Question
Hi. I'm sure this is a simple question for you.
Q:
What do I have to do to grow mushrooms in an
otherwise nice lawn?

Don't take me wrong. I Don't want them, but there
must be something I'm doing (or not doing) because
they grow sporadically all over the place. Too many!

Why is that? How do you get rid of them?

Thanks --Max / Chicago [with the dry summer and the now won't stop raining fall].

Answer
Hi Max;
These mushrooms ( probably toad stools) are a fungus, and are usually caused by something wood underneath the soil, that is decayed, and the "mushrooms" are the blooms from this fungus.
It could be dead and decaying tree roots, or pieces of wood left by the building crews.
When they build a house, they usually bring in a couple inches of top soil, after it is finished, and sometimes ( too often) they cover scraps of wood left in building, which decay and create problems for years.
Old tree or shrub roots, lots of things can cause them.
A really good fungicide is Corn Gluten Meal. Just put it down at the rate of 10 to 15 pounds per 1000 sq,ft, and water it in.
Or, mix baking soda , 1 rounded Tablespoonful per gallon of water, and spray the area where they are growing.
The cron gluten meal is a more permanent cure, I am told.
I have not used this yet, as I have no fungus proiblems since I started on the organic program.
Before, when I got them, I used the baking soda disolved in water.
Charlotte