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Mushrooms Growing on Lawns

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mushrooms on lawns Once summer rolls around, we receive numerous calls from our customers about mushrooms growing in their lawns. In the majority of situations, the mushrooms growing in a lawn are the result from the decay process of a buried organic substance, such as an old tree root or other wood product.

Mushroom Rings On Lawn

The only time to be worried about mushrooms growing in a lawn is when they are growing in a circle, arc, hair pin shape or other curved or circular area, which may indicate the presence of a common lawn disease called Fairy Ring (see photo above). These mushrooms rings are usually growing in a ring of darker green grass. Although there are disease control materials to control Fairy Ring, Spring-Green usually recommends core aeration to help counter act the effects of Fairy Ring. Mushrooms are a very interesting organism. There are about 38,000 varieties of mushrooms and some edible and some very poisonous. Mushrooms grow in the spring, summer and fall, especially after significant rain fall. It is best to check your yard for mushrooms before letting young children and pets out to play and teach children not to taste or even touch any mushrooms they may find in the yard. Here are some interesting facts and trivia about mushrooms that may help improve their image:
  • Mushrooms are 85-95 % water and have their own immune system. They are more closely related to humans than they are to plants.
  • Mushrooms can produce vitamin D
  • In one square inch of colonized organic matter, there is more than 70 miles of mycelium or root threads from mushrooms.
  • The world’s largest known organism is the Honey Mushroom located in Oregon’s Blue Mountains. This massive mushroom covers nearly 4 square miles of forest area and is believed to be over 2,400 years old.
  • Some mushrooms live completely under water.
  • Mushrooms contain more amino acids than are in corn, peanuts, or soybeans.
  • Some mushrooms are bioluminescent, meaning that they can produce light through a chemical process. In the past, some people lit their path at night with these mushrooms.
  • In the Amazon Rainforest, mushrooms release spores high into the air, creating the surface for water to condense, thus triggering rain.
  • More rain means more mushrooms growth.
  • Some mushrooms can release 2.7 billion spores a day.
  • Mushrooms are low in calories, have no cholesterol and are virtually free of fat and sodium and also contain other essential minerals.
Unless you have been properly trained to identify mushrooms in the “wild” stick to purchasing your mushrooms at the store. If you would like one of our Field Service Professionals to take a look, contact your neighborhood lawn care professional at Spring-Green.