Aussie baffled by white, furry growth reappearing in garden overnight

Slime mould does not sound like something you'd want growing in your garden, but one Aussie has found out the peculiar-looking growth may actually be a sign of good things to come.

The Canberra local shared photos of a recurring white, furry growth living in their garden to their local Facebook community, asking what on earth it could be. "I got rid of it and more seems to have come back, any ideas, it seems to just appear overnight," the puzzled gardener wrote.

Locals quickly swooped in to offer advice, with many believing the strange mounds were fungus.

Medicinal chemist and expert, Doctor Kylie Agnew-Francis, told Yahoo News Australia the growth is likely a slightly aged fuglio septica, commonly known as 'dog vomit' slime mould. "They start off bright yellow but turn white and then brown over time," she said.

Slime mould is not a fungus

Slime moulds are not actually fungi, but a type of amoeba — which is a big single-celled organism — and are considered neither plant nor animal.

Dog vomit slime mould, in particular, tends to disappear almost as fast as it appears in the garden and is generally harmless to animals. "So while a little ugly (to some at least), they won’t hurt anything," Agnew-Francis explained.

Sign of a healthy garden

Some locals in the comments shared that finding fungi or similar in the garden is actually a sign of "great soil health" — something Agnew-Francis confirmed.

"They are saprophytic (meaning they feed mainly on dead or decomposing material rather than live plants), [so] I would say they are actually beneficial and a good indication of soil health," she said. "You want a thriving microbial community full of decomposers like these to keep the soil healthy and full of nutrients".

With "good, living soil" gardeners don’t need to rely on fertilisers to keep their plants happy and healthy. It will help to attract beneficial insects that keep the pest species under control and attract other animals like frogs.

Do you have a story about a peculiar thing you've found? Contact reporter Laura Koefoed at laura.koefoed@yahooinc.com

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Agnew-Francis explains that the overuse of fertiliser or chemical pesticides/herbicides tends to be quite harmful to the soil in the long term and kills off a lot of the microbial community and soil insects. "Use of lawn grub killer is one of the big reasons why you don’t see Christmas beetles anymore, for example.

"So seeing mushrooms or slime moulds pop up is a good sign in my books!"

Other interesting facts about slime mould:

• There are over 900 species of slime mould

• They have no brain but can move and even solve mazes

• Slime mould loves to eat uncooked porridge oats

• Slime mould releases airborne spores like fungus to reproduce

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