"Mike S." wrote in message
ups.com...
My bag of mulch has white specks in it that looks like powder. I don't
recall seeing it on there last year. Could it be some sort of fungus?

I bought it and opened it last year. I stored the mulch in it's
original bag and then placed that bag in a trash bag and tied it up.
I've kept the bag in my spare room since I got it last year.

If the mulch has a fungus, wouldn't it be bad to use on plants such as
tomatoes and peppers? I'm growing tomatoes and peppers in large pots
and was going to use this mulch in the pots. I'm worried about the
fungus infecting these plants.


I found the same thing in bags of cedar mulch that were damp, and stored in
my garage. I mulched almost everything in the garden with it and had no
problems at all. The sun will take care of it, I guess. If you're nervous
about it, spread thin layers first, wait a few days for it to dry in the
sun, and then add another layer. If you're new to gardening and find that
squash, cucumber & melon plants die with white powdery stuff on their
leaves, be aware that this is common for that plant family, and probably has
nothing at all to do with the mulch.