Shotgun & Artillery Fungus

Have you noticed some “tiny black specks” on your siding that looks like insect feces and seems impossible to remove? Those tiny black specks are actually the mature spore masses expelled from the fruiting bodies of fungus known as Sphaerobolus Stellatus.

Shotgun fungus gets its name by firing spore masses in the air for as little as two feet to a maximum distance of thirty feet, speckling siding, down spouts and windows. It is harder to remove these pores the longer they have been in place. However, in most cases we can generally remove about half of the shotgun fungus. The water pressure will usually”skin”the outer surfaces of the spore. This will then leave the spores exposed to the sun, which will then “bleach” them off the siding. There is no product that kills shotgun fungus, but you can keep it at bay. You might consider switching to inorganic mulch, such as stone or pea gravel. Prior to the application of inorganic mulch, we recommend a complete removal of the existing mulch in order to lessen the chance of reoccurrence.

Oxidation

When metal is exposed to rain or humidity, it slowly deteriorates and causes oxidation. A good example of this type of oxidation occurs on your gutters as the aluminum is exposed to the elements of the weather, such as rain, snow etc. The metal starts to stain a grayish film, which during the hotter months of the year bakes onto the gutters.

 Power washing can work wonders on vinyl siding, but does little to remove the oxidation that can be found on most trim and gutters around the home. Nothing short of a long and grueling hand scrubbing will take care of a tough case of oxidation. You can attempt to wash gutters down all day and never succeed at removing any of the oxidation. This is one of the most difficult stains to successfully remove.

Runoff

Occasionally, when power washing your home a small amount of water will get behind the siding. Hours after we are done and gone, the water will start to make its way onto the exterior surface of your siding. As it drips out, it will usually pull some dirt out with it, resulting in a mark down the side of the home.

There is a simple soultion to this problem, all you have to do is simply give the runoff area a quick spray with the garden hose to rinse away the mark.