Artillery Fungus

[LuminumTraila]

Here's a new one for ya. I just spent a couple of hours working to remove artillery fungus from the finish of my new Bambi, and I still don't have it all off yet. This is nasty, nasty stuff. It looks like tiny black specks of insect poop all over the surface, and it's stuck on like someone used Gorilla Glue to put it there.

In reading up on it and found that it comes from old mulch, and "explodes" out towards light surfaces. So my Bambi was just a convenient target.

So far I've been cleaning it with bug and tar remover and painstakingly nicking at each little spot with my fingernail inside a rubber glove, then scrubbing with a sponge and soap to get the residual stain.

Has anyone else ever dealt with this stuff? Apparently it's a well-known problem in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast areas of the U.S. The only advice I can offer is be very careful not to park your Airstream near old landscaping mulch since it could be infested with artillery fungus. If you are parked near mulch, make sure to refresh the mulch every year to keep the fungus away, or plant a groundcover and get rid of the mulch altogether.

-Jamie

[rock60]

Jamie, i know what you are talking about. i had them all over the back side of my home that i just sold last year. seems they are worse on the shady side. it had light sideing on it. my globe trotter also had them, you are right about the only way to get them off is to scrape them off with your finger nails and they still leave a stain. i did have mulch around the house.
i tryed a high pressure washer on them but didn't move them.
rock

[juel]

How about a little bleach water to kill them? It is very effective on fungi.

[rock60]

bleach don't do anything.

[LuminumTraila]

Originally Posted by juel

How about a little bleach water to kill them? It is very effective on fungi.

Juel - Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't think it'd work on this stuff. The little black spots are like tar, only harder, and it's as if they're cemented on. The only reason I can get them with my fingernail is that they are bumpy and the fingernail snags them.

It's really awful!

[yukionna]

I always wondered what that stuff was! Thanks for the link. I get this on my white truck every year. I'm able to scrub them off when I wash my truck but they do leave a tell tale stain. The only way I can get rid of the stain is by compounding and waxing my truck. Unfortunately, that solution won't work on the nice new finish on your nice new Bambi! Did you try Walburnizing?

[LuminumTraila]

Originally Posted by yukionna

I always wondered what that stuff was! Thanks for the link. I get this on my white truck every year. I'm able to scrub them off when I wash my truck but they do leave a tell tale stain. The only way I can get rid of the stain is by compounding and waxing my truck. Unfortunately, that solution won't work on the nice new finish on your nice new Bambi! Did you try Walburnizing?

I haven't tried Walburnizing yet. I thought I'd better try to get the bumps off first so they don't scratch during the Walburnize. Do you think that could happen?

-Jamie

[yukionna]

Originally Posted by dougjamie

I haven't tried Walburnizing yet. I thought I'd better try to get the bumps off first so they don't scratch during the Walburnize. Do you think that could happen?

I'm not sure. Why not find a bump in an out of sight location (on the roof?) and try it. I think the Walburnizer is more of a non-abrasive wax and not an abrasive compound so my bet is you will need to remove the bumps manually and then Walburnize to remove the stain.

[LuminumTraila]

Originally Posted by yukionna

I'm not sure. Why not find a bump in an out of sight location (on the roof?) and try it. I think the Walburnizer is more of a non-abrasive wax and not an abrasive compound so my bet is you will need to remove the bumps manually and then Walburnize to remove the stain.

By your description, I'm guessing the Walburnize would definitely work on the stain. I will give it a try and let you know how it works.

Thanks!

-Jamie

[LI Pets]

Artillery Fungus Update

Dr. Larry Kuhns, Professor, Ornamental Horticulture, Penn State University

Q: Are there any new strategies for removing black spores from decks and siding? Does high pressure washing work? Are there any cleaning solutions?

A: Pressure washing doesn’t work. The best of the cleaning products we have tested were:
Purple Muscle by Turtle Wax
Foaming Wheel Cleaner by Turtle Wax
Clean Rite Purple Power by Aiken Chemical Co.
Bleeche-White by Westley’s Blue Coral, Inc.

There are no magic bullets. It still takes some work.

[yukionna]

Just did a search on google for artillery fungus and it came back with over 109K references!

Here's anothe good site on the topic: http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/...ry_fungus.html