What is Artillery Fungus
Artillery Fungus appears as small black or brown dots, and is attracted to light colored or reflective surfaces such as siding and windows. Artillery fungus is delivered onto your property by way of infected landscape mulch. According to Dr. Donald D. Davis who extensively researched artillery fungus at Penn State University states that, “The artillery fungus is a white-rotting, wood-decay fungus that likes to live on moist landscape mulch. It is in the genus Sphaerobolus (Greek for “sphere thrower”) and is very common across the USA, especially in the East, as well as many other parts of the world.” Many homeowners and businesses alike use this rich mulch to control weeds and to dress up the appearance of the property. Because of Artillery fungus size it is extremely hard to spot this infestation in mulch, which is why it is very common across the US. Artillery fungus received it’s name because it “shoots” its spores like a piece of military artillery upwards – from a few inches to a few feet or higher. The wind can carry these Artillery fungus spores further. I have seen these brown or blackish dots underneath the eaves of light colored homes in the Pacific Northwest. I have also seen windows in Portland covered with hundreds Artillery fungus spores.
Many years ago, it seems, Artillery fungus wasn’t as severe or at least there was not as much information about the problem. With the push to use recycled wood products more, bark mulch is used less, while recycled wood products, which are finely ground, are used to make today’s landscape mulch. It may be that bark mulch wasn’t as attractive to home owners and the deep rich color of mulch satisfied the visual requests of the market. The beneficial thing about finely ground mulch is it holds water, which is good for plants, but it also is a breeding ground for artillery fungus.
Artillery Fungus in Portland Oregon
Portland, Oregon, offers its share of Artillery fungus! Artillery Fungus is a real problem in Portland Oregon. Artillery fungus thrives in moist damp areas and there is no known pesticide to control it. As with our Portland roofs, this artillery fungus thrives on the north side of homes predominately. If your property is infested with this Artillery fungus, there are a few precautions you can take to reduce the chance of re-infestation. If you have artillery fungus on your siding, and are thinking of repainting, have your home professionally washed with a bleach solution. Then, once all the mildew is gone, have the artillery fungus sanded from the surface. The spores will land near the foundation but are not dead. Remove all of the existing infected landscape mulch from the property and dispose of it at the local landfill. Use some black plastic or landscape fabric to first cover the intended areas before putting down some bark mulch. Is there a mulch that is impervious to artillery fungus? According to Dr. Donald D. Davis he states that, “the most resistant mulch was large pine bark nuggets because they are hard and dry.” Dr. Davis also states that, “All mulches that we studied eventually supported the artillery fungus after being outside for several years. However, some mulch performed better than others.” He also observed that, “even though no mulch was impervious to artillery fungus, laying down a new layer each year did seem to suppress the fungus.”
Will Pressure Washing Remove Artillery Fungus
Is there a way to remove the Artillery fungus from siding, windows and other surfaces? The answer is a bit more complicated, but in short you cannot completely remove it from siding without a lot of work. I have talked to people who have tried to pressure wash Artillery fungus from the siding which is only going to damage the siding. Disclaimer (we do not use razors) As the for the windows, a professional glass razor with soapy water will remove the Artillery fungus. You must be very careful when using a razor on the glass. A razor can dislodge fabrication debris which will scratch glass. Most chemicals do not dissolve the Artillery fungus, nor do they repel it. Scrubbing the fungus with a brush is very time consuming and will only provide minimal results. Customers have told me they “pick” at the spots with shish kabob skewers made of wood. While researching how to remove artillery fungus I came across some pretty interesting information that I am sure some will find useful.
How to Remove Artillery Fungus
This is taken verbatim from Dr. Donald D. Davis’ website, in which, a tenth grade student attending Battlefield High School in Gainesville, Virginia states that, in his study “… In the first technique the peridioles were rubbed with a paper towel dampened in each substance. In the second technique the peridioles were submerged in each solution and set to soak for twenty four hours. Thirty five different chemicals/products were tested throughout the experiment, each selected for a specific purpose that was predicted to either remove the hard coat or disintegrate the sticky underside… Cinnamon Ice Scope Mouthwash, Scope 1, removes the coats of the peridioles with little effort, while Crest MultiCare Whitening Fresh Mint Toothpaste, Toothpaste 1, removes the stains…cellulose in the paper towels pull the cetylpyridinium chloride, CPC, from the mouthwash product to the site of the fungus. The water in Scope 1, as did the alcohol, served as the solvent. Also the alcohol content was the correct percentage allowing the Cinnamon Ice Scope not to evaporate as quickly as other products, and giving the fluid a longer time increment to attack the peridioles. The glycerin found in Scope 1 was hydrophilic and it absorbed the water of the peridioles allowing the mouthwash entrance into the coat enabling the CPC to go into the peridiole and break down the outer shell…the small amount but high content of CPC found in the sodium fluoride of Toothpaste 1 removed the final stains of the peridioles after the hydrophilic glycerin, which also was found in Toothpaste 1, pulled out the water allowing the sodium fluoride to attack the root, the hyphae, of the stain. The hydrated silica in Toothpaste 1 scratched the final existence of the stain off. With the use of the combination of Cinnamon Ice Scope, Crest MultiCare Toothpaste, and cellulose based paper towels, the peridioles of Artillery Fungi are removed from vinyl siding with a hint of cinnamon and mint.”
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