Is there anything I can do to permanently get rid of the mushrooms on my lawn? - Ask Extension
These mushrooms have already killed one mature maple tree and are now springing up near a younger one. We've also lost a huge Rhododendron and an aza...
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Is there anything I can do to permanently get rid of the mushrooms on my lawn? #489597
Asked October 10, 2018, 2:47 PM EDT
These mushrooms have already killed one mature maple tree and are now springing up near a younger one. We've also lost a huge Rhododendron and an azalea bush (not sure if these latter two were due to the mushrooms or not, but the rhododendron was right in the mushroom's vicinity). The newest tree I planted was an Appalachian Spring Dogwood which is not supposed to be damaged by fungi. Phew.
My neighbor recently had a trench dug, pipe laid, and then had it covered up with gravel etc along the side of her house (between ours) to move water from her backyard out to the front in order to prevent her from basement flooding again. Needless to say, mushrooms have been popping up on both of our lawns in the area where the trench ends out front. I fear I'm going to lose more trees, mature bushes, etc. Is my only recourse to plant things that are resistant to fungus? I dig them all up, but, of course, they pop out again, given their underground growth pattern. Help!!!
Baltimore County Maryland
Expert Response
Very few mushrooms harm trees and shrubs. If you saw them very close to the base of a tree or on its trunk or roots, they may have been infecting the tree or they may have been simply growing on dead/dying wood. Mushrooms are fungi that live on decaying and dead wood. Most simply break down dead material in the soil. When you see mushrooms popping up in the lawn, there is no cause for alarm. They usually appear in wet periods, and we have had tons of rain this year, so there are a lot of mushrooms out there.
You can knock over mushrooms to make them dry up faster, but you don't even need to do that.
Here is more: https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/mushrooms-lawns
"Fungi" are a huge family of organisms. While mushrooms are the fruiting part of a fungi in the soil, they are not remotely like the disease fungi, such as anthracnose or powdery mildew, that get on dogwoods.
If you have a fungi on a plant, send us a photo and we'll help you.
ECN
You can knock over mushrooms to make them dry up faster, but you don't even need to do that.
Here is more: https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/mushrooms-lawns
"Fungi" are a huge family of organisms. While mushrooms are the fruiting part of a fungi in the soil, they are not remotely like the disease fungi, such as anthracnose or powdery mildew, that get on dogwoods.
If you have a fungi on a plant, send us a photo and we'll help you.
ECN
