They’re great on pizza and are the iconic power-up in Super Mario Bros, but our love for mushrooms stops when they reach your lawn. Lawn mushrooms are obvious eyesores in many properties in New England. If you’re a Massachusetts lawn owner, you’re probably familiar with the occasional mushroom that pops up after a downpour. So, let’s discuss the basics of these tricky fungi and how to get rid of lawn mushrooms in your yard for good.

Why are there mushrooms in my lawn?

Is it weird if we say that you have mushrooms because your lawn is so nourished and well-watered? Yes, the presence of lawn mushrooms is actually a great sign of a healthy yard! Mushrooms often appear in lawns with rich, nutrient-dense, moist soil with plenty of organic matter. Mushrooms feed on decaying organic materials like grass clippings, thatch, mulch, and leaf litter. Add a regular fertilizing schedule to the equation, and those suckers will pop up everywhere.

How to Identify Your Lawn Mushrooms.

With dozens of species appearing in residential lawns, mushrooms can be especially tricky to identify. Here are a few identifying features to stay alert for as you search for a species match:

• Color: Fungi colors range from neutral whites and browns to bright and noticeable shades of red, orange, blue, and more. Note this attribute first since it’ll be the easiest one to spot.

• Shape: Lawn mushrooms come in many shapes. Some are perfectly round, some are shaped like trumpets and bells, and others are umbrella-shaped.

• Texture: Is your lawn mushroom smooth and velvety, brittle and scaley, or squishy like jelly? All mushrooms in North America are safe to touch by hand, so use your tactile senses to determine their texture.

• Gills: Does your mushroom have delicate gills underneath a cap? If so, your lawn mushrooms will fall under the category of agaricales. This will eliminate many other species in your identification process.

• Stem: Whether your mushroom has a stem or not can help you narrow your options. While looking at its stem, check to see if it has a skirt, which may be a red flag that the mushroom is toxic.

Lawn Mushroom Removal Tips for Massachusetts Homeowners.

In most situations, plucking them by hand will do the trick. For small patches, hand-pick the mushrooms and dispose of them in a plastic trash bag. But most importantly, don’t mow them! Mowing will disperse the spores, creating new mushrooms throughout your turf. If lawn mushrooms have completely overtaken your yard, it’s time to go on the offense. Fungicide treatments applied by a professional can reduce the severity of your mushroom misfortunes.

Prevention Strategies for Lawn Mushrooms.

While completely removing mushroom spores from your soil is nearly impossible, slightly changing your lawn care routine can reduce the frequency of lawn fungi appearing. Excessive moisture can encourage fungal growth, so ensure your turf receives aeration annually and dethatching every 1-3 years. Trimming back shrubs and trees to let light in will also evaporate excess moisture, reducing mushroom growth.

You can prevent mushrooms from reappearing by watering deeply and infrequently. This method will give your soil time to dry out between waterings. Finally, you can reduce your fertilizing frequency as an additional prevention measure because excessive nitrogen may contribute to more fungal growth.

Upholding Mushroom Safety Practices

While the thought of picking your lawn mushrooms for dinner might be tempting, it’s essential to NEVER ingest wild mushrooms. Safe, tasty mushrooms have toxic look-alikes that can cause illness and death, so leave the foraging to the experts. With this in mind, ensure no pets or children can access lawn mushrooms for their safety.

To protect your lawn, avoid composting your plucked mushrooms. While it might seem like an excellent way to boost your soil, the spores will be reintroduced to your yard, producing more fruiting bodies. Stick to trashing picked lawn mushrooms in plastic bags!

When to Consult an MA Expert on Lawn Mushrooms.

Sometimes, mushrooms can be challenging to manage alone. If you have pets that go outdoors and are at risk of ingesting mushrooms, we recommend consulting a specialist to identify them. An accurate identification will help you better understand which species to avoid and which are safe. Your Massachusetts lawn care team can also tackle your toadstool takeover! Local experts can provide further solutions and recommendations for those mushroom problems that won’t go away on their own. Otherwise, there’s no wrong time to consult a lawn care technician – especially if it will keep your pets and family safe.

Get Rid of Lawn Mushrooms Once and For All

Mushrooms belong on pizza, not in your backyard. So, if lawn mushrooms are troubling you, we can help. Our experts at MissionGreen Services know what your turf needs to be fungi-free and fabulous again. Contact us today to learn more about our comprehensive lawn care program to suppress shrooms and stimulate lush grass growth this summer.