Why Have Mushrooms Taken Over My Lawn?
You've worked hard to nurture a beautiful, weed-free lawn. But now there's some weird mushroom growing in your front yard, and you don't like the look of it! Is there anything you can do about it? And how did it get there in the first place?
It almost seems like magic when mushrooms pop up overnight. But it's actually the end result of a complex process "What you see are the fruiting structures of the fungi," says Peter Landschoot, PhD, professor of turfgrass science at Penn State University. "They’re just the tip of the iceberg. They are growing from the mycelia, the vegetative body which is well-protected deep underground."
And when you see one mushroom, it's a sign that there are more coming for you. The main job of these visible fruiting structures is to reproduce. The cap of the mushroom has gills, which will release millions of microscopic spores that float through the air and allow the fungus to propagate itself.
But they don't just pop up randomly. "Mushrooms appear when the right combination of environmental conditions occur," he points out.
Mushrooms feed on thatch, stumps, old roots, or even wood construction debris that may have been buried underground. "People often find them upsetting and annoying, but the majority of mushrooms in the lawn are harmless," says Landschoot.
Read on to learn everything you can about the mushrooms that have made your yard their home:
Why Are Mushrooms Coming Up in My Yard?
As you'd guess, the appearance of mushrooms usually is associated with a rainy period, often from mid-summer to fall, says Landschoot. Prolonged periods of wet, humid weather create favorable conditions for the fungi to appear.
When the spores are released, they're carried by the wind and land somewhere, where they develop into new fungi that will produce mushrooms when the conditions are right. Even when the mushrooms themselves disappear after a few days, the mycelia underground flourish, as long as there’s organic matter present to feed on.
What's Up With That Circle of Shrooms?
If you see a circle of fungi on your lawn, you've got yourself a fairy ring! Mushrooms display a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Some species appear in large semi or circular shapes in the lawn, having earned the whimsical name of "fairy rings." This term originated from English and Celtic folklore, which said that the rings were caused by elves or fairies dancing in a circle.
These rings can be one to 12 feet in diameter, and mushrooms may or may not be present. Before the fruiting bodies appear, you may see dark green rings of turf, which is due to the nitrogen released by the fungus being absorbed by the grass. It's usually most visible in under-fertilized lawns, says Landschoot.
Are the Mushrooms Growing in My Yard Poisonous?
Maybe, maybe not. There are thousands of types of mushrooms, so it's hard to say. Many are not harmful unless you ingest them (which is not recommended unless you’ve consulted a mycologist). That being said, if you're concerned about your pets or kids eating these mushrooms, err on the safe side and get rid of them. Either knock them over or mow them, says Landschoot. Or pick them and toss them in the trash.
Just remember that by doing that, you're not affecting the fungi in the soil, only removing the visible mushrooms. And chances are, they will be back! In which case, just remove them again
Don’t waste your time and money applying chemical treatments to destroy them. Fungicides simply do not work. "The mycelia are so deep underground that fungicide will not affect them," says Landschoot.
Can I Stop Mushrooms from Growing in My Yard?
In a word: Nope! "No lawn is more or less likely to have mushrooms," says Landschoot. All types of grasses are susceptible, if conditions are right.
You can adjust irrigation schedules if your lawn seems too wet, but there's no foolproof way to prevent mushrooms from appearing in your lawn. Just knock them over, toss them, or wait for them to disappear since they only last a week or two.
Or, learn to love them! They may take over a lawn fast, but mushrooms aren’t all bad. As Landschoot says, "They're actually beneficial because they break down organic matter in the soil, making nutrients available to other plants."
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