Have you had problems with mushrooms or toadstools on your lawn? They are quite common following prolonged wet weather and often disappear as soon as the soil begins to dry or when the grass is mowed. Mushrooms that grow individually or in clumps usually develop from buried organic matter such as pieces of construction lumber, logs, or tree stumps.

Mushrooms with this growth habit are usually harmless to grasses, but are objectionable because they are unsightly and the fruiting bodies occur repeatedly. Some of the mushrooms are foul-smelling and more importantly some of them are poisonous. If you are not sure that a mushroom is safe to eat, don't eat it.

These fungi are difficult to control until all wood or other organic matter upon which they grow has been completely decayed. In some cases it may be practical to dig up the pieces of rotting wood or other debris. It is usually best to break or mow off the mushrooms or puffballs and let the fungus go ahead and complete decay of the material.

This page was last updated May 2007

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