Shroom invasion!

pinkteapot

A load of horrible dark-coloured mushrooms have sprung up in our garden. They started under a tree in our shady back border but they've now spread into the lawn. :eek:

I'm picking them (wearing gloves and washing hands fully afterwards), so that we don't use the mower on them and spread the spores even further, but feel like I'm fighting a losing battle.

I really hate them. Is there anything we can do? Can you buy fungicides or similar that work on them without destroying the lawn?

Our garden is south-facing and unshaded so is a real sun-trap and normally very dry (except for the back bed which is shady from the fence), but obviously this summer has been pretty disastrous and has let them take root.

ikolpdog_2

Toadstools will only grow if their is a food source in the turf and there is sufficient moisture. The wet September sorted out the moisture.

If you have a new turf lawn then the decaying matter will be from the turfing process so next year you shouldn't get a repeat. If it is an established lawn you could consider scarifying to remove all the decaying thatch and right now is about the right time of year to do it.

Leif

Can you post a picture? If you can get photos that show the cap, stem, and other details, I might be able to tell you what they are.

You get fungi on almost any lawn. Some even grow in association with the grass. Others associate with nearby plants such as trees and hedges. Others live off decaying organic matter. If it is an old one which has not been fed for decades, then you get wax caps which are very beautiful. When I first viewed the house I bought, I found Wood Blewits on the lawn. Since I have seen St Georges Mushroom on the front verge, and some rare species on the lawn. Most fungi you find on lawns are harmless, and can be handled safely. Even poisonous ones can be handled without problem. Most are harmless or indigestible, but a few are poisonous. Small white ones, sometimes with a mealy smell, called Clitocybe rivulosa, are deadly. But you'd need to eat a few to suffer any damage.

You could find out what they are and learn to love them, in the same way we appreciate wild flowers.

Conrad

For our shady bit of lawn, which is about 20 ft X 20 ft, I apply about 1 inch of sharp sand twice per year. Stops it getting too damp and naturally supresses fungi. Personally I'd never use a fungicide as I don't like the idea of it getting into the food chain and into song birds etc. My aetheitc needs come way down the list!

That's about 20+ bags worth of sand btw! I don't use lawn sand as it's more expensive and generally contains weedkillers.

I run with the bags of sand from front drive to back garden as this is a reasonable workout.

pinkteapot

Sorry for the slow reply all...

Here are a couple of photos of the mushrooms in question:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/55127243@N04/

House is 22 years old and the lawn probably about the same. We did extend the lawn slightly last year when we reduced the depth of the back border by laying a little turf up against the existing lawn.

Lived here two years and never seen these before. I quite like wild flowers and even some weeds, but mushrooms give me the creeps for some reason and I do like a tidy lawn.

Conrad

Ours looked the same, but as I say since sanding they rarely make an appearance.

The visible fruits are a tiny part of the overall organism, 99.9% of which is underground so it's highly unlikely you would erradicate it, or if you did it would involve a lot of toxic chemical which I would say would likely make your lawn soil a much poorer place with less organic activity creating those all important ventillation and drainage channels.

Mowing them shouldn't really cause a spread.

The term 'mushrooming' comes from the fact fungi can seemingly appear in large number over night, especially in a damp year.

I'll bet you in noranl years you wont notice them much.

As I say sand helps, as does raking the thatch (something I never do as my sand treatments seem to get rig of that too).

Lastly my opinion is it's great to share your life with nature anyway, a priveledge in fact!

pinkteapot

Don't get me wrong; we're nature lovers. As I said, I just have a thing about mushrooms!

I'll try scarifying this year (I always have good intentions and then after half an hour with the rake in which I've done three square feet and my back's killing me I change my mind). We have half a bag of leftover sand in the garage so I might try throwing that down too.

Leif

pinkteapot wrote: »

Sorry for the slow reply all...

Here are a couple of photos of the mushrooms in question:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/55127243@N04/

House is 22 years old and the lawn probably about the same. We did extend the lawn slightly last year when we reduced the depth of the back border by laying a little turf up against the existing lawn.

Lived here two years and never seen these before. I quite like wild flowers and even some weeds, but mushrooms give me the creeps for some reason and I do like a tidy lawn.

That is an Entoloma species, possibly Entoloma conferendum which is quite common. If I am right, then the stem should be hollow and rather brittle. However, it is a large genus, with many similar species. They are found on grassland such as lawns and cricket pitches. Although you would not want to eat them, they are not deadly poisonous and you can handle them safely. If I recall correctly, the small brown Entolomas do not produce fairy rings, and do not discolour the grass, unlike the Fairy Ring Mushroom, Marasmius oreades.

Sadly wild fungi do give some people the creeps. As I said before, most are harmless, or mildly toxic, only a few are really nasty. But then so are some plants. Bitter sweet is a gorgeous climber which produces toxic berries. Deadly nightshade is, errr, deadly, oddly enough. Spurges produce a very nasty sap that can blind you, but people grow it. I could go on. If you really do want to get rid of them, then I think the best approach might be to feed the lawn i.e. enrich it. Many fungi favour poor grassland, and avoid improved land. However, feeding the lawn will mean having to cut it more often ...

Leif

Conrad wrote: »

Ours looked the same, but as I say since sanding they rarely make an appearance.

I hadn't heard about sanding. People do recommend sand to improve drainage, and deter moss, so maybe that is how it works, by making sure the soil does not get too damp. Do you use horticultural sand, which is Ph neutral?

pinkteapot

Thanks Leif!

Another of my good intentions was to use Feed & Weed every six weeks throughout the summer this year. Then, with all the rain, the lawn was lovely and green and fast-growing anyway so I stopped doing it.

I'll keep picking the mushrooms for now, and from the Spring get a good lawn food down.

Shame they're not more poisonous - MrTeapot wouldn't mind if some of the squirrels* who destroy his bird feeders met a sticky end.

*Greys, not reds obviously

Conrad

Leif wrote: »

I hadn't heard about sanding. People do recommend sand to improve drainage, and deter moss, so maybe that is how it works, by making sure the soil does not get too damp. Do you use horticultural sand, which is Ph neutral?

I don't generally use horticultural sand as I found it twice the price. Sharp sand is fine by my reckoning. Since doing this, moss is not an issue, the soil breathes and drains better and it's more suitable for the battering we give it (sporty rumbustious family). It also means less mud smearing and thus less mud ends up in the house.

Sometimes I get a ton or so left on the lawn / drive as it's easier than dozens of bags really.

I will at least once a year use blood fish n bone - I need 2 massive pots for 2 modest sized lawns. I find the specialist feed stuff is likely to be little better, but costs a lot more. Liquid stuff persist long enough in the soil to my mind.

I never use weed killer on lawns as I like the thought of everything natural and unmollested by me - and I can cope with some lawn dandelions etc - cut lawn once per week and I don't really notice em.

On the sand thang, don't underestimate just how much is needed. Imagine seeing that sand down in the soil 6 months on, it's no good having a 2mm layer. You need a lot of it.