How to Get Rid of the Mold on the Red Wood Chips on the Front of My House

Red wood chips can provide an environment for fungus growth.

Mulch companies manufacture red wood chips out of naturally red trees such as cedar, or out of other tree species which they dye red. Cedar wood chips resist decay and generally do not have mold issues, but other wood species, especially softwoods, can encourage the growth of many mold species. To solve the mold issue, you must remove the present colony and treat the rest of the bed in front of the house.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Garbage bag
• Garden hose
• Grass clippings
• Rake

Instructions

1. Use the shovel to scoop up the chips infested with the mold and put them in a garbage bag. Dispose of the garbage bag in the trash.

2. Inspect the spot from which you removed the moldy chips. If any chips remain in that spot that do not have a visible mold growth, use the shovel to turn them into the soil at a depth of two inches. Water the spots until the soil settles and leave it overnight.

3. Lay down a one inch layer of green grass clippings over the rest of the red wood chips. Use a garden rake to mix the grass clippings into the mulch down to the soil level.

4. Cover the grass and wood chips mixture with another one inch layer of red wood chips. The grass and mulch mixture underneath will decompose over a period of six weeks. The combination of heat generated by the composting and the nitrogen released by the grass clippings will kill any remaining mold spores.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not spray the mold growths directly with a hose because it may cause the mature mold to release spores.

References

• City of San Diego: Wood Chips
• Cornell: Slime Molds Fact Sheet
• Ohio State University: Control of Nuisance and Detrimental Molds (Fungi) in Mulches and Composts