‘Dog Vomit Mold’ Coming Due to Mild Winter

According to CBS affiliate KDKA in Pittsburgh, the milder winter experienced by most of the United States has spawn a mold with an unpleasant appearance and an equally icky descriptive name—dog vomit mold.

This species of slime mold, also known as fuligo septica, usually dies due to freezing temperatures in the winter, but this season, the warmer weather didn’t do the job.

“This year, in particular, is going to be, I predict, really bad for it because we had such a mild winter,” Pennsylvania State University turf management expert Jeff Fowler told KDKA.

The mold rises out of organic ground materials, such as mulch, and lives in old tree roots. And yes, it does look like dog vomit.

So, what can be done about it? Unfortunately, not much.

“You can’t go out and spray them with some magic dust to get rid of them,” Fowler said. “The best thing you should do is go out with a rake and kind of rake over then, break them up, and let them dissipate.” If you do that in the morning, he said, by the afternoon, the mold should be gone.

Fowler also said that you could choose to do nothing at all, noting that, once a few days go by, the mold should be gone. The mold is not hazardous to humans or pets, according to KDKA, but until it’s gone, it will be ugly.