Mushrooms popping up in the lawn

A friend has large white mushrooms appearing in his lawn, which tend to leave a hole when he pulls them up. This just started happening last year and is worse this year. He'd like to stop them.

I asked if there was a dead tree stump or the like under the lawn and he didn't think so (he's been there for 8 years). I couldn't think of anything else that would cause this 'fungal invasion'.

I suggested buying a garden fungicide, mixing it with a bucket of water (weak solution) and drenching the area. Any other suggests as to why wor what to do? Me, I don't have a lawn... and I'd look up the mushroom to see if it's edible!

Mushrooms are moisture lovers. Does he have a low spot? Or sprinklers or more rain than usual? A spot last year that grew mushrooms to the releasing-spore stage might explain the increase this year.

Fungicide sounds like it should work. My kids like to play "Stomp the 'shroom" so I haven't bothered in my yard.

ps- I'd advise against trying them out for taste w/o an expert right beside you. Mushrooms are notorious for the poisonous & nonpoisonous looking very similar.

Just adding information: We have a very shaded yard I try to keep plenty of moisture there, because the grass seems unable to develop deep roots and the soil is dry in places 2 inches below the surface. We have mushrooms every year and they seem to do very well, however. Mushrooms haven't shown up yet this year, but will pretty soon, I'm sure. We have a bush that roots are very hard to get rid of. Rooty bush plus lot of trees in area may be our cause of bad soil and good area for mushrooms . . .

I am never too sure that I understand why folks get tipped over about mushrooms. Maybe, though, it is because I have never lived in the city w/ a neatly manicured lawn.

Unlike moss - which also loves moisture and shade - the fungi will be gone in short order. If the caps are shading the grass, they could just be picked when in button stage .......or get some of neighborhood kids to do it for you.

The cap stage of a mushroom is akin to the flowers on a plant - and the spores are like the seeds. The other 50 weeks out of the year, the fungal threads are underground - digesting organic matter.

As for edible fungi - yes, be sure to have a skilled person identify them should that ever occur to you.

To expand on what wannadanc posted, mushrooms (the flower part of a fungus) are a sign of decaying organic matter in the soil - which is a sign of a good healthy soil.

Some fungus (like fairy rings) do some unsightly damage to a lawn.

But most mushrooms and fungi are harmless to a lawn, and fungus in the soil can help plants use the nutrients in the soil.

Thanks for adding that, Joepyeweed. As much as folks recoil at the thought of molds, fungus, bacteria and such- as well as buzzards and other carrion eaters - without them, everything that ever died would still be lying right where it fell.....and before long, there would be no more building blocks liberated for other life forms. What would the highway look like if every road kill was still there? It is an amazing system, this thing called "life".

Even skilled people sometimes can't recognize safe mushrooms .. case in point:

About 20 years ago when I lived in Gainesville FL. a very celebrated mycologist had a bbq for some friends and sauted up some mushrooms he found growing in his neighbors yard and served them up with the steaks. After he served everyone, he sat down to eat his and everyone raved about the mushrooms and complimented him on the smokey taste they added to the steak. He spit out what he was chewing, said oh darn (actually he said something else but this is a family site) and a half hour later they were all at the hospital getting their stomach's pumped.

Just don't take the chance of eating any mushrooms you didn't buy at the grocery store. Even the very distinctive Morels can be confused with poisonous lookalikes.

X

Yes, I certainly agree do not eat morels - send them to me ... I have been doing a poisonous mushroom survey and I will let you know if they are poisonous or not...

Don't eat the chicken mushrooms or the hen of the woods either very dangerous. If you should happen upon them, send me an email and I will let you know where to send them for proper safe disposal.

LMAO - and I would add that caveat to Sparassis crispa - the cauliflower mushroom - why I would be a most gracious person to take that one off your hands and keep you safe. BTW - the first Sparassis I found weight about 25 lbs - what a threat to man and beast!

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=sparassis&btnG=Google+Search&sa=N&tab=wi

Here are some photos to help anyone identify this so you can be sure to send me the right one!

As a boy in MN, we harvested Morels big-time. Dryed whatever we did not eat then reconstituted them and served with winter meals.

I never found any that were bad. My step-father knew his mushrooms and was always on the lookout for good ones. His favorite (besides the morels) were the ones found on old logging trails growing were the horses had long-since left their road-apples.

We have white buttons pop up in our yards in the Gulf Coast, too. I'm always happy to see them. It tells me the soil has plenty of "good stuff". If you dig them up, you will probably find an abundance of worms, too. Another good sign.

wanta see my mushrooms?????

oh wannadanc - so sorry - I had quite a few of those in the front yard after all the rain we had this past winter and they got raked up. If only I had known!!!

Be carefull , you can get sick from just picking up some kinds .
They make good lawnmower food . I keep my grass at about 2 inches , but they can grow really fast .
I was told to keep the grass well fed , the tighter the grass the harder it is to reach thru . Something about the grass pulls the mushroom up and it will die .