How do I get rid of mushrooms in my yard or garden bed?

Question:

How do I get rid of mushrooms in my yard or garden bed?

Answer:

Mushrooms are the reproductive or fruiting structures of fungi. Their appearance in the lawn usually indicates decaying tree stumps or roots in the soil.  In garden beds, mushrooms can appear because they are associated with decaying organic matter which could be dead roots, stumps, or mulch.  Mushrooms typically appear when the environmental conditions are ideal for their development.  For many mushrooms, this is cool and damp.

Many different types of mushrooms can form in the lawn and garden and they have a wide range of appearances.  They include toadstools, stinkhorns, ink caps, puffballs, bird's nest fungi, and slime molds (slime molds are not true fungi but grow in similar environments).  Regardless of the type or species, all of these fungi and slime molds are managed in the same way.

While mushrooms in the lawn or garden bed may be somewhat annoying, most cause no damage to the grass, soil, or nearby plants. For this reason, no action is required.  If you want to remove them, there is nothing that can be applied to the ground that will prevent them from coming up. Simply mow them off or rake and discard them when they appear. Eventually, the mushrooms will stop emerging with the arrival of different environmental conditions (usually warmer and drier). However, they may continue to appear periodically over the next several years during favorable environmental conditions. The mushrooms will disappear permanently when the organic matter they are decomposing has been exhausted.

 

Learn more about mushrooms with this article: Tips for Collecting and Identifying Mushrooms