Some Blame Careless Landscape Contractors for Fungus Growth

UPPER FREEHOLD, N.J. -- Artillery fungus. It sounds bad, and it is. For many residents of the Four Seasons development, it is literally a plague upon their houses.

The fungus, which forms unsightly spots on surfaces, has become enough of an epidemic that a Four Seasons resident formed an ad hoc committee in order to address it.

A July 26 meeting on the subject brought out 139 Four Seasons residents. Reno Zinzarella, chairman of the committee, said that his house is one of about 60 houses in the 387-unit Four Seasons development that the fungus has affected. The front of his own home is covered with spores "from the roofline to the foundation," and his wife’s car, which is usually kept in the garage, also has artillery fungus spots on it.

According to the Plant Disease Diagnostic Clinic Web site of Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., artillery fungus — also called Sphaerobolus Stellatus — is almost impossible to remove from homes, cars and plants and gets its name from its ability to shoot spores up to 20 feet away. It first appears as small, disc-shaped spots of between 1 and 2 millimeters and will adhere to any surface. Sensitive to light, the fungus will often attach itself to pale-colored surfaces, such as white automobiles and houses with light siding.

"Removing the fungi is virtually impossible," the Web site states. "Scrubbing and scraping with tools or washing with soap and water aids somewhat in removal; however, the use of tools or harsh chemicals may damage painted or otherwise-colored surfaces. No fungicide treatment is recommended at this time."

The fungi has been associated with wood mulch, as opposed to bark mulch, according to the site. Using gravel mulch, stone, pea gravel or black plastic in plantings adjacent to houses may also reduce the problem.

Zinzarella said that back in January, a resident reported the problem to the previous Four Seasons Board of Trustees, but no action was taken.

"I’m very disturbed that the old board knew about [the fungus] and did not do anything to prevent its spread."

He said that something must be done soon, since the spores are more active in the spring and fall.

The issue also came up at the Aug. 5 Township Committee meeting when concerned residents asked for the committee’s help.

Chris Berzinski, Democratic candidate for Township Committee, distributed photos to the committee of the artillery fungus on Zinzarella’s residence. In one photo, the siding of the house was covered with little black dots.

"The entire north side of Dr. Zinzarella’s house is covered — the windows, the screens, the garden gnomes," said Berzinski. According to him, when residents first informed the Four Seasons community manager about the problem, it was dismissed as insect droppings. Now, he said, it’s growing exponentially.

Berzinski sees the fungus as a larger issue for the township, as it can travel through air or on landscape contractors’ equipment. He asked the Township Committee to contact the Four Seasons developer, K. Hovnanian Homes, to have the company address the issue in a speedy fashion."Persuasion from the township just may be what is needed," he stated.

Berzinski’s running mate, Robert Faber, asked that the township get permission from K. Hovnanian to remove the mulch as soon as possible. Plastic barriers and stone or gravel, he said, could replace the mulch and avoid spreading the fungus.

Four Seasons resident Gerald Nathanson said the mulch is part and parcel of what the builder put in for the aesthetics of the houses. He added that artillery fungus is becoming an epidemic, affecting Pennsylvania, Ohio and New Jersey, and that some residents have enhanced what was originally done to their property with additional mulch, not knowing "that this is a product they should not be using."

The fungus is a cosmetic issue, not a health issue, he stated.

Mayor John Mele said he knew that the seriousness of the problem has been explained to K. Hovnanian.

Douglas Fenichel, spokesman for K. Hovnanian, said the company had just recently heard about the issue, after a homeowner contacted them.

"Of course, we stand behind our homes," said Fenichel, "so we have begun investigating the situation and trying to learn what artillery fungus is, how widespread the problem is and what the appropriate response is here," he continued. "While our research is still in the early stages, we have determined that this is a cosmetic problem only."

Upper Freehold resident Roger Bullock, who worked for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, said that landscape contractors are partly to blame and that they should be aware of the fungus, which is found in certain types of mulch.

"There’s too many unprofessional [landscape contractors] working in the township," he stated. "I still see mulch around trees, around houses. People think their homeowners’ insurance will cover [artillery fungus damage] — it doesn’t."

Bullock said that while consulting with residents at the Four Seasons development, he saw landscape contractors putting mulch against the houses.

"It’s a bad situation, and it’s getting worse," he stated. "The fungus explodes and is spread by mulch. It is the responsibility of the contractor to know that."

Paul Goldstein, a member of the Board of Trustees at Four Seasons, made it clear that at the meeting, he was speaking for himself.

"It is the responsibility of the township [committee] to take leadership before the entire town has this problem," he said. "Some houses have 50,000 little black dots. No steps are being taken at the present time."

Goldstein said he does not want to see the fungus spread to nearby developments or neighboring Allentown.

"There’s no reason for Upper Freehold to be Fungus City USA," he added. "[Four Seasons] has known about [the fungus] for months and hasn’t done anything concrete about it. If you don’t do anything, it will come back to haunt you."

Committeeman Salvatore Diecidue, who lives in the Grande at Olde York subdivision off Old York Road, said the fungus is already in his neighborhood and on his house. He, too, blames landscapers who are piling mulch up against houses.

Mele stated that he did not know whether the township could ban the use of mulch, and that he wanted to know if there was an industry standard for it. According to Committeeman David Horsnall, the township will contact the county and state departments of agriculture for more information on the artillery fungus issue.

Township Administrator Barbara Bascom said information about the fungus and proper types of mulch will be posted on the township Web site, www.uftnj.com