Why are there so many mushrooms coming up in my yard and garden, and what can I do about them? (2024)

FAQs

Why are there so many mushrooms coming up in my yard and garden, and what can I do about them? ›

Mushrooms are an indication that your yard has a lot of organic material in the soil. Mushrooms help break down that organic material and make your soil more productive. If your shade and drainage aren't real problems, you can always just knock the offending mushrooms over and wait for the sun to come out.

Prolonged periods of wet, humid weather, such as we have had over the past few weeks, cause fungi to send up fruiting structures. Fungi disperse to new areas via windblown spores. When the spores land in a suitable location they develop into new fungi which will grow mushrooms given enough time.

Mushrooms thrive in damp, dark places, so one way to prevent them from growing is to make sure that your yard is well-lit and free of standing water. You can also try planting mushrooms' natural predators, such as slugs and snails, in your garden.

Mushrooms commonly appear after periods of excess moisture. This just means that your soil is active and healthy. While there are millions of types of fungi, the ones living in your lawn are usually harmless. We need these beneficial fungi to break down things such as grass clippings and roots from dead trees.

Too frequent watering keeps the grass wet and promotes fungal growth. If you're seeing mushrooms in your yard, you might be overwatering. Irregular brown patches on your lawn might not mean it's thirsty but that it is infected with anthracnose, which is another fungus that infects wet grass.

Why are there so many mushrooms this year? Alameda County, along with the rest of Northern California welcomed the abundance of rain that fell this season (2021-2022). No sooner did one bout of rainfall stop, another began. The ground is still moist from all the rain.

Below are some notable examples of toxic mushrooms: The death cap and the closely related destroying angel mushrooms get their names because they can both lead to fatal mushroom poisoning. And what's more dangerous is that they can look like an innocent mushroom. They both have white or off-white stems and domed caps.

A few mushrooms in a lawn are not necessarily a bad thing; in fact they are almost always a good thing! Mushrooms are the reproductive structures of fungi. Bacteria and fungi are the building blocks of a healthy soil. The presence of mushrooms is a sign that the soil is healthy.

A trick you can do is to mix one tablespoon of baking soda in one gallon of water and then spray the mixture over the mulch. This should help kill any mushrooms that are growing.

Dogs and Cats and Mushrooms

Pets have been known to eat mushrooms in yards and while on walks. While 99% of mushrooms have little or no toxicity, the 1% that are highly toxic can cause life-threatening problems in pets. Take extra care to keep pets away from areas where mushrooms might be growing.

Are the white mushrooms in my yard poisonous? ›

Don't Panic About Poison

Despite any horror stories you may have heard, most lawn mushrooms are completely harmless. That doesn't mean that you or your children should be eating them, but if your pet accidentally eats one, they should be fine.

While these and many other mushrooms are safe to consume, eating varieties like the death cap, false morels, and Conocybe filaris can cause serious adverse health effects and even death. Foraging for wild mushrooms can be a fun and rewarding hobby.

To avoid future mushroom growth, keep soil on the drier side, as fungus thrives in consistently moist conditions, and add a fungicide—we love Arber's Bio Fungicide—to your plant care routine.

Fairy rings are caused by certain fungi that feed on decaying organic matter (e.g., tree stumps, logs, leaves or roots) buried in the soil. Growth of fairy ring fungi begins in the center of the ring, expanding outward in a relatively uniform, circular pattern.

Dogs and Cats and Mushrooms

Pets have been known to eat mushrooms in yards and while on walks. While 99% of mushrooms have little or no toxicity, the 1% that are highly toxic can cause life-threatening problems in pets. Take extra care to keep pets away from areas where mushrooms might be growing.