Mushrooms on the Lawn
Let’s understand the basics.
The Basics
We’ll most often see mushrooms after heavy rains as the above-ground portion of a larger growth underground. They are associated with two distinct causes.
Cause One
The first is the less-common fungal problem called “fairy ring”. This is a circular pattern in your lawn that enlarges from year to year as the fungal mycelium grow and expand.
There are mushrooms on the lawn associated with this kind of fungal growth.
Fairy rings are really difficult to control. You can often eliminate the ring by digging out the turf and soil to a depth of 12 inches and 12 to 18 inches wide on both sides of the ring, refilling the hole with non-infested soil.
Some authorities suggest digging out the entire ring from its outer edge to the middle – others suggest only 12 to 18 inches on either side of the ring. Whichever you do, get rid of all contaminated soil.
Cause Two
The second and much more common mushroom on the lawn colony is supported by organic matter under the ground.
The mushroom is the fruiting body of this growth but the bulk of the growth is underground and supported by the decaying organic matter belowground or growing in a symbiotic relationship with tree roots.
Beneficial
Because some of those working with tree roots are beneficial to the tree, you don’t really want to kill them off.
This is a good thing because there are no sprays (organic or otherwise) that will kill off the below ground fungus.
If the mushrooms are unsightly, simply rake them up and dispose of them.
Eliminate Forever
So how do I get rid of them forever?
If the mushrooms are supported by organic matter below ground, the only way to eliminate them is to dig up the organic matter and remove it. Deprived of their food source, they’ll die.
Dig up the tree and get rid of the roots that are supporting the mushrooms. Mind you, this will also get rid of the tree (reminds me of cutting off your nose to spite your face.)
Patience
The real answer is to rake and have patience. As soon as the organic matter is consumed (three years give or take) you’ll see the mushrooms disappear.
So if a tree root has died and fungus is consuming it in a natural process, you might see mushrooms suddenly appear but they’ll just as suddenly disappear when the root is consumed.
Edible
Can I eat the mushrooms on the lawn?
In theory you can eat anything you can positively identify. The trick is in identifying it. I can’t give you any help on this so the best advice I can give you is don’t eat mushrooms unless you positively know they are harmless and edible. If in doubt –don’t.
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