After sodding your lawn, we would all want to keep it in the best shape possible. When it comes to mushroom growth in your lawn, we have to understand that it is actually an effective way to keep the soil healthy. They provide essential nutrients to the grass and break down dead materials. However, if you notice wild mushrooms growing in your fresh sod, it’s best to remove them at the earliest.
A few varieties of mushrooms are edible, whereas the others are poisonous. If your children or pets consume them, it may affect their health.
Here’s how you can eliminate this nuisance from your fresh lawn:
1. Avoid Overwatering
It’s a misconception that mushroom growth indicates the bad health of the soil. However, mushrooms prefer moist and humid areas. So, if the soil contains plenty of moisture and nutrients, it’s likely that mushrooms will grow in the sod.
Refrain from overwatering your lawn, particularly the areas that are covered with a shade. It’ll keep the grass health and effectively prevent mushrooms from growing in the space.
2. Improve Soil Drainage
Poor drainage in your lawn supports the growth of mushrooms. The wet soil retains moisture and nutrients for long and provides food to the fungi.
Aside from removing mushrooms from your lawn, you need to improve the drainage to prevent its growth down the line. You can install underground pipes or create a berm to redirect the water flow away from the sod.
3. Minimize Shade
Sod in the shade provides suitable growing conditions for mushrooms. So, trim down branches of trees in your lawn to minimize the shade and allow sunlight to reach the soil.
4. Use a Nitrogen Fertilizer
The more the organic matter in the soil, the higher the risk of mushroom growth will be. You can apply a nitrogen fertilizer to quickly decompose it and prevent mushrooms from ruining the aesthetic appeal of your lawn.
Use nitrogen fertilizer once a year. It’ll quickly decompose organic matter and deprive mushrooms of moisture and nutrients.
5. Remove Mushrooms
Right after sodding your lawn, fresh sod needs plenty of water until it roots in the soil. This is the reason why you may notice mushroom growth in your freshly sodded lawn.
When mushrooms start to grow in the soil, you need to take quick actions to eliminate them. If you leave them on your lawn for too long, they will release spores. Consequently, mushrooms will take over your beautiful lawn before you know it.
All you need to do is to pull them out of the ground. You can use a garden shovel to make your work easier.
6. Prepare a Soapy Mixture
The chemicals in the soap are the worst enemies of mushrooms and other fungi. You can prepare a soapy mixture to eliminate this nuisance with ease.
Take 2 gallons water and add 3 tablespoons of dish soap. Transfer this mixture to a spray bottle and shake it well. Now use a trowel to dig small holes around the soil and spray the mixture. This will effectively kill off mushrooms growing in the sod.
You can contact a professional lawn care service to maintain your lawn in good shape and effectively remove mushrooms from the sod.
At My Landscapers, we understand that after sodding your lawn, you will want to keep it at best shape possible for many years to come. Request your free lawn care estimate today and one of our landscaping professionals will help you understand the needs for your property. With summer already here in Toronto, Vaughan & Richmond Hill, it is important to have your grass healthy and green.
