Arterial Fungus On Siding

You can power wash them off of vinyl siding but such methods can be damaging to cars and wood siding.

Arterial fungus on siding.

The spore masses of the artillery fungus stick like super glue. These sticky black dots cling to vinyl siding like glue. The fungi eject the sticky spore mass which can be blown by the wind as high as the second story of a house. Artillery fungus or sphaerobolus looks like mud or dirt spots and while the spores aren t harmful they can stain your home deck or car if not cleaned thoroughly.

Power washing may work on brand new only vinyl siding that still has a shiny oily sheen. There is no recommended artillery fungus treatment. When it is time for it to reproduce the fungus lives up to its name and shoots tiny spores in all directions. The artillery fungus or shotgun fungus is a wood decay fungus that likes to live on moist landscape mulch.

In home gardens it often takes up residence in wood mulch. Artillery fungus orients itself toward bright objects such as light colored siding windows or shiny automobiles parked nearby. As you have discovered the spore mass is difficult to remove without damaging the surface. Its primary job is to decay dead wood.

There is no fungicide registered as an artillery fungus treatment. We have not found a good efficient way to get them off without leaving a stain or damaging the siding especially on old dry siding. The common fungus can be found in bark mulch and manure and has the ability to propel spores several feet giving the spots a splattered appearance.