QUESTION: “A couple of mornings ago, I noticed a strange yellow clump
of something had appeared, apparently overnight, in one of our flower
beds. It was a bright, almost neon, yellow and very moist and slimy.
It looked almost like some kind of alien being! “By the next day, it
had formed a skin or crust on top and was turning brown. It now looked
like a very large, stale egg foo yong! The following day, a second
patch appeared, about six feet away in the same bed. Is this some kind
of fungus? I am planning to remove the two clumps with a shovel and
replace the mulch. But I'd also like to know if there's a way I can
treat the soil to discourage it from happening again.” – Mike H

ANSWER: We’ve had these things show up too and they do look weird,
don’t they? The good news is that they might be unsightly but they are
not plant parasites.

Slime mold is indeed a type of fungus that produces large, single-
celled bodies called plasmodia. Plasmodia are the feeding stages of
the fungus and can be seen on mulch, lawns and dead wood, according to
the folks at the Plant Disease Clinic at Cornell University. You can
read their complete article at http://plantclinic.cornell.edu/FactS.../slimemold.htm
or click on a direct link when you find this column at my Web site,
www.landsteward.org

Although slime mold is not a plant parasite, small or vulnerable
plants can suffer if the mold covers or shades them. Slime molds will
eventually disappear if left alone, but they are unsightly and you
might want to remove them.

The folks at Cornell say that on mulch, they can be raked or turned
under and on turf they can be mowed. In my case, I wait until the
slime turns to a dry, flaky crust and remove it with a shovel. It will
probably return when the conditions are right, but it’s good to know
that slime mold isn’t really harmful to plants.

QUESTION: “Thank you so much for your helpful tips each week! I have a
question about pruning in general. We have two azalea bushes and a
very large bush (8-10 feet in diameter, 12 feet high) in our back yard
(I'm afraid I don't know what kind it is, but its leaves turn bright
red in the fall and it has small leaves about the size of a large
thumb nail).

“We need to prune these back, as they are starting to creep into
walkways and phone lines. What is the best time to prune? I don't want
to kill the azaleas and the bush, but I want to keep them under
control. The azaleas are currently blooming, and the bush has produced
leaves. I appreciate any advice you may have.” – Sonja R.

ANSWER: From your description of the large bush, it sounds as if it is
a non-blooming variety so you should be able to trim it now or most
any time. As for the azaleas, the best time to trim these is after the
blooms are spent or finished.

I received the following note from a reader in response to a question
here about spiders:

“My brother has a good solution for spiders but it must be used with
care.

”Old fashioned mothballs will kill spiders and insects. When my
brother is going to be gone for a few days he throws a few under his
trailer. He never has problems with the black widows, etc., that
frequent his area. They die because the mothballs close off their
lungs. (They will also damage human lungs if we are inhaling those
fumes for any length of time.) Besides putting them under porches or
other areas spiders love, you can sprinkle them around the outside of
your arbor, house, etc. Note that they should not be allowed to
vaporize close to food.

”I prefer to use more natural methods but this is a solution that
works with some very unwelcome ‘critters’.”

The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs
and landscaping to and for resources and
additional information, or to subscribe to Steve’s free e-mailed
newsletter, visit www.landsteward.org