Black mold

JesusFreak

Shohin
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Went out to check my trees and there’s a good bit of black mold on my trees. It just happened in the last few days or at least since I’ve noticed. It has been raining nonstop and I do have the sprinkler system on them twice a day during these hot summer days. Has anyone else experienced anything like this? image.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpg
 

JesusFreak

Shohin
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I did just fertilize with fish emulsion/kelp and fulvic a few days ago. I got the fertilizer last year and wondering if that may have caused it.
 

Brad in GR

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I have had this on my pines in particular this year. Coincided with a very rainy period when it started to show up. Trying to keep conifers dry and not overwater in hopes it flakes off a bit. Good luck, would love to hear others weigh in.
 

Deep Sea Diver

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Hmm…. That could account for some brown staining for sure, yet I’ve not seen anything like that using the doses of each I use.

I’d first try hitting it with a mister or the like mid day and see if it runs off at all.

If it’s actually mold, there are many products to deal with it.

My go to for fungus is one tsp 3% Hydrogen Peroxide in a quart sprayer. (Courtesy @Osoyoung). That usually works, but if not next step for me is often Copper Sulfate or Infuse.

Cheers
DSD sends
 

leatherback

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I do not know what it is. But I see that my trees over time all get covered with something black (In fact, the concrete slabs around our house are also coered with it. I have taken it as a type of algea. See the tone of the deadwood on this olive, and the bark:
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Cadillactaste

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I knew Adam Lavigne had shared what he did black mold. So I went and looked it up for you.

I have used older fish emulsion and never had an issue. I would say it is from your weather/climate.

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Bnana

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Spraying fish goo and then keeping it wet, that will surely grow fungi. Black mold loves those conditions and you've given it lots of food.
Let it dry and it will be fine.
 

Wires_Guy_wires

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These black molds are pretty regular forest molds that show up when temperatures are right and humidity is ideal for them.
They eat decaying wood, but very slow. Some of them fixate nutrients from the air even. They're a broad range of fungal families, some of which use radiotrophism (nuclear radiation powered).

Sunlight should damage them, peroxide should too.
 

Bonsai Nut

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Sun and dry suppress mold. Darkness and humidity turbo-charges it. Not sure that you can ever be rid of it, but if you find yourself getting overwhelmed you can use hydrogen peroxide as a stop-gap. Otherwise a day of dry bark normally sets it back considerably. Try to hand water a couple days in a row and avoid getting the bark wet. Otherwise I don't believe it has a direct negative impact other than an aesthetic one. Make sure you are treating your deadwood with lime sulfur, because black mold will break down exposed and untreated deadwood pretty quickly.
 
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