Mushrooms

Mushrooms are not attractive and seem to grow in your lawn overnight. They can appear pretty much anywhere in a lawn and are caused by the perfect combination of moisture, shade (or cloudy weather) and rich, organic material in your lawn’s soil. Mushrooms are the reproductive part of fungi that live in the soil. Fungus usually stays hidden but when weather and lawn conditions are just right, they flower and produce mushrooms. The best way to avoid mushrooms is with a few changes to the areas where they’ll likely appear.

Since mushrooms like shade, trim back or thin out branches that are causing excess shade. Next avoid compacted soil because it causes poor drainage. This means rain and irrigation water linger on the surface for too long, creating the moist environment that mushrooms love. Aerating can help alleviate the compaction and break up thatch build up, which is organic material that absorbs moisture, another mushroom causing environment. Another common habitat of mushrooms is where rotting materials lie. This can be anything from old tree stumps to pet waste. Remove stumps or roots of dead trees and keep those areas well aerated and raked to boost oxygen and decrease moisture and compaction. Remember to pick up after your pet too!

close up of mushroom in Dedham lawn mushroom in Dedham lawn closeup of mushroom in lawn

If you have mushrooms, look on the bright side, mushrooms are an indication that your yard has a lot of organic material and microbial life in the soil. Mushrooms help break down that organic material and make your soil more productive. Fungicide applications are affordable and accessible with just a quick trip to your local home improvement store, but we don’t recommend you take that route. Fungicide could disrupt the healthy ecosystem that your soil has worked so hard to create. Instead, if your drainage and shade aren’t real problems, just knock the offending mushrooms over and wait for the sun to come out.