Mushrooms/Toadstools: What should we do with them?
Mushrooms and toadstools are a natural part of many lawns, often popping up overnight and sparking concern among homeowners. While most are harmless and even beneficial, others—like those forming fairy rings—can be problematic. In this blog, we’ll explain what mushrooms really are, why they appear, and how to handle them effectively to maintain a healthy, beautiful lawn without unnecessary treatments.
How to Handle Mushrooms and Toadstools: Tips for a Healthy Lawn
There seems to be some controversy surrounding our fungi friends, especially when it comes to our lovely lawns. So, what should we do with them? Firstly, we should ask ourselves this.
What are mushrooms?
Mushrooms are fungi. They belong in a Kingdom of their own, separate from plants and animals. In contrast to how plants and animals survive, mushrooms grow their mycelium into or around their food source then secrete enzymes that digest the food externally; they then absorb the digested nutrients.
Are mushrooms harmful?
Most mushrooms are generally harmless and can occasionally be beneficial to the ecosystem. However, it's important to be cautious as some people may wonder, "are lawn mushrooms poisonous in the UK?" While many mushrooms are not harmful, there are indeed instances of poisonous mushrooms in lawns. The fruiting bodies of these fungi may look similar, but it can take an expert to determine whether they are safe to consume. As a result, it’s not advisable to eat them, as there could be lawn mushrooms poisonous enough to cause health issues.
Mushrooms in the lawn are not always a cause for concern, however when you get mushrooms in a circle then this could be evidence of a fairy ring which can be damaging to your lawn.
What causes mushrooms?
Mushrooms sprout in the correct conditions and can spread quite easily (see below). Conditions in which mushrooms thrive tend to be in shaded or moist areas. They can appear pretty much overnight which you can attribute to the right mix of moisture, shade, or cloudy weather along with rich, organic material in the soil. When those elements combine, it’s the mushrooms time to shine.
How do mushrooms spread?
Rather than spreading seeds, mushrooms produce millions of microscopic spores that blow away into the wind or are spread by feeding animals. If these spores land on a suitable surface (such as wood or soil) spores will germinate to form a network of microscopic rooting threads which penetrate their new food source.
So, what should we do with them?
The cycle is usually short-lived, and mushrooms will disappear on their own as soon as they have distributed their spores and completed their life cycle. However, the wind will spread the spores, meaning there is a possibility that they will grow into mushrooms in the distant future.
If you're wondering, "how do you get rid of mushrooms in your lawn?" we wouldn’t recommend mowing the mushrooms, as this will cause the spores to spread further. Instead, before mowing, you could pull the mushrooms out from the base to reduce the spread.
If you have heard that applying a fungicide is a good solution, please ignore this practice. Fungicides will only affect the fruiting bodies that are there for a short time; they will have no impact on the ones beneath the soil, which can pop up overnight.
Aerating your lawn can help improve drainage, which in turn, will help decrease the moisture that encourages mushrooms. Aeration will also increase the amount of oxygen that gets to the roots of the grass. Since mushrooms thrive in shaded areas, trimming back any nearby trees or shrubs will allow for more sunlight and help reduce their growth.
Source: www.for.gov.bc.ca/publications
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