Unexpected white growth on soil is likely harmless fungi

Q: As I was pulling up some coleus that were spot-fillers in my perennial gardens, I noticed the white growth you can see in the photo, especially where I pulled back some landscape fabric. What do you think it is? – Sandra V. A: The white growth in the photos is most likely harmless fungi living on the wood mulch or organic material near the soil surface. I've seen an increased amount of similar fungi in our own wood-mulched perennial beds. Most fungi seeing growing on the surface of mulched soil are harmless to perennials and are beneficial as they decompose organic material, breaking it down into rich soil-improving material while releasing nutrients. Cultivating the surface, or "fluffing up" the wood mulch usually makes the visible part of the fungi disappear. Recent fall rains have increased the incidence of surface fungi. Q: Now that we’ve had a few hard freezes, I figured the lawn mowing season was done. However, my lawn is still green and seems to be growing a bit.

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