Mushrooms and Your Lawn


With the amount of rain and humidity around, it’s hardly surprising to see mushrooms popping up in backyards and parks. Lawn mushrooms love damp, shaded areas that are rich in organic matter such as old mulch, leaves, grass clippings and animal waste as this is what they feed on.


If however, you want to remove them from your lawn quickly, you can apply a fungicide. A fungicide will eliminate them, but they will keep returning unless you also address the underlying reason for the mushrooms being in your lawn. Mushrooms in lawns are also commonly associated with over-irrigation or poor drainage. Use a lawn mower catcher or rake up grass clippings after mowing, de-thatch your lawn to reduce the amount of decaying organic matter, and reduce shade by pruning or trimming surrounding plants and trees. Limit watering of the lawn, particularly if rain is forecast.



NOTE:  If you believe your child may have eaten a mushroom from the backyard don’t wait for symptoms to appear, contact the Poisons Information Centre on 131 126 for information and advice. If you child collapses, stops breathing, has a fit or seizure after eating a lawn mushroom immediately call 000 and request an ambulance. Where possible take a sample of the mushroom with you, to aid in the identification of the species.