Question
I recently noticed i had what looks like slime mold on my grass. Its a white vomit looking growth pretty much that appears over night ranging from the circumference of a soda can to the circumference of a CD. when i first noticed the patches i sprayed them with the hose thinking that they were in fact vomit. when i did this they exploded into a dark brown dust. Everything I've read on slime mold has said that it is not dangerous to pets of people.  My question is if it is a slime mold how would i go about getting rid of it? Even though its said to not be hazardous i don't want to take the chance with my 1 year old daughter.
thanks

Answer
Gargantuan Amoebas oozing over the Grass.... Attack of the Slime Mold!

In large numbers, these amorphous creepy crawlers look like Dog Vomit.  Eeeewww!

I'd be scared, too!  Who wants their baby crawling around in this stuff?

Let's look at these Plasmodial (Myxomycete) Eumycetozoans.

First, they're not Molds.

They WERE considered Fungi.  No more.  Now they get their own 'Fungus-like' group.

They begin life as a single spore and burst into action as Amoeba-esque androids that eat Cyanobacteria, Green Algae, Fungal spores and Protozoa, usually on the surface of decaying organic matter and Soil.

Bigger fish prey on Slime Molds in return.  Believe it or not, these are filet mignon for Slugs and Garden Snails, Insect Larvae, Earthworms, even some Beetles.  When other Slime Molds in the area get hungry, they collect and converge into a single, Slimy mass that you sees as Red, Pink, Yellow or Straw colored gobs of varying sizes.  The biggest are an inch thick and can be several inches wide, oozing down the street, up trees and telephone poles, a few millimeters an hour over the Soil, wining and dining along the way.

These are about as weird as science gets.  Because if you put a portion of organic matter nearby, the whole glob will head toward the portion.  Slice it up and the pieces squish together again.  If there's a second Slime in the neighborhood and it happens to cross the path of the first Slime, the second Slime will switch directions and follow the same trail of the first.

We don't know what makes these much smaller Slime Mold Sporangia converge into a single, psychedelic Slime Mold creature from the Black Lagoon.  We don't know a lot of things.  But we do know that when things start to look bleak for the Slime Mold, they simply dry up, eject more spores, and fall apart into a pile of dust.

Maybe you can find yours here:

slimemold.uark.edu/educationframe.htm

Start with Fuligo septica, appropriately called 'Dog Vomit Slime Mold'.  This is the organism that attacked the city of Dallas, Texas, in 1973, making national headlines and the 6 O'clock News. Click on 'Images' for illustrations.

Now, about getting rid of this.

The popular lore says you can do nothing about it.  Yes, they also say it's harmless.  Yes, you can't be too careful when you're dealing with a baby.

Raking disperses the spores and the Giant Glob.  But that just means these things are still around, in smaller numbers you can't see easily.  They're still there.

So think instead: Food Chain.  What eats Eumycetozoans?  Got Slugs?  Beetles?  Insect Larvae?  Earthworms?

Moisture and pH also seem to play a role in Eumycetozoan activity.  Try drying out the Lawn.  Try spraying with Vinegar.  Or Ammonia.  Watch what happens.  My guess is, It will disappear.

Keep me posted.  Thanks for writing.

THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER