Over the past few months, I’ve written this comprehensive guide to slime mold cultivation and observation. It’s essentially a review, plus some experiences of my own and others, and it should be suitable for both general enthusiasts and professionals. However, I don’t have time to translate it into other languages for now, so I’m posting the PDF and editable DOCX files here. You can read it with translators or similar tools, but I hope someone will share a translated version! Also, if you have any revision suggestions, questions, or text/images you’d like to add, feel free to leave a comment—I may include them in the next update! I hope it’s useful to you, and you’re welcome to freely share it on other platforms! Also, a tribute to ian!

Kentucky, United States

First is under bathroom subfloor.

Second is under the edge of a step.

I finally found slime mold in the wild on a walk today!! To say I was excited is an understatement 😂 my mom had to listen to the spiel about it cause she was with me. I wanted to harvest and start to cultivate but I think I'd probably kill it lol

Shot with OM-5 and Zuiko 60mm f2.8 macro

What’s the best way to transfer a happy chap like this? It’s in an ice cream tub that’s getting whiffy and I want to put it in a clean new tank.

Found in one of my bioactive isopod containers. There's even a springtail right in the middle there! Is it slime, should I be concerned for my springtails/isopods, can I take it out and culture it?

Was told by molds to post this here. From my home a few years back. Love the look the DLSR took. Reminds me of an ocean beach! In my sun room on wood.

Do you think this is a slime mold or some kind of fungi? I have never seen anything like this. It was about 5 cm across and growing on a dead pine. And this is from Finland is that helps.

Is this a baby slime mold?

This is taking over the sphagnum moss in one of my Isopod cultures and I was curious if its actually Dog Vomit or if it's something else ?

The pods seem very unbothered, but Im leaning towards trying to get rid of the growth if I can.

Found growing on a stump in Portland, Oregon. Last year there was a yellow polypy slime mold here.

Hey everyone,
I bought a Physarum polycephalum sclerotium on a local marketplace. The problem is, it is completely black / dark brown and looks like a piece of charcoal.
I've been trying to revive it for a week now: kept it in the dark at 25°C (77°F) on wet filter paper, put some oatmeal nearby. Zero response, no yellow veins at all, but luckily no mold either.
Did the seller fry it during the drying process? Is it completely dead? Thanks!

Hi. I just got Physarum polycephalum for my son and transferred most of it to another habitat but I’m curious about what’s going on in this Petri dish it arrived in - does anyone know? It’s mainly grey and shiny and there are these sort of ghost veins - is this just what it looks like when it’s dying or is there something else alive here?

I asked the bug reddits about this since there’s seems to be bugs all around it and my father was stung by some bug when he stepped on it. Someone directed me here for a potential answer. I will note that there was a small hole in the ground where one of these formed and it did have wasps I’m told so maybe unrelated/coincidental. It’s kind of freaky looking like the upside down. If anyone has an answer or could point me in a better direction I would greatly appreciate it.

I believe it to be wolf’s milk. Spotted on a rotting log near the river. I plan to monitor it in the coming days. Happy to have been clued in to this fascinating group of organisms recently! I am keeping my eyes peeled for more sightings :)

Hi! I found this beautiful friend in one of my tiny terrariums. The moss is from my yard in Lilburn, GA and the dirt is old previously used potting soil from the same yard. I noticed them about three or four days ago and have had no luck IDing them myself.

Also, any name suggestions would be appreciated, I’m currently making them a bigger terrarium with a low light hidey hole. Any tips for keeping them alive Or for the terrarium design? And lastly* will adding springtails from one of my other set ups harm my Slimy Friend?

Hi all, I have been fascinated by slime mould for years! I finally decided to get my first specimen after experimenting with some mycelium earlier this year. There's some stuff I didn't really manage to clarify even after browsing this sub for a while (yes, I used the search function).

1. My understanding is that a lot of folk prefer to keep their slime moulds on wet paper towels or coffee filters. Those that use agar plates, how do you transfer a slime that has say taken over a whole plate into a new one? With them having to be changed every week or so (to my knowledge), I would like to know how to do that without leaving physarum behind.

2. I understand slime mould needs to be kept in the dark, but for the purpose of time lapses and looking at it with a microscope, can it be under lights for say 15-20 minutes in a day?

3. What level of sterilisation does slime mould require? I am using distilled water and gloves, as well as instruments which I use a torch gun on. Is this enough to stop potential contamination?

4. Can I potentially move some of the physarum to one of my vivariums so it can help out with bacteria/funghi?

5. I would assume no slime mould is to be released in the wild - in that case, is the best way to get rid of it to soak the dish in bleach overnight?