Big mushrooms on lawn
james 536
Posts: 2
Hello all,
New here and new to gardening! I am used to some small mushrooms popping up on my lawn, but this autumn i have had loads of these whoppers come up. The lawn was only laid in May. The image is of the mushrooms by a timber border, but they are all over the lawn. Where they are on the grass, they are leaving a silvering residue (spores?) underneath them.
I was hoping they would disappear within a few days but they show no signs of breaking down after a few weeks and I desperately need to mow the grass before it gets perennially too damp, but don't want to just mow over these and i am apprehensive about removing them by hand in case they are poisonous. Any thoughts as to the best approach and/or an ID for the fungi?
New here and new to gardening! I am used to some small mushrooms popping up on my lawn, but this autumn i have had loads of these whoppers come up. The lawn was only laid in May. The image is of the mushrooms by a timber border, but they are all over the lawn. Where they are on the grass, they are leaving a silvering residue (spores?) underneath them.
I was hoping they would disappear within a few days but they show no signs of breaking down after a few weeks and I desperately need to mow the grass before it gets perennially too damp, but don't want to just mow over these and i am apprehensive about removing them by hand in case they are poisonous. Any thoughts as to the best approach and/or an ID for the fungi?
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Sorry no id, but when I get them and the lawn needs a mow I just use a garden leaf rake to loosen and gather them. I also have a "garden" dust pan and brush I use sometimes .
Some types come off at the stem neatly, others make a bit of a mess, especially if they are starting to break down.
Just wear gloves to pick them off if there is not too many.
Our old mower was great and used to sort of vacuum the worst bits, new one is not so good. I would test drive over a patch and see what your mower does.
My guess is that they are living on the dead roots of a tree.
When they have done their natural job of being Nature’s refuse collectors and broken down all the old dead roots they will disappear.
If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
My first guess would be that they are some form of milkcap. Some of these are edible, only a few are poisonous but I don't think yours are either of those. I would just mow them or hoe off the fruiting bodies. The main body of the fungi is under your lawn doing its job of recycling nutrients.
I am regretting my "leave it and hope they rot away quickly" approach as they would certainly have been less messy to clear up a week or so ago!
Before we laid the lawn, there were a number of mature bushes and shrubs here, so almost certainly the fungi has been happily feeding away on the rotting roots for a while!
No idea how to identify many of the specifics you mention steephil, i also don't know what kind of soil i have I'm afraid! but please see the photos below which are an awful lot clearer (i am a keen photographer and that first photo was taken at dusk out of the kitchen window, on an iPhone, which is why its a bit embarrassing!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.