Fungus(?) on raised bed

[Tosc]

Not sure if this is the right forum but on one of my raised beds I have this white fungus looking thing that seems to be growing where the boards of the raised bed meet. It's rather hard to the touch and difficult to break off. I'm not sure what it is and I'm wondering if any of you all do. Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[Chuck]

Not sure if this is the right forum but on one of my raised beds I have this white fungus looking thing that seems to be growing where the boards of the raised bed meet. It's rather hard to the touch and difficult to break off. I'm not sure what it is and I'm wondering if any of you all do. Thanks for any suggestions.

That is just a slime mold. Nothing to worry about.

 

[Tosc]

Thanks. Although I have visions of Ghostbusters, that is good to know.

 

[Tetters]

We think it looks like dry rot fungus. Zigs said it reminds him of all the dry rot fungus he has seen here when renovating old churches.

 

[Tosc]

Thanks. Detrimental to the plants or is it that the raised bed will decay quicker.... Or something else.

 

[Chuck]

Thanks. Detrimental to the plants or is it that the raised bed will decay quicker.... Or something else.

Slime mold is the fruiting bodies of certain fungi. These fungi feed on dead and decaying organic matter. You probably have quite a bit of decaying material in your garden soil and the fungi is just breaking this down into a form that your plants can uptake as nutrition. It might make your raised bed decay a little quicker but a wooden raised bed will still decay no matter what. You still have a long way to go before your raised bed finally bites the dust. It is actually beneficial and will not hurt your plants.