I always used a bagger on my lawn to avoid thatch problems. The turf was good but a little sparce. I replaced my mower this spring and now no longer have a bagger. The turf is somewhat thicker but I'm now getting small white toadstools throughout the yard. Looks like mixed signals to me. Are the toadstools an indicator of problems with thatch and high southern humidity?
Red
No. They're an indicator of organic material (an old tree root, construction debris, whatever) decaying in the soil. The fungus colonizes it and periodically sends up mushrooms. As the root or debris decays, the mushroom crops will diminish. Simplest way to deal with them - kick 'em or rake 'em.
Unless poisonous, enjoy them!
No; don't mean try eating them but unless they are harmful to pets or children (and small ones, children that is, who tend to put things in their mouths) who should be properly monitored anyway, let them be. They don't last long.
Certain times of the year under some of our trees we get different varieties of toadstools. Kinda nice to look out there some cool damp fall morning and see a few patches etc. Considering that's 50 feet from a busy road, especially school mornings, it's a nice 'sylvan' touch.
I even threw some 'edible' mushrooms bits out there once and got a small crop of what I swear were 'real' mushrooms; just like from the store. Wife however wouldn't let me eat them; maybe she was afraid they were somehow 'magic'? :-)
And why we have to chew/scrape/dig/eliminate or pour chemicals on everything that isn't an exact blade of grass or store bought plant, cannot understand. No wonder there are no bees and other insects to fertilize food crops, flowers and trees/bushes! Maybe a very limited view of what should or should not be allowed to grow in our suburban wilderness?
BTW we have two dead tree stumps that are growing a sort fan shaped fungus. Non odorous, not slimy, sorta dry and hard. Very interesting. One is now about half size of a dinner plate.
We have never used 'a bagger' and only cut occasionally. The grass clippings just rot back into the soil.
Ive mulched for years and the only time Thatch was an issue was when I used chemlawn or other liqued fertilisers, white mushrooms are from buried decaying wood.
True in many cases but not this one. These are coming up randomly over the whole yard and not in a line that would indicate old roots. Would decaying mulch provide the same growing medium as decaying wood?
Red
Very much so if the mulch contained chipped brash and if spread around the yard it would probably have this effect.
Just wait. As the mushroom matures, it will fling out spoors in a circular pattern. The next generation (in a couple of weeks or so) will be a "fairy ring." Quite cute, actually.
I have them in mulch, so you have good soil thats moist and shady, you are lucky.
AFAIK, the theory is that fairy ring mushrooms are the result of a single organism (mycelium (sp?) rings a bell???) and the observable mushrooms are simply reproductive bodies but the the reason for their production in ring mushrooms isn't definitely understood. But, it isn't that the spores of one generation form another in a circle around it.
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Fungus is a good indicator you have plenty of organic matter, at least in the locations where they are growing. At times I get a brightly-colored slime mold over my lawn, more interesting than harmful. Better to have toadstools (and rain) than a drought.
you've been giving too much fiber to your toads.
On 8/14/2009 10:21 AM Phisherman spake thus:
'Round heah' (SF Bay Area East Bay), it's so dry that the trees are following the dogs around, as they say.HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.