Fuzzy growth in hay mulch

Question

We applied brand new lucerne hay mulch to our potted dwarf mango a week ago, and in three days it had some furry white stuff on it. We removed it and replaced it with more dry new mulch from the same batch, and the following day it had the same furry growth, which is almost web-like, but we don’t think it’s web. It seems to appear after being watered. Does anybody know what this is and how to deal with it?

Answer 1

This is a harmless fungus. These are present in the hay, and help to break it down into nutrients over time. This is nothing to worry about, but if you would like to get rid of it, then spray it with peroxide without getting it on the mango, which looks very healthy by the way.