Good/bad fungus or something else?

[frdnicholas]

These round balls showed up in the cucumber bed this morning. They're more pink than the picture shows, a little smaller than chick peas. Any ideas as to what they are??

 

[Sheal]

I think you forgot the picture frdnicholas.

 

[frdnicholas]

Oh, sorry. I'll attach them here. They're in a raised bed with commercial fertilized soil to which I've added organic compost and aged manure over the 4 years I've been using the bed. Currently there's cucumbers growing there. I know the pictures are blurry; I'm still not good with the camera.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Look like fungal fruiting bodies to me. Do you notice and mycelium, white fibers, in the soil? I get that lots with plenty of compost. I wouldn't worry too much, it is probably enjoying the compost and manure, breaking it down, and making the nutrients more available to your cucumbers.

 

[Chuck]

I believe that what you have there is called Wolf's Milk Slime or Toothpaste Slime. It isn't a fungus but a slime mold but it does what a fungus does, it helps decompose organic matter and is harmless.

 

[cntrlwagdnr]

Yes. Lycogala Epidendrum. It's an amoeba, a single cell organism. Not animal but can move by changing it's shape, sort of like crawling. They clump together when creating fruiting bodies, like this type. It's not a mushroom, don't eat and wash your hands after touching it. Some types of slime molds are actually technically edible - like Dog Vomit Mold. Apparently it is eaten ins some parts of Mexico - but why? Had it on our lawn once and I telling you - no way I'm eating that stuff!

These kinds of "slimes" usually arrive in gardens on leaf molds or other organic matter from infect areas that are not properly sanitized.