Tips for Getting Rid of Mushrooms in Your Lawn

Mushrooms are a pesky and uninvited garden guest. When these little heads begin to pop up in the lawn, it’s important that you confront the problem quickly. The good news is, there are a few ways you can remove the threat of mushrooms from your yard naturally and without much effort.

What to Do When They Show Up

When mushrooms begin to appear in a person’s yard, it means there is a fungus deep in the soil. The mushrooms are the result of a fungus that thrives in the lawn or garden bed. Usually, mushrooms won’t affect a flower bed or lawn.

Mushrooms thrive on all types of organic material. This includes buried timber in wooded areas or large lawns, underground plants, and shrub roots. In many cases, they will disappear completely when they have consumed all the organic material that is present.

Any area that receives a prolonged bout of rain will create a group of mushrooms. If a lawn is overwatered or if a leak is unnoticed, it may cause them to begin sprouting in the yard. Moisture and low light create the perfect combination for mushrooms to make a short-term home.

Are Mushrooms the Good Guys?

In a yard’s ecosystem, mushrooms are actually beneficial – some would say, they are even one of the good guys. They are going to break down organic material into nutrients that the lawn will be able to use.

There are several different types that can make their home in your garden. Some of the most common include the traditional toadstool, Japanese parasol, stinkhorn, shaggy mane, and the Phallaceae puffball. The spores of the fungus are able to find their way into the yard through the wind or when transferred in plants or the soil.

Eliminating Mushrooms Naturally

If you prefer that your garden is free from mushrooms, then you can speed up their retreat with several of the following natural remedies:

• You can dig up the fungi by hand if there are only a few that are scattered around the lawn or garden bed.
• Remove the source of water if the area is extremely wet or if there are leaks that are resulting in soggy spots in the garden bed or lawn.
• Remove all tree branches to add some light to an area that is overly shaded where the mushrooms are most likely to grow.
• By maintaining the yard and picking up any fallen branches, needles, and leaves, it can reduce the total amount of decaying organic matter that will attract the fungi.
• Aerate the lawn every spring to kill and break up the fungal mat that is below the lawn’s surface and toss all the plugs right after the aeration is complete.

The tips here will help you get rid of mushrooms. However, for more information about this, you can reach out to the landscape professionals at Kansas Turfmasters for help with your growing mushroom problem.