How Does it Grow?

One of the biggest questions involves the exact life cycle of dry rot. There are four main stages that dry rot goes through as it forms and spreads throughout the affected areas. 

• Spores 

The first stage is rot in the form of microscopic spores that are invisible to the human eye. The life cycle begins when these spores contact moisture and start to grow, infesting the wood around them. 

• Hyphae 

The second stage is the hyphae, which acts as the dry rot’s root, extending out around the affected area as strands. These hyphae feed off the wood’s nutrients, causing it to grow further and the wood to shrink. 

• Mycelium 

This is what allows dry rot to grow across large distances and affect many areas. Mycelium is able to look for another source of food to fuel the dry rot. 

• Sporophore 

This is the flower generated once dry rot runs out of a source of food, such as in a dry environment. The development of this flower is what helps dry rot spread farther or grow once it has a source of food again.