Getting rid of mushrooms in your yard

  • By Ron Becker Program Coordinator, Ag and Integrated Pest Management OSU Extension, Wayne County
  • July 4, 2011
  • 330
Getting rid of mushrooms in your yard
                        
While you may think that controlling mushrooms in your yard, either mechanically or with a spray, should be easy, it isn’t. What you need to realize is that the fruiting body or mushroom that you see growing above ground is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the entire body of the fungus. The largest part of the fungus is actually below ground. Somewhat like a root system, this belowground portion is called the mycelium. This can get very large. In fact, there are several locations around the country where researchers have found individual mycelium masses that cover more than 1,500 acres, making these fungi the largest living organisms in the country. And though you may think that the mushrooms growing from these mycelium might be big enough to live in, the honey mushroom that is the fruiting body of these humongous masses is not much larger than the common meadow mushrooms or horse mushrooms that we find growing in the comparatively small fairy rings in our yards. These mushrooms are merely the fruiting body of the fungus that comes up when conditions are favorable. As far as how to get rid of them, there is no easy answer. They will continue to grow in the turf until they run out of the organic matter they are growing on or until weather conditions prohibit their growth and/or fruiting. In the case of mushrooms growing in mulch, very little can be done other than to spade the mulch into the surface soil layer followed by soaking with water (which provides competitive bacteria). Another option is to remove the mulch, place it in a heap after thorough wetting to allow for self-heating to occur (110-140 degrees F). This will kill the fungi. If fresh dry mulch is placed on top of mulch colonized by existing fungi, the problem may occur again the following year or even earlier. Avoid fungal problems in mulch to begin with by having it no deeper than two inches. Ron Becker can be reached at 330-264-8722 or becker.4@osu.edu.


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