The Peach State is known for mushroom foraging, but that doesn’t mean you want them in your yard. Some varieties of Georgia lawn mushrooms are a nuisance and should be removed, while some others go away on their own.
Most Georgia lawn mushrooms are saprobic, or saprophytic, fungi, meaning that they decompose dead plant matter instead of parasitizing living plants. These mushrooms break down thatch, and thereby make nutrients more readily available for your lawn. Harmful lawn mushrooms are rare, but they can still be a nuisance.
Common Georgia Lawn Mushrooms
Georgia is home to several species of both harmful and beneficial lawn mushrooms. Here’s some information about some of Georgia’s most common lawn mushrooms, along with their effects on your lawn and the best ways to deal with them:
Dog Vomit
Dog vomit, also known as Fuligo septica, is a slime mold that commonly grows in Georgia lawns, particularly in raised garden beds or on mulch. It looks like a small mound of bumpy yellow plant matter that hugs the ground. While slime molds are not mushrooms per se, both are types of fungus, and slime mold can look very similar to a mushroom.
Effects: It’s harmless. In fact, it makes nutrients more readily available to your lawn and garden plants by breaking down thatch and other dead organic material.
What to Do: Despite its benefits, you’ll probably want to remove it because it can last indefinitely and become a nuisance. Use baking soda or hydrogen peroxide mixed with water and spray the fungus. It should die before long.
Alternatively, you can remove the fungus manually and dispose of it. Scoop it off with your gloved hands or a shovel and put it in either a garbage bag or a bin. Do not add it to a compost pile, or else it will grow there instead. Slime molds do not form mycelium, so you won’t have to dig anything up.
Octopus Stinkhorn
Octopus stinkhorn, Clathrus archeri, is a type of mushroom that commonly grows on Georgia lawns. True to its name, it smells terrible, like animal dung or rotting meat. It also looks quite disturbing, as it has long red portions that spread out over time, which earned it its nickname of devil’s fingers.
Effects: Despite its unpleasant smell and appearance, octopus stinkhorn doesn’t harm lawns.
What to Do: Ideally, you would leave this mushroom alone. It only lasts a few hours after sprouting, so it will be gone by the end of the day. If you understandably don’t want it in your yard due to the unpleasant smell and unsettling appearance, standard fungus control methods apply. Fungicides are ineffective, so remove it by hand or use natural methods.
Puffballs
Puffball mushrooms, also called Calvatia gigantea, are common in American lawns, including Georgia. It is a large species of mushroom, with a big white cap that takes the shape of an oblong mass. This mushroom is edible and is commonly foraged and eaten, though only in its immature stage before it begins forming spores.
Effects: It’s harmless, and just like other beneficial mushrooms, it makes nutrients more available for other plants. Puffballs are another saprobic mushroom, so they don’t steal nutrients from your grass.
What to Do: Puffball mushrooms, although beneficial, should be removed. They develop over the span of a few weeks and then begin to decompose and rot. It’s best to remove them before they develop spores to prevent more from growing.
To get rid of puffballs, remove the fruiting body by hand before it starts to develop spores, then dig out the soil underneath to remove the mycelium. If you’d like, you can try to cook and eat the fruiting body, but only if you’ve properly identified it as a puffball. Even if it’s distinctive, always ensure that you know for certain before ingesting. If the inside is brown and mushy, it is too mature to eat.
You can also spray the mushroom with a mixture of four parts water to one part vinegar. Another method is to aerate the soil around the mushroom and drench it with a mixture of two tablespoons of baking soda and one gallon of water.
Fairy Rings
Fairy ring mushrooms, also known as Marasmius oreades, are small brown mushrooms that grow in circles. Despite appearances, each ring is a singular organism and not a colony. They are multiple fruiting bodies connected by an underground mycelium.
Effects: Despite the name and interesting appearance, fairy ring mushrooms are harmful to grass. This fungus is parasitic and will leach nutrients and water from your lawn. In addition, they release chemical compounds that inhibit grass’ ability to absorb water, and can even penetrate and kill grass roots.
What to Do: Needless to say, fairy rings should be removed as soon as possible. The best removal method can depend on which type you’re dealing with, type 1, type 2, or type 3. To get rid of all kinds, dethatch, aerate, and topdress your lawn with high-quality sand to deprive the fungus of nutrients and help your grass outcompete it. Avoid fungicides, as they are ineffective.
For more information on fairy rings, read here: “What is Fairy Ring and How to Get Rid of It.”
Shaggy Ink Cap
Shaggy ink cap mushrooms, also called Shaggy Mane or Coprinus comatus, are another very common lawn mushroom you’d find in Georgia. It grows on a tall white stalk and forms a long white shaggy cap that unfurls and exposes a black underside when it matures. They can form as individuals or in lines or rings. Like puffballs, they are edible until they mature.
Effects: Shaggy ink caps are another saprobic fungus, so they don’t do overt harm and can make nutrients more available. This mushroom in particular can also bind heavy metals like mercury.
What to Do: Shaggy ink caps can be left alone. They only last about 24 hours after emerging from the ground before they decompose into a black goo. This process is called deliquescence. To speed up the process, you can pick the mushroom and it will dissolve within only a few hours. It’s not worth using any other methods to remove them.
Meadow Mushrooms
Meadow mushrooms, also known as field mushrooms, false meadow mushrooms, or Agaricus campestris, are small white mushrooms with flat caps and brown or pink undersides. This mushroom grows low to the ground and looks like a typical white mushroom. It’s very closely related to the button mushrooms you would buy in a store and is similarly edible.
Effects: Meadow mushrooms are harmless, and, like other saprophytes, help break down thatch and make nutrients more available.
What to Do: Remove them if they become a nuisance. They’re not harmful or overly unsightly, so you can let them go through their life cycle if you wish. If you find that they stick around for too long, however, or just don’t want them in your yard, you can also remove them.
Remove meadow mushrooms by hand or with a natural fungicide such as vinegar. Dig up the mycelium to prevent them from showing up again in the future. Since meadow mushrooms are commonly confused with other poisonous species, don’t try to cook or eat them unless you’re experienced with wild mushrooms or know someone who is who can verify them.
What Causes Lawn Mushrooms?
Several factors can cause mushrooms to crop up in your Georgia lawn. The three main factors are drainage, shade, and organic matter. All three are necessary for mushrooms to grow, so if you want to prevent lawn mushrooms, tailor your lawn to create an inhospitable environment. Here’s some more info:
- Drainage: Mushrooms love moisture, which is why you’ll see more of them in lawns with poor drainage. Mushrooms can also grow after heavy rain. Since Georgia is prone to rain, it’s also prone to lawn mushrooms. If you need solutions, check out these tips to improve drainage in yards.
- Shade: Mushrooms grow best in a dark environment. If you want to prevent lawn mushrooms, ensure your grass gets plenty of sun. You may also find mushrooms under outdoor structures like decks or in a crawlspace if you have one.
- Organic Matter: Mushrooms won’t grow in lawns without sufficient food. Over time, thatch, leaves, and other organic matter builds up in your lawn. If you don’t dethatch your lawn or remove leaves and other debris regularly, you’ll see mushrooms more often.
More Lawn Care and Landscaping Resources for Georgia
Lawn care isn’t just about preventing harmful fungi. There’s plenty you can do to care for your Georgia lawn and keep your landscape looking sharp. Read some of our other articles for details:
Common Weeds in Georgia Lawns and Gardens
The Best Grass for Shade in Georgia
What Planting Zone is Georgia?
FAQ About Lawn Mushrooms in Georgia
Are any fungicides banned in Georgia?
There are no fungicides banned specifically in Georgia, but many are banned nationwide. Banned fungicides, also known as Restricted Use Pesticides, are not commercially available and require a licensed professional. If you can find it on the shelf in your local stores, it is legal, though should still be handled with care.
Here’s more information surrounding the Georgia laws and regulations surrounding pesticides and fungicides:
Georgia Pesticide Control Act of 1976
Here’s a list of the pesticides that are banned under the EPA’s Prior Informed Consent (PIC) program:
Banned and Severly Restricted Pesticides
Are any Georgia lawn mushrooms dangerous to touch?
No. There are no mushrooms that are so poisonous that they’re dangerous to touch, and certainly none that will grow in a Georgia lawn. While some can cause dermatitis on contact, they’re not deadly or seriously dangerous unless ingested.
What is the most poisonous mushroom in Georgia?
The most poisonous mushroom that grows in Georgia is also the most poisonous on record; the death cap mushroom. This mushroom is not native to Georgia, but has spread across the East and West coasts of the United States, and can sometimes grow on domestic lawns. Take care with this mushroom and never ingest any wild plant you’re not familiar with.
Find a Lawn Care Pro Today
When it comes to your lawn, it’s best to treat mushrooms on a case-by-case basis. Remove the harmful ones and leave the rest alone unless they become a nuisance.
If you need help with your lawn, contact lawn care pros near you. They can mow it for you so that you have one less chore to take care of.
Main Image Credit: Fairy ring mushrooms / Dr. Hans-Günter Wagner / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
