I received this question in January 2019 as a comment on my blog page “Why is there mushrooms growing on my lawn?”. I though I would expand on it a little.
Hi Kris,
About two years ago we had an old Flowering Cherry tree on our front lawn cut down. Later that year the tree stump ground out, all done by professional tree surgeon.Since then we have been plagued with unsightly patches of small mushroom like fungus.
No matter how often we remove them they keep growing back again and look a right mess.
What can we do to get rid of them?
Graham
Hi Graham, Thanks for your question.
Repeated and heavy mushroom growth on a lawn is a sign that there is a lot of rotting material under the surface. This will be the roots of your old cherry tree. There is a fungus decomposing the old woody material. It will have entwined it’s mycelium growths all through the soil, seeking out this old wood. The fungus breaks down the organic material into nutrients. These are nutrients which other plants can use. This is a natural process which increases the fertility of the soil. It is how nature recycles dead and decaying material. Without it, dead plants and trees would be everywhere.
What are mushrooms?
Mushrooms appearing are the flowering growths of these mysterious underground organisms. When the environmental conditions are correct, fungal mycelium produces mushrooms on the surface. These are the fruiting bodies of the fungus.
These mushrooms produce spores which get released into the wind. These spores are the next generation of fungus.
Can I get rid of the mushrooms on my lawn?
Over time, the rotting wood will completely rot down and the fungus will disappear. This may take many years though.
To speed up the process you need you have to remove all the old cherry tree roots from the soil in that area. It would be a very big job but that would be the only way to completely remove the mushrooms.
For now, I recommend that you enjoy them as part of nature. They are improving your soil and rotting down organic matter. Not everything out of place is a weed or a pest.
Thanks for reading.
Kris, The Lawn Man
Are these mushrooms edible?
John
There are a huge number of different mushrooms species. Some can be very toxic.
Unless you are 100% sure of what you are picking, leave them alone.
Are they toxic to dogs
There are a huge number of different mushrooms species. Some can be very toxic.
My horse has trampled my neighbours new turf how can I fix it ?
There are too many variables to be able to answer that. How old is the turf? What is the soil like? What is the Damage? Does it need to be like-for-like repair?
Call in your local independent lawn care expert, they will be able to advise.