Native Plants
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Friday - June 22, 2007
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Diseases and Disorders
Title: Saprophytic fungus on mulch
Answered by: Joe Marcus
QUESTION:
I just did some major landscaping in my west Austin, TX backyard. I added many native plants and mulched all of the new beds. I did this just before the heavy rains in the past two weeks. I now notice a powdery white substance in the mulch (not on the plants). Is this powdery mildew? Whatever it is, do you have any suggestions regarding what to do about it? Thank you.ANSWER:
Chances are the white powdery substance you describe is a saprophytic fungus growing on the mulch. Saprophytic fungi are those that live strictly on decaying organic matter. Most such fungi are incapable of doing harm to plants. It is very common to see blooms of fungal growth on shredded bark and other mulches after rainy spells.More Diseases and Disorders Questions
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Failure to flourish of Trumpet Creeper in Leesburg VA
June 28, 2011 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants: Late last year I planted a trumpet creeper vine to grow on my fence and attract hummingbirds. It gets full sun, is in average soil and gets adequate water. I put a few daylilli...
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July 23, 2007 - We just planted some Verbena bipinnatifida in our back yard and when we planted it, it had purple flowers on it but now they've all dried up. We live in central Colorado and thought this plant was fa...
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August 11, 2005 - Any suggestions for controlling mildew on blanket flower? It's spreading throughout my garden.
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Non-native red-tip photinias dying in San Antonio
August 20, 2009 - A 17 year old Red tip Photinia in a hedge shows signs of dying. The main stalks are quite large and offshoots from two of the stalks have brittle, drooping leaves. The center of the plant looks norm...
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