Slime Mold Found After or During the Rain

Q. About 2 weeks ago I noticed a strange growth at the base of several different plants. The largest was about 4"x6" and shaped like a smooth, white, used bar of soap; slightly moist and slippery on the outside and like a semi-hard cheese on the inside. It seemed like it was attached to the soil but was also around the stems and branches that came out of the ground.  It broke into slightly smaller pieces as I worked it out of the soil. What is it and what do I do to remove it?

Reader didn't send a picture. This is slime mold in Las Vegas after a rain. Rain will contribute to their growth when there is a lot of rain.

Slime molds are a type of mushroom or fungus. They can come in lots of different colors and forms.

A. Without a picture it is difficult to tell but it sounds like it is “slime mold.”  Search it out. 

Slime Mold

Slime mold is a type of fungus, or mushroom, which does not cause problems for plants. It is what is called a “saprophyte” and feeds on moist or wet dead wood or woody debris. It feeds on the rotting wood below the surface of wet soil. We see that a lot in soils covered in wood chips, or woody compost used for enriching the soil, buried rotting wood in the soil and even dead or dying roots. It is a plant that is a “decomposer.”

Use a shovel and pick it up and put it in the garbage so the dog or kids don’t get into it. No other treatment is necessary. One person reported a rash from it so be careful in case you are in this minority.