Imagine this: one fine day you’re taking a lovely stroll on your lawn, admiring the beautiful flowers and plants you worked so hard to grow. Suddenly, you step into something squishy – surely a lawn mushroom. Well, that could be a real vibe kill, but a prevalent one in lawns. So now you’re probably wondering how to get rid of mushrooms on the lawn? That isn’t a tough one.
To kill mushrooms in the lawn you first need to find the issue within your yard and fix that, as your lawn could be very wet or shady causing extra moisture and less exposure to light. You may also get rid of them with a fungicide. However, no matter what you use, without finding out the main issue that’s causing the growth of mushrooms in your lawn, you won’t be able to get rid of them permanently.
If you’re struggling with a similar issue, and want a mushroom-free garden then you must read this article further. Below you will learn how to get rid of mushrooms in the yard and everything else related to it.
Why Do Mushrooms Grow in The Lawn?
It is very common for mushrooms to grow in the lawn, especially if surrounded by an organic waste-rich environment or if the lawn is too damp or shaded. You have to consider many things when detecting the root problem behind the growth of mushrooms in your lawn.
Your lawn could also have a possible drainage problem that could be contributing to the growth of mushrooms.
It may take you a while to figure out the main issue, but once you have that, only then can you successfully kill all mushrooms in your lawn and enjoy strolling in it without any interruptions.
On the whole, mushrooms are the main survivalists from fungi, and these tend to spread throughout the lawn due to the wind spreading their spores throughout.
When the fungi interact with the soil that already has fungi, they spread more.
While mushrooms may not actually be a bad thing for your lawn, you may find it annoying at some point if you especially want to freely sway in your lawn without stomping on something.
What Causes Mushrooms to Grow in Lawns?
Mushrooms can pop up suddenly without you even noticing, but the growth process takes place months before you even realize any.
Mushrooms grow underground, and a massive reason behind that is the existence of fungus.
Fungus usually comes from the lack of drainers and proper sunlight. However, there are many more reasons behind the growth of mushrooms on a lawn.
Mentioned below, you will find all the possible reasons:
Rainy Weather
If it recently rained cats and dogs in your area, then it is most definite that you may be welcoming mushrooms to your lawn.
This is because after it rains, the decent mix of moisture and gloomy, cloudy weather signals the growth of mushrooms along with loads of organic material present on the soil.
When all these three elements combine, you are bound to see a mushroom fest in your lawn, especially since your lawn already has lots of moisture and less exposure to sunlight.
Persistent Picked or Broken Mushrooms
Another reason why mushrooms may continue to grow in your lawn is that when they are usually disturbed or broken, and this causes the spores to spread.
Different birds, insects, or animals could pluck out mushrooms, causing the hyphae to establish under the soil mats. These mats are visible if you ever cut off a small piece from your lawn.
Sometimes the mushrooms may get carried away in the windy weather as well causing the mushrooms to break or get plucked. This often leads to a more persistent spread of mushrooms.
Fungus
Fungus is the definite trigger for mushrooms growing in the yard, especially if it spreads towards the decaying organic matter in the soil. Poor drainage and less exposure to sunlight can significantly increase fungus growth. This gets worse when it feeds on the following decaying matter such as:
- Lawn Thatch
- Fallen Leaves
- Animal poop
- Grass Clippings
- Old tree stumps
How to Kill Mushrooms in Your Lawn?
The moment you start realizing the mushrooms are overtaking your lawn, it’s time you need to start planning how to get rid of mushrooms from your yard.
Before coming up with a way to get rid of them, you must first find out the main reason behind the growth.
The good thing is that there are a few ways you can kill mushrooms in your lawn and get rid of them for good. Mentioned below are a few ways on how to kill mushrooms in the yard:
· Get Rid of a Little Organic Material
The presence of organic materials is one of the main reasons behind the growth of mushrooms in your lawn, as fungi tend to feeds on these. This means you have to get rid of the exact decomposing organic material present in your lawn or try to reduce it a bit.
You can start by lessening the food source. To do so, you should catch grass clippings when you’re mowing your yard to get rid of the mushrooms, or you can also leave a thin layer on.
For removing material that is submerged in the soil, you can dig these out. This will not only kill the mushrooms in your lawn but also prevent them from appearing next time.
These include discarded construction wood, old mulch, and dead tree roots.
For complete removal, you will have to dig out the soil properly around 12 to 18 inches deep and right about 2 feet outside of the cluster of mushrooms.
This does seem like a lot of work and effort, but you will see the difference and won’t have to welcome mushrooms ever again in your lawn since you get rid of your decomposed material.
· Remove Each Mushroom from Its Base
You can choose to mow the entire mushroom-occupied area or individually cut each mushroom from its base using a knife.
If you plan to use any of these two methods, you must do it as soon as you see them begging to sprout.
The more you delay mowing or cutting, the more time you give for the sprouts to be released and make new mushrooms.
Don’t store the mushroom in compost, but instead throw them away in a tightly ties plastic bag.
If you plan on mowing instead, then make sure to instantly discard all the remaining pieces in a plastic bag.
· Limit Excessive Shade and Moisture to Get Rid Of Mushrooms in Lawn
Mushrooms need proper dampness for them to grow properly, and you will find a lot of dampness under the grass.
The more dampness present, the more likely mushrooms are bound to attract; hence you have to finish your lawn’s drainage system for this with eth proper lawn tools.
The best thing to keep your grass is by watering it less, but early in the morning so it can dry quickly once the sun’s out and stay settled during the evenings.
This will limit excessive moisture from gathering in your lawn and limit the growth of mushrooms.
If you still see mushrooms growing in the corners of your lawn, then it’s probably under a shaded area.
This means you have to get rid of any tree branches that could be blocking sunlight and encourage the growth of mushrooms in your lawn.
Hence you have to make sure you create the right environment around your yard, ensuring there is proper access to sunlight and less accumulation of moisture.
· Use Mushroom Law Killer Products
You can use a few mushroom lawn killer products that will assist you in getting rid of mushrooms instantly. Mentioned below are a few effective products:
4 Ways to Prevent Lawn Mushrooms from Growing in The Future
If you’ve learned how to get rid of mushrooms in the yard, you must also know how to prevent them from growing in your yard. This will also save up all the efforts you put in removing mushrooms from your lawn, and it won’t go to waste.
To prevent mushroom growth in your lawn, you have to find the root cause and the four main roots causes are:
- Lack of Sunlight
- Poor Drainage
- Aeration
- Poor Lawn Maintenance
Once you identify the main problem, you can work towards getting rid of the mushrooms. Mentioned below are a few ways you can remove mushrooms in your yard:
1. Encourage More Sunlight in Your Lawn
Darkness and dampness are what attract mushrooms, so the more trees and extra shade you have in your lawn, you can then enjoy the mushroom to have a ball of a time in your yard.
To fix this problem, limit trees and other things that might bring more shade to your lawn.
You can get shorter trees instead. This way, your lawn will have more exposure to sunlight and prevent dampness and darkness, which usually leads to mushrooms.
2. Install a Proper Drainage System
If you see a sudden growth of mushrooms in your lawn, it could mean that there is no proper drainage system for the soil.
In turn, this could cause excessive wetness leading to more moisture and mushrooms.
Mushrooms love moisture, and wetness, which means you have to keep the area dry at all times. You may be experiencing a drainage issue due to clogged gutters, a sidewalk, a flat yard, or impacted soil.
There are a few solutions to draining your soil, requiring you to install a French drain or dry creek bed to prevent flooding. You could also clean the gutters so that there is proper water flow.
Another good way would be to harvest rain as this would decrease water being distributed poorly by creating a rain barrel or rain pound.
3. Aerate Your Yard
Aeration allows nutrients and water to submerge in the soil instead of sitting on the grass platform. To aerate your lawn, you will need to rent out the right equipment from a rental center.
It is best to rent one instead of buying one, as you will not have to aerate the lawn excessively.
4. Regularly Maintain Your Lawn
An excellent way to prevent the growth of mushrooms in your lawn is by regularly maintaining it and keeping it as clean as possible.
It is not easy to get rid of decaying organic growth from your lawn. You have to keep doing it from the beginning actually to see proper results in the long run. However, there are a few things you can do to maintain your lawn.
Every time you see leaves fallen on the yard, immediately rake them, especially during the fall. You must also remove all the old tree stumps and keep your yard de-thatched.
Lastly, whenever you mow your lawn, consider leaving finely shredded grass clippings as this helps prevent mushrooms from sprouting up. Learn how to maintain your lawn using lime.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Having Mushrooms on Your Yard
While you might find mushrooms to be extraordinarily annoying, there are actually a few advantages to having mushrooms in your yard. Mentioned below are the disadvantages and advantages:
Advantages
- Will Provide your Lawn with More Nutrients
- Sign that you have healthy grass.
Disadvantages
- Encourage more growth of fungus damaging grass
- Unsafe for Pets and Children as lawn mushrooms are toxic and cause health risks if eaten
- Requires you to overwater the lawn causing wastage of water
Final Thoughts
Now that you’re aware of how to get rid of mushrooms in your lawn it’s time to start getting back to work and achieve a mushroom-free lawn. Having a lawn means investing in a lot of maintenance if you want to keep it up to the mark and enjoy the benefits of having one.
If you need more guidance on how to take care of your gardens and lawns then visit GrassLawnsCare.com
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