Question
QUESTION: our rental house seems to have a mushroom problem.  the lawn is small, and partly shaded by a wooden fence.  we live in seattle, so it's a relatively damp climate.  at first, the mushrooms appeared only in the section of yard along the fence, which gets little to no sunlight.  they soon started appearing elsewhere in the yard.  i've been digging them up by the roots, and getting rid of any soil that has white spots (which could be spores) or is solid black.  my concern is that the fungus is under the entire yard.  it is a small yard (about the size of your average work cubicle) so laying new turf is a possibility, but one we'd like to avoid if possible.  is covering the yard in fungicide a good idea?  we currently have no other plants in the yard, but there are a few ornamental trees and bamboo along the edges.

ANSWER: Don't stress too much over this.  Mushrooms are present whenever you have decaying organic matter in the soil and consistent moisture.  Unless you plan to dig out the entire yard and replace it with soil that has very little organic matter, you're going to be dealing with this.

Fungicides are short term (3-4 weeks at best) and are neither intended for nor effective against mushrooms.  They attack microscopic fungi that cause plant diseases.  Spraying the mushrooms with fungicide would be like taking Aspirin to battle acne.  

The mushrooms won't hurt the yard at all.  When they dry out a bit and are mowed they'll go away.  When it gets wet again, new ones will pop up.  

Mushrooms don't truly have any root system, even if it appears that they do.  Pulling them out will only get those ones out.  The spores are down in the soil, and it would be completely futile to try to get those spores.

Essentially Amanda, this is one of those headaches that you can't do much about, and certainly should NOT stress over.

Sorry I couldn't provide you with a more constructive response.

-C.J. Brown
www.thelawncoach.com



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Would aerating the lawn and improving drainage help at all?

Answer
It certainly could.  If you intend to do that, I would recommend getting a core aerator with the longest tines possible, and topdressing the whole lawn with 1 inch of sand.  Brush the sand around with a push broom to get it back into the holes as much as possible.  This will create sand channels that will help with drainage.

This procedure would probably take two or three years of doing it annually before you notice a good effect, but if you're a long-term thinker, then go for it!

-C.J. Brown
www.TheLawnCoach.com