Slimy dirt skin ????

[Mike Corazzi]

Never saw this before. Only one olive "group" had it. Something formed a "skin" of slime on top of the soil.
Regular mix with akadama, pumice and maybe "too much" organic.
I actually PEELED it off the top of the soil and the soil underneath looked normal. Some moss grew in portions of the slime.
Came off in a layer.

Only pot that ever did that.

 

[cbroad]

Got a pic?

Sounds like Nostoc Commune. Really gross stuff.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Scraped off and tossed already. But I googled it. Possible.

 

[cbroad]

The nursery where I worked for 13 years has it in their gravel pathways. We never had it until we installed overhead irrigation (which runs everyday for about 9 months a year).

Really gross and very slippery. We would spray it with very concentrated Dawn dish soap in a hose end sprayer. It would turn a yellow color and dry up, but would always come back...

If that's what this is, you do not want this stuff to take hold in your yard. I read somewhere people eat this stuff

 

[sorce]

I can't find the original text from @sparklemotion but the black slime IS your friend. Until it isn't I guess, but I haven't had any problems as of yet.

Search results for query: Slime

www.bonsainut.com

Sorce

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Various species of algae and blue-green algae can form a slime. "Desert Crust" is an example, forms a dry crust over the desert sand and stone, gets slimy and grows when it rains. Nostoc is one example.

 

[Forsoothe!]

I can't find the original text from @sparklemotion but the black slime IS your friend. Until it isn't I guess, but I haven't had any problems as of yet.

Search results for query: Slime

www.bonsainut.com

Sorce

That black slime in the Link is spent moss. Moss in proper conditions, -for that particular variety, will reseed itself and seem to live forever. Actually new generations succeed the older generations that parish a little at a time and you never notice the changing of the guards. Moss gathered from sunny exposures kept wet in the shade will do that, just like forest gathered moss kept in the sun will fry PDQ regardless of how wet you keep it. Collected moss needs to be kept in approximately the same kind of exposure it was collected from. The black slime is not your friend, it is a failing grade awarded the owner.

 

[sorce]

failing

I don't exactly disagree except for this failure part. My tree ain't dead yet, so I don't consider it a failure!

Though I guess what you're saying is there CAN be prettier.

I'm with that.

I guess I AM with, "failure is anything but the best".

I'm down to end this reward everything society!

Sorce

 

[Forsoothe!]

Not the tree, the moss. The tree can be happy enough. I'm just saying that you always need to match the moss to the tree's gonna be conditions.

 

[sorce]

Not the tree, the moss. The tree can be happy enough. I'm just saying that you always need to match the moss to the tree's gonna be conditions.

I HAVE collected moss from areas that get like, as much sun as possible, but it can't be much more than the sun this gets.
We
And it has gone black without shade. It goes black slime in summer and winter.

I also have deep shade moss that stays green with just water.

I have been converting my thinking as of late, from completely agreeing with the "place it lays", to watching it adapt, with just watering.

Moss Lawn.

I got goals.

Sorce

 

[Forsoothe!]

The problem with moss is that it all looks alike to the uninitiated. I bought a handbook on moss. It's a fine book for a Phd, but for the run of the mill gardener a waste of time. It has the same picture on all 200 pages, but each with a different latin name. I learned how dumb I am. Moss can be very sensitive to metals (organic metal compounds) which can be common elements in fertilizers and pesticides. If it kills your moss, don't do that again. Also, pH sensitivity can be a problem. If it grows on concrete it might be damaged by acid ferts. If it comes from a low pH site, it might need acid ferts. Match the site to the situation and that will be OK 99% of the time.

 

[sorce]

bought a handbook on moss

I love moss so much I am terrified to go down that rabbithole, I will exit with a 6ft beard and 2foot ears!

Sorce

 

[Forsoothe!]

I love moss so much I am terrified to go down that rabbithole, I will exit with a 6ft beard and 2foot ears!

Sorce

How's that different from now?

 

[sorce]

How's that different from now?

Lol! I gotta come out of these other holes first. Bonsai, Pottery,....I have been forced into the glaze making rabbithole, it is where I will reside for the next year or so!

Fittin to perfect me some glazes with local materials. Ash, clay, chicken egg and fingernail calcium carbonate, etc.

Sorce

 

[RKatzin]

Sounds like slime mold. I come across it every once in awhile out in the forest. Always looks like it doesn't belong there. Like something a dog barfed up. Try not to step in it. Lol

 

[rockm]

Never saw this before. Only one olive "group" had it. Something formed a "skin" of slime on top of the soil.
Regular mix with akadama, pumice and maybe "too much" organic.
I actually PEELED it off the top of the soil and the soil underneath looked normal. Some moss grew in portions of the slime.
Came off in a layer.

Only pot that ever did that.

What you have is slime algae. It is a sign you've been overwatering. the skin forms when the algae that have been happily forming a mat on the soil surface fueled by a lot of water, find themselves without it. This happens here on my trees, particularly in the summer, when we've got hot humid air around that keeps soil from drying too quickly.

It's important to scrape soil surfaces ever so often to break up these mats before they cover the entire surface.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

What you have is slime algae. It is a sign you've been overwatering. the skin forms when the algae that have been happily forming a mat on the soil surface fueled by a lot of water, find themselves without it. This happens here on my trees, particularly in the summer, when we've got hot humid air around that keeps soil from drying too quickly.

It's important to scrape soil surfaces ever so often to break up these mats before they cover the entire surface.

I'm POSITIVE you are right. It's in a pot I made by cutting down a mica pot for a group and ....quite likely....mica is more apt to be impermeable to water.
I'm sure that, being in a sorta neglected place, I have watered when none is needed. It is scraped off now and I'll let the sunshine in.