How do we get rid of garden fungus?

We have tan fungus growing in our mulch, how do we get rid of it and what is causing it??How do we get rid of garden fungus?
Save for aesthetics, most fungi are, at worst, harmless and, at best, necessary to many plants' survival (most fungi are beneficial to plants).





Most known fungi are saprophytes (they feed on dead or decaying material) and several of those found in hardwood mulch are from the genus Sphaerobolus (some are known as ';Artillery fungus'; or ';Shotgun fungus'; - see first two links).





Also, keep in mind that what you are seeing in your mulch are likely just the fruiting bodies of the fungus (or Sporocarp), not the ';fungus'; itself (i.e. what we call a ';mushroom'; is just a sporocarp of a fungus species). Fungi consist mostly of long, branching, filamentous cells called hyphae (or mycelium, for groups of hyphae) that grow throughout the medium they are in to absorb nutrients (see last two links for life-cycles and pics).





Rarely (if ever) is there a need to remove fungi from the soil, Indeed, a single fungus's mycelial growth can measure in the MILES; so it is unlikely that you could ever truly rid it from your garden without devastating the surrounding flora even if you wanted to.





You might wish to check with your local horticulture extension service for recommendations, but likely these will include covering it up with fresh mulch or using a non-organic mulch such as shredded rubber. I often suggest to my clients to consider planting herbal ground-covers as well.How do we get rid of garden fungus?
I wouldn't do this.. the bleach and vinegar can affect your plants. sorry, previous answerer, but I think that's not great advice.





The fungus is coming from the breakdown of the mulch.. it's SUPPOSED to happen. The heat and moisture of this time of year make the fungus bloom (yes... that's right, you are seeing it's flower) to reproduce. the blooms can be removed with a shovel and thrown away in a plastic bag.





the good news is that your soil has a fungus that is enriching your soil by breaking down the mulch. You plants are benefiting from it's presence. the bad news is that there is fungus blooming in your mulch... the bloom will be over in a couple of weeks, if you can stand it.





In the meantime.. use a rake to stir up your mulch.. it will allow air into it and keep the fungus from having an easy time in blooming. Throw away the blooms and forget about it.. it's doing nature's work.. let it.
These are the two things that I've used in my garden and it worked.


In a spray bottle, put 1/4 clorox and water.


In another spray bottle put straight white vinegar.





Spray on the fungus every other day with the clorox and leave on for serveral hours before watering.


Don't worry about the clorox ruining the mulch. It won't. Remember that you water and and the water will rinse the clorox off. But the clorox will kill the fungus before you water.





Vinegar, you can spray it on every day but let it dry before you water.





Stir the mulch around. The top of the mulch might be dry but the underneath is damp which might be causing the fungus because of no air circulations and sun to dry it.





Do not spray on the plants, flowers, etc. It will kill it. You do not need to 'soak' the mulch with either solution. But should that happen, don't worry it will spring up again. Atleast mines did.





Clorox and vinegar is cheap with the same effects as store bought solutions and can go a long way with its uses.


Also, did you know that vinegar can kill weeds?


Good luck.
leave it be, but make sure it's not touching your house. keep it at least a foot away from your foundation in all locations. the only danger here is that it can contaminate the wood in your house, and i've seen some horror stories coming out of southern california about monster molds which origninated in garden mulch ruining homes.