Are you concerned about the little mushrooms that have started popping up in your lawn? They are a nuisance to your beautifully manicured lawn and we totally understand why it would be frustrating to see them. The good thing is, growing mushrooms are not necessarily a sign of disease and they are not harmful to your lawn, children, or pets.
The Cause
You could have mushrooms growing for a couple of different reasons. Mushrooms are the fruiting body of fungi. They feed on organic material that could be from a root left over from an old tree that has been removed or construction material that was left in the lawn when it was backfilled.
Another cause for mushrooms is over-watering or a lot of rain. If the ground does not have time to dry between waterings or rainfall, the mushrooms will start to appear. They could also be caused by drainage problems. If this is the case, we recommend lawn areation and/or dethatching. If you live in the Cedar Rapids area you know that we have been getting quite a bit of rain recently and it’s no surprise that many homeowners are seeing mushrooms in their grass.
The Solution
Since these lawn mushrooms are not harmful, you don’t need to do anything. They should die off a few days after they appear. However, if you want to get rid of them, the easiest way is to simply pull them as they appear. Picking them at the first appearance will help keep their spores from spreading.