Why Do Mushrooms Grow In My Yard And How To Get Rid Of It?

Do you know where the mushrooms in your lawn come from?

Mushrooms grow when certain environmental conditions are right. It is very common to see mushrooms in your lawn.

These above-ground dwellers work hard at decomposing and decaying any organic material that is in your soil!

An essential factor to keep in mind about mushrooms is that they are above-ground dwellers and fruiting bodies of fungi that make their homes in the soil. Most fungi are below ground, where they go unnoticed and unseen until the mushrooms make light.

A wide range of fungi is very beneficial to us, not only in terms of providing our bodies with healthy nutrients but also in terms of the ecosystems we live in.

Most of the mushrooms that grow in your lawn or garden do not damage them, but they are simply just a nuisance as they are not pleasant to the eye. Continuous periods of rain, humid weather, or a dry summer can lead to the fungus in the soil sending up structures in the soil.

Fungi spread to new locations when contact is made with windblown fungal spores. Fungus colonies tend to develop outwards, forming what are called 'fairy rings'.

Mushrooms are also distinct in the fact that they go away on their own! Another factor to bear in mind is that even though the mushrooms leave when the weather dries out, their fungal mycelia are very much alive in the soil.

Also referred to as toadstools, they rely on other animals and organisms for food, whereas green plants get their food from the sun.

Not all fungal structures are good for your health. Some can be really poisonous and deadly when consumed, so do not eat mushrooms that grow in your yard unless you are absolutely sure about the way you identify mushrooms.

To eliminate the growth of mushrooms in your yard, you must first correct certain problems with respect to how you do lawn care. Some of these tips can help reduce the number of mushrooms in your lawns and gardens.

If your lawn is too wet, reduce moisture by raking your grass clippings, replacing old much, or dethatching your lawn. This will help in the reduction of decaying organic matter that facilitates the growth of mushrooms.

Open your lawn to more sunlight by thinning or pruning the surrounding trees. When mushrooms appear in your lawns and gardens, mow over them or break them off.

There are some special sprays and fungicides that can be used to eliminate the development of mushrooms.

Use them in small quantities, as too much of a fungicide can affect the quality of the soil and, in some cases, cause the soil to die.

Interestingly, mushrooms in the lawn can work well for the life of your garden and lawn and can be seen as a good sign. The vast roots system of lawn mushrooms help the soil absorb water efficiently and, by breaking down decaying organic matter, add beneficial nutrients to the lawn.

What causes mushrooms to grow in the yard?

Mushrooms are the reproductive parts of fungi that live underground. Under the right conditions, mushrooms will burst from below the ground and make an apparent appearance in your lawns and gardens. They can also end up being a health hazard for children and pets.

The spread of mushrooms happens when the spores are carried in the air and make contact with the soil in another location. They go away at the peak of summer when the sun dries up most of the moisture in the soil.

Fungi can enter the soil through plant wounds or natural openings. A strong and healthy turf can eliminate the development of bad fungi from infecting a plant, while the good fungi found in the soil can support the turf and outgrow the bad fungi.

The ‘root’ cause of mushrooms growing abundantly is the presence of fungus growing beneath the surface of grass.

The first sight of these mushrooms begins when there is excessive moisture present, as well as a good amount of shade. Such damp and dark conditions accelerate the growth of mushrooms.

Fungi are known to feed on organic matter that is decomposing. Such organic material in your yard may be the broken or dead roots of trees, dead and dried leaves, or even grass clippings.

How to get rid of mushrooms in the yard?

If you are tired of seeing mushrooms constantly spring up in the soil of your lawns and gardens, make sure you do not wait too long; you never know when the mushrooms will open up and disperse more spores around the lawn.

In general, once the mushrooms growing in the yard complete the decaying process of material like wood, shrub roots, or stumps, they will go away naturally.

However, if you want to get rid of them immediately, here are some tips you can follow.

The mushroom season can be really annoying, especially for garden enthusiasts and owners. Use a fungicide to remove growing mushrooms, but make sure not to use too much as it can cause all the essential nutrients for plants to die.

Practice correct lawn care and do not leave decaying or decomposing material around, as this is how mushrooms start growing.

If you begin to notice tiny mushrooms, the easiest thing to do is to pluck them individually from the base or run a mow over them. Since damp and dark conditions are preferable for toadstools, it is recommended to improve the drainage and light situation in the yard.

Do not water your grass frequently and try to ensure that the grass is dry but not too dry as well. This can possibly be achieved by using a lawn aerator.

You may also opt for better gardening tools to loosely plug out small amounts of soil to improve the drainage and circulation of air within the soil.

You can also mow the grass regularly, as longer blades of grass retain more moisture. Avoid abundant shade by trimming and pruning tree branches and tall grass.

Through plant wounds and natural openings in the lawn, fungi can start growing too. Fungi that grow on trees is a bad sign as it denotes that the tree is dying. This is due to the fact that fungi can break down wood at a fast rate.

Types Of Lawn Mushrooms

Mushrooms come in a great range of sizes, shapes, and colors. You might have heard of stinkhorns, bird's nests, and puffballs that indicate the diverse forms of mushrooms.

Most of the toadstools or mushrooms that grow in your lawns and gardens are beneficial as they enrich the soil and decompose organic material that facilitates plant growth too.

Hence, lawn mushrooms can be seen as a good sign, keeping your soil healthy below the surface of the soil.

Mushrooms can also make a lawn look unclean, so people remove them to make their lawn much neater and to also make sure that their little kids and pets are safe from consuming them. Some ways to identify the mushrooms in your lawn are by observing the details of their structure.

White mushrooms tend to be the most common type of lawn mushroom. They are very beneficial to the ecosystem of your lawn as well.

Some common types of mushrooms you can find on your lawn are fairy ring fungi, inky caps, horse mushrooms, urban mushrooms, meadow mushrooms, winter mushrooms, elm oysters, wolf's milk, flowerpot parasols, and deer mushrooms. With respect to fairy ring fungi, only one of their kind produces mushrooms.

The presence of fairy rings, which are green rings with mushrooms in them, in your lawn indicates a bad sign-that your turf is not healthy!

Fairy rings do not actually infect the turf; it's only the potential growth of fungi that has an effect on the soil. There are more types of lawn mushrooms that exist, and the ones mentioned above are only a few of them.

Are the mushrooms in my yard poisonous?

Lawn mushrooms are not poisonous most of the time, but even then, it is advised not to consume them unless you are absolutely sure of your identification.

What might be edible for us may not be the same for our pets. Hence, it is always better to follow correct lawn care and make sure that these mushrooms don't spread, although they go away on their own.