Artillery Fungus Black Mulch Fungus (a.k.a. Shotgun Fungus)
Neither high-pressure spray tips nor corresponding chemicals will successfully remove most cases of artillery fungus spores. Black Mulch fungus are tiny and generally go unnoticed until there are hundreds of them on your fence and siding. If you are early in the detection and catch them fresh they can easily be removed with a standard garden hose nozzle set to a tight spray stream. Unfortunately in most cases, they are baked into the finish and all you can do is scrape them off with your fingernail.
Scientist say scraping them off into your mulch beds is basically planting the seeds.
High-pressure water will undeniably damage the paint and/or exterior substrate before removing the spores. Scraping them off in hope that they are not set in will typically leave a black tarry stain often leaving a smear or smudge trail making it even worse.
Artillery fungus or black mulch fungus on the whole typically grow in organic mulch beds. These black spores end up all over your home, fence, cars, gutters, and even your windows.
Artillery Fungus & Black Mulch Fungus How do I remove them?
As I have said I strive to be the best exterior mobile contract cleaner. Despite leaving any blemish behind unfortunately these spores will remain . I have spent countless hours researching the best methods for safely removing this fungus. If there was a chemical that could safely remove this unsightly fungus I would have it on my truck at all times. Unfortunately I keep coming up with “ZERO”.
Artillery fungus spores have a sticky substance coating and if neglected, will stay on your siding indefinitely. Using tools to remove the spores can be effective, however you will most likely end up damaging your finish. I’ve read that Magic Erasers are good at removing the remaining stains left behind after scraping off the spores. Unfortunately, I do not recommend using magic erasers on your homes exterior.
Do your research
No natural mulch can resist artillery fungus. Penn State Plant Pathology department has tested 27 different kinds of mulch and found that with enough time all of the mulches were supporting the spore-shooting mushroom. Taken from what I could find the most resistant mulch to this fungus is LARGE Pine bark nuggets and Cypress (do your research as there are some environmental, non-sustainable reasons for not using cypress.)
The only way to ensure that artillery fungus never comes back is to remove all your mulch completely and replace it with stone, artificial mulch, or plants. The key to preventing the artillery spores from sprouting is to dig out all of your old mulch regularly and replace it with new mulch. Who out there ever really does that?
In conclusion, no organic mulch is completely safe from the artillery fungus. If black mulch fungus has spread around your home instead switch to large Pine Bark or rock mulch. Some HOAs particularly will not allow stone so be sure to check first. Replacing your mulch every year would be the second-best thing to do.
