Please forgive my non-technical gardening terminology. I have a flower-bed on the front of my house and spores are growing in the dirt in certain areas of the bed. I was hoping that someone could tell me what these spores are and also how to get rid of them. They are quite unsightly to look at.
To see the spores, go here:
They appear to be mushrooms growing on the damp wood chips in your flower bed. Take a hoe or trowel and break them off. Let the bed dry out and they will probably disappear. Don't eat them, they may be poisonous.
George
What you have are Birds Nest Fungi, a rather nice grouping of them. If you do a Google image search on Birds Nest fungi, you'll see many examples. They're harmless, simply breaking down the woody material in your flower bed. When your garden dries out or they finish chewing up the wood chips, they'll disappear. In the mean time,enjoy them. They're quite interesting. The "eggs are actually packets of spores surrounded by a hard covering all within a cup-like nest. Are they toxic?. Not as far as I know, but they're too tough and leathery to be eaten. I'd be delighted if they showed up in my garden.
Fred
Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.
Ask the community — no account required