On a rainy spring day, you have been quietly sitting inside your house watching some television.  The next day, you decide to take a walk outside and notice random patches of mushrooms. The mushrooms have spread near your trees, shrubs, and garden. What had happened? How did these lawn mushrooms suddenly appear overnight?

Sudden appearance of lawn mushrooms

Mushrooms are the reproductive part of fungi. They come in a variety of shapes when fruiting out of the soil for exposure.  The rounded, umbrella mushrooms are the most common shape for mushrooms. After rainfall or heavy irrigation, mushrooms will begin to burst on your lawn.

It is important to adjust the conditions of your lawn in order to prevent mushrooms from appearing frequently. Mature mushrooms will spread spores for reproduction. The spores will travel in air for germination to random areas of your lawn causing patches of lawn mushrooms growing in random spots. Since fungi can survive in soil for many years, you can decrease the growth of mushrooms by allowing sunlight on your lawn, dethatching, and providing lawn aeration.

Are There Benefits In having Lawn Mushrooms?

Surprisingly, some lawn mushrooms can be beneficial to your lawn. It has been noted that mushrooms break-down and decompose organic matter. By decomposing organic materials, mushrooms help release nutrients to your lawn. These nutrients help other plants grow and are generally harmless.

If the physical appearance of these lawn mushrooms is bothersome, you can simply pull the mushrooms out of the yard or contact a local lawn care service professional to evaluate your lawn for possible lawn diseases.