The reproduction of mushrooms is often linked to very specific location factors in forests and meadows. Nevertheless, some species of mushrooms sometimes appear in the middle of the lawn or under trees in your own garden.
How do mushrooms develop in the garden and what can you do about them?
Mushrooms in the garden can arise from standard potting soil, waterlogging or leftover wood. To reduce fungal growth, measures such as regular mowing, avoiding waterlogging, targeted watering and applying lime can help. Edible mushrooms can be grown on tree trunks under certain conditions.
Preserve or eliminate mushrooms
Many of the mushrooms growing in the garden are not suitable for human consumption. But they can still represent a visual enrichment in an otherwise often monotonously green garden. Caution is advised if small children or dogs are playing in your garden. If the mushrooms in the garden cannot be clearly identified as non-toxic, they should be removed out of caution.
Reasons for mushroom growth in the garden
There can be different reasons for a sudden growth of mushrooms in the garden. Fungi often even appear in flower boxes if commercially available potting soil was used when planting. This often contains small pieces of wood on which small mushrooms develop from already contained fungal spores in accordance with the symbiosis of the mycorrhizal fungi. This problem can be partially avoided if you only use soil from your own garden or humus from the composter for potted plants. In addition, waterlogging can also promote the growth of fungi in the garden.
Remove fungi in the lawn
Mushrooms growing in the lawn do not damage the grass, but they often visually disrupt the neat appearance of the turf. These occur particularly often after laying turf, as it is grown on compost humus that is enriched with small wood particles. The following measures can help contain a fungal infestation in the garden:
- Regular mowing at low heights
- Removal of waterlogging by adding sand
- Watering vigorously but less frequently
- Light application of lime to affected areas
- Scarifying the lawn
When mowing, make sure that the mushrooms have not yet reached a fully developed height. Otherwise, mowing could spread the fungal spores even more throughout the garden.
Planting mushrooms consciously in the garden
Growing mushrooms in your own garden for the purpose of using them as food is rather difficult, as it requires not only the respective spores of the mushroom varieties, but also very specific environmental factors. As a cultivated mushroom, mushrooms cannot necessarily be grown in the garden, but can be grown in a cellar or garden shed with a uniform temperature. With a bit of luck, natural fungal cultures can form from the spores of fungal remains if they are composted in a protected place in your own garden.
Growing edible mushrooms on tree trunks
You may be able to successfully grow certain types of edible mushrooms in your own garden if you have a stand of trees with dead wood in a shady location. Decomposing tree trunks in a protected location can be specifically colonized with spores from oyster and lime mushrooms. As soon as the mushroom mycelium has grown through the tree trunk, the tasty fruiting bodies appear on the outside of the tree trunk.
Tips & Tricks
The basic rule also applies in your own garden that mushrooms should only be consumed as edible mushrooms if they are absolutely certain. Otherwise, they do not necessarily need to be combated if there are no children or dogs playing in the garden. Enjoy mushrooms as a miracle of nature that is difficult to control.