The worst thing about this fungus is that it shoots spores up to 20 feet which often land on siding cars and anything else that surrounds the mulch.
Arterial fungus on siding.
As you have discovered the spore mass is difficult to remove without damaging the surface.
Power washing may work on brand new only vinyl siding that still has a shiny oily sheen.
Artillery fungus or sphaerobolus looks like mud or dirt spots and while the spores aren t harmful they can stain your home deck or car if not cleaned thoroughly.
The artillery fungus or shotgun fungus is a wood decay fungus that likes to live on moist landscape mulch.
The common fungus can be found in bark mulch and manure and has the ability to propel spores several feet giving the spots a splattered appearance.
You can power wash them off of vinyl siding but such methods can be damaging to cars and wood siding.
The spore masses of the artillery fungus stick like super glue.
There is no recommended artillery fungus treatment.
There is no fungicide registered as an artillery fungus treatment.
When it is time for it to reproduce the fungus lives up to its name and shoots tiny spores in all directions.
These sticky black dots cling to vinyl siding like glue.
The fungi eject the sticky spore mass which can be blown by the wind as high as the second story of a house.
We have not found a good efficient way to get them off without leaving a stain or damaging the siding especially on old dry siding.
Artillery fungus orients itself toward bright objects such as light colored siding windows or shiny automobiles parked nearby.
Artillery fungus is a common fungus in north america.