Dog Vomit Slime Mold

What is it?

Dog vomit slime mold is unpleasant and unattractive, but it’s a common problem that can pop up in our yards. Dog vomit slime mold also known as “scrambled egg fungus”, is a mold that grows in warm, moist shaded areas. The summer months is when this mold is most common. After lots of heavy rain a shaded garden is an ideal spot for the mold to produce.

Appearance
The early stages of this mold gives the appearance of slimy yellow foam. As the atmosphere gets drier and hotter the mold transforms into a brown mass then in its final stage turns into a powdery white color.

Treatment
There are no treatments to kill dog vomit slime mold and it is not harmful to humans, pets or plants so removal is not necessary. If someone has asthma, allergies or other respiratory conditions they may want to take precautions as the spores may cause irritation.

Decreasing the amount of moisture the area gets is the best way to prevent the mold. To get rid of it in mulch and leaf litter just rake it out and dispose of. Remove it while it still looks like vomit, once it becomes a powder its spores will spread and you can end up with a giant mold problem. Do not burn or compost it. After removal wash all your tools so they are decontaminated, which will avoid re-contamination in the future.