The Issue of Mushrooms in Lawn Care
Mushrooms are fungi that thrive in natural woods and any rotting material, like branches and logs. Their presence in lawns is strongly discouraged primarily because of aesthetic reasons.
Identifying the Problems Caused by Mushrooms
Mushrooms create many problems in lawns, and even among small children and pets. A lawn characterized by the presence of these fungi will look moist and bedraggled.
Homeowners especially find big and small mushrooms irritating as they make the lawns look spoiled. If their growth is not controlled, mushrooms can occupy a large area in the lawn even in just a short time. This is so because mushrooms have a large life span and they can easily survive given the existence of any organic body in the soil.
Preventing Mushrooms from Growing in the Lawns
Mushroom growth can be controlled with the use of some precautionary methods. These include keeping the lawn free from organic debris, like wooden logs. Aeration of the lawn and handpicking mushrooms as they appear also prevent massive mushroom growth.
Getting Rid of Mushrooms
The rain is the best ally of mushrooms. So in times when the weather becomes too dry or too cold, mushrooms may disappear. The mushrooms that infect the lawns come in different types. These include fairy rings, which grow in circular or semi-circular directions, and inky caps, which are said to be more destructive than others.
Fortunately, mushrooms are without weaknesses. Thus, we are provided with measures to help reduce their presence in our lawns. These include having proper aeration and drainage facility, removing excessive thatch and applying nitrogen fertilizer. Replacing infected soil with clean soil also helps counter the growth of the fairy rings.
It is important that we do not allow mushroom-infected soil to mix with clean areas as pores may spread to the latter. Certain products, like fungicide containing flutolanil, pyraclostrobin or azoxystrobin, may help us effectively get rid mushrooms. The use of this, however, should be exercised only after a careful reading of the product’s label.
For those who find the use of fungicides ineffective, they make use of time as an alternative approach to treatment. Temporary measures like breaking the mushrooms and using a shovel to uproot them are also considered as equally effective ways in dealing with these unwanted fungi.
Although certain types of mushrooms are beneficial to some plants, they are generally not welcome in lawns.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009 at 11:19 am and is filed under More Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.