Question
Hi There,
I have noticed an extreme amount of mushrooms growing in my yard lately. Some are brownish in color, and some are white with a redish underside. Some are round with no visible stem. One was as large as a softball. I did pick it up with my shovel and toss it out of my yard and when it landed it looked like cottage chesse splattered on the lawn.  My concern is that I know nothing about mushrooms and I have two dogs that roam the yard freely. I am concerned that my dogs may sniff, lick or even try eating these mushrooms. I try to remove them, but can't possibly get them all everyday and sometimes I even miss getting them by the stems.  I am just concerned for the health of my dogs.
P.S  I live in Northeast PA. I have lived in this residence for 3 years and this is the first time I have noticed this to be a problem.
Thanks, Meranda

Answer
Very interesting, Meranda.

First off, if you RAKE daily, you'll get the itsy bitsy mushrooms before they get to be softball sized.  And then you will not have to worry about the dogs.

Odds are, the dogs will not like the smell of the shrooms.  But why take the chance?  And why bother yourself all the time about it?  It's one less thing to worry about.  Rake and the problem will be over for the next 24 hrs.

Now, let's figure out why there is a Mushroom Epidemic in your lawn.

You only have seen 3 years of grass there.  Were there trees growing under the grass that were chopped, pre-Meranda, and maybe over-sodded, with no trace of tree -- until this year?

Sure is funny, all those different species popping up like chicken pox all over your grass.

Moisture is another mushroom necessity.  No moisture, and the shrooms shrivel up and disappear.  Shade is another shrooms requirement.  We can't do anything about shade, can we.  But the moisture - possibly.  Do you have an automatic sprinkler?  Are you watering the grass?  Stop!

Drainage is almost always a problem in areas where Mushrooms are multiplying.  Poor drainage ensures sufficient moisture for the Mushroom colony.

It would help, believe it or not, to add Nitrogen to the areas where Mushrooms are growing.  These don't need N, but the grass around them does.  

How by the way IS that grass doing?  

Are you a Casual-Grass Grower who does not pay attention to visiting flora and doesn't even see variations in the grass variety?  Some people don't have this on their list of priorities - they are busy people, with other plans in life, and maybe you are one of them.  

In that case, you may not even care what is growing in the lawn as long as it isn't poisonous.  

That's great!  Most people with lawns don't care at all how many poisons their pets absorb - and you can always tell them because they say things like "We haven't had any problems" with pesticides.  In which case,
Meranda, I salute you.