Mushrooms in my Lawn

I recently had a problem in my lawn that I couldn’t identify….the problem that I had resembled grubs in my lawn or hard clay soil that the water couldn’t penetrate. My first impression was to say grubs even though I treat my lawn three times a year for them.

The problem started late spring as the temperatures started to increase and I had to water more in this area to keep my bluegrass/rye grass green. This problem usually tells me that grubs are feeding on the roots and that the grass can’t take up enough water to keep it green because of the rising temperatures. The grass was dying leaving clumps of grass instead of a nice carpet. I also thought that because of the hard clay soil that the water couldn’t penetrate.

I usually top dress my lawn twice a year with a good compost to invite more microbial activity and build up the soil to encourage more root development, so I figured to let it go until then. I was putting extra water on until a crop of mushrooms popped up. That’s when I started digging into the problem a little deeper.

I discovered that there was probably something like an old root under the ground that the fungi was decomposing. Mushrooms are actually a good sign that your lawn’s soil is healthy. Since the mushrooms crop up from fungi, the good news is that fungi are working beneath the surface.

Fungi feed on decomposing organic matter, from dead tree roots to grass clippings. The fungi had formed a impermeable mat so tight that the water had a hard time soaking in to the roots. I was right in theory that water wasn’t getting to the roots, but my way of thinking why was not correct. My action to correct the situation was correct also but reminded me that core aeration was a important step to improving your turf.

Aerating your lawn can help improve drainage, which will, in turn, help decrease the moisture that encourages mushrooms. It also helps to increase the amount of oxygen that gets to the roots of your grass.

Mushrooms are not bad in the lawn, they are a sign that there is microbial activity underneath the surface. It means that your soil has lots of organic material for the fungi to produce their fruit called mushrooms. Once my tree root has been eaten by the fungi the problem will go away. In the mean time excess watering in that area will cause the fruit to surface. Aeration and lightening up on the water will decrease the fruit. In the meantime practice your golf swing or even dig them up. Most of the mushrooms are poisonous to pets and kids so you might want to discard them.