Artillery fungus

turfdude · #1 (**permalink**) 04-02-2005, 07:04 PM

Other than cedar mulch, or right dress licorice (only in bags here), are there any other mulch types that do not have a problem w/ artillery fungus? It is a problem obviously w/ harwood mulch, but also w/ dyed mulches and most root mulches as well as ICBIN. I refuse to get into pine bark nuggets as they truely are a homeowner product around here. Anyone - any suggestions??

turfdude · #2 (**permalink**) 04-02-2005, 07:07 PM

BTW, Below is a list of approximate costs for mulches in my area

Hardwood $18-$20/yd
Root $20-$22/yd
Dyed (red, brown.black)$20-$28/yd
ICBIN (I Can't Believe Its Not) Licorice $35-$42/yd
Cedar same as above
Right Dress Licorice Root $4.50 for a 1.5 cuft bag (no requests to date because of cost)

GLAN · #3 (**permalink**) 04-02-2005, 07:53 PM

Artillery fungus is generaly associate with non bark mulch.......more so with trash wood such as "shredded hardwood" which contains pallets, construction material and other mystery wood products....So if is a problem with "Shredded Hardwood" then it would be a problem with the dyed mulches. And not to forget root mulch.....

Now understand, all that, is what makes "hardwood mulch". Cedar mulches can contain some garbage as well. Well prepared mulch will not have the Artillery fungus pathogens as much as a fresh mulch will

Artillery fungus can shoot it's spores higher than 2 stories. There is no known way of cleaning it off vinyl siding, fencing or cars.

One thing to be aware of is that Artillery Fungus directs its spores to a "Bright" warm location. Such as White or light colored siding, fences, cars and even glass.

There is no recommendation for fungicide treatment

turfdude · #4 (**permalink**) 04-02-2005, 08:09 PM

Glan,

I know all about the fungus, someone had a great link to Cornell's website w/ the info you posted re: its attrativeness to warm bright targets and that it can't be easily cleaned or removed. I just don't know of any alternatives other than a good cedar or licorice root mulch.

The person who developes a treatment for this fungus will be a millionaire$$.

GLAN · #5 (**permalink**) 04-03-2005, 11:32 AM

Last year was the first year it was actualy brought to my attention. And in fact the problem was created by the homeowner.....who brought wood chips home that were on a construction site they were working at. He spread that out along the side of the house and you can see the spores on the siding and white vinyl fence.......a couple months prior to that.....I had done a front installation and mulched with black mulch and not one spore.

But if you feel that it is a concern then I would go with as pure a cedar mulch as you can get.

Other than that............rocks, gravel and the new tire rubber mulch.

Personaly......I don't use rock in a planting bed

bayfish · #6 (**permalink**) 04-03-2005, 09:44 PM

I researched this for one of my new clients for this upcoming season. It's a townhome association that had a problem with this fungus as is obvious by the amount of black dots all over the yellow vinyl siding.
My observations of the site revealed a much too thick of an application of shredded hardwood mulch. The previous grounds maintenance company was just piling on layer after layer.
The first thing we did this spring was to turn the mulch with a mini tiller and smooth over with a rake. This will increase the air flow and speed up the decomposition of the mulch. Once the mulch has broken down sufficiently, we will go back and apply no more than a 2" layer of shredded pine mulch.
The key to control is to not allow mulch to build up to the point where it becomes a breeding ground for fungus.

GLAN · #7 (**permalink**) 04-03-2005, 10:01 PM

That's true to Bayfish.....The Cornell info suggests a thin layer of new mulch

r schipul · #8 (**permalink**) 04-04-2005, 06:36 PM

Just hearing the word brings shivers up my spine. I have a title I'm not so proud of. I was the first company in my state to be sued for artillary fungus. At the time I had never heard of it. I installed a $12,000+ landscape for a client. 3 years after the installation a suit was brought against my company for $60000 in damages. The short story is my insurance company settled out of court for $30,000. That was in 2000.

Haven't heard much about the fungus until this past fall. In our state ANLA chapter newsletter it mentioned that multiple lawsuits are going on with member's companies. My question is, how long are we responsible for our work considering it is exposed to all sorts of weather conditions 24/7? In my case, the original mulch was never replenished. As landscapers, we can not control mother nature, but without mother nature artillary fungus wouldn't exist. 4 things are needed for the fungus to be present. A host, sun, damp conditions and temps between 50 and 68 degrees. If any one of those is missing the fungus can not mature to it's damaging stage. The two most common hosts are mulch and dog feces. Most mulch is affected. Even the best mulches contain some wood. Only cedar, redwood and cypress are shown not to support the fungus because those woods do not decompose quick enough for the fungus. The fungus is anaerobic. One defense is to add a thin fresh layer of mulch for prevention (as long as it's applied before temps reach 50 degrees). Because it's anaerobic a better approach would be to fluff or turn over a mulch a couple times a year. Unless research has changed in the last couple of years I would have to disagree that a well prepared mulch will not contain the fungus. No matter how the mulch is prepared the fungus is usually destroyed in the mulch spreading process and the fungus occurs on site after a couple of months or years. I have a 1" thich folder on artillery fungus. Question 2, There has been so many mold and fungus lawsuits in the last 5 years that many, if not all, insurance companies do not cover it any more. Does anyone carry a mold and fungus ryder? Question 3, Who's contracts mention fungus and mold? Mine does! Now.

GLAN · #9 (**permalink**) 04-04-2005, 06:52 PM

can you give us a jist of the language you are using regarding Mold and Fungus in your contract?

jwholden · #10 (**permalink**) 04-04-2005, 07:01 PM

Rich,

I think it's interesting that you mention insurance companies do not cover mold and fungus. I just was reading my insurance policy a couple weeks ago and they had a seperate page about how mold and fungus is NOT covered.

Wonder how much a mold and fungus ryder costs?

r schipul · #11 (**permalink**) 04-04-2005, 11:04 PM

Glan, I'll get back to you about the language in my contract. It's just a sentence I've added to it a couple years after I had a lawyer look it over. I'm sure it's not proper 'lawyer language' and probably wouldn't hold up in court but it makes me feel better.
John, After all that's happened to me, I do not have a ryder and I am not currently covered. I seem to be the person people call to talk about my experiences with Artillery fungus. I've probably fielded 20 calls since 2000 about the fungus, mulch and insurance. I had a women call me a couple years back because she heard about what had happened and asked if I knew any insurance companies writing fungus/mold ryders. I'm not sure what one would cost but I'm sure it wouldn't be cheap. In my fungus folder I have an article. In 1997, PA had over one million in claims for the year. It had put a lot of companies out of business.