsylvania Mountains I have seen no less than a dozen fungi never before witnessed.

I use mushroom waste in the patch. Yep, I saw some that may have been salad material but I do not know them so I resisted the urge. I remembered the Boy Scout Camp Naturalist saying, "There are old mushroom eaters". "There are bold mushroom eaters". " There are no old bold mushroom eaters".

7/4/2003 4:06:17 PM

Topsfield, Ma.

Can't tell you what it is, but seen the same thing more this season than any other. It seems to flourish on the shredded leaves I mulch my patch with. I always relocate it to the compost pile which is maybe why it comes back each year ? duh, maybe I should change tactics not knowing if it's good or bad for the patch?

7/4/2003 8:25:00 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

Hey Charlie....I had a severe case of fusarium/alternaria in the patch for 2 years. I am no longer planting that area and plan to use basamid this summer to kill off whatever is in there. I have been using a zerotol program but still to early to say if that has stopped the spread to the new patch. I have heard of others who have had success with it and even planted the same area using it. Good Luck!

7/4/2003 11:29:44 PM