MUSHROOMS IN LAWNS

By: William M. Johnson
Question: White mushrooms quickly appeared in my
lawn and in many other lawns in my neighborhood.
My lawn looks like a cluster of spaceships from Mars
has taken up residence! Where do the mushrooms
come from and is there anything to control them? Are
they edible?
Answer: Late summer seems to be mushroom season
on the Gulf Coast. Adequate soil moisture, warm
soils, and slightly cooler air temperatures appear to
set off mushroom growth.
Unlike poisonous spiders or snakes, which often
have distinct markings or bright colors to warn of the
danger, poisonous mushrooms can be pretty vanilla
in appearance. Some lawn mushrooms are edible
and some are toxic.
Unless you are a mushroom expert and can specifically
identify the mushroom, the best rule to follow
is: “Never eat mushrooms that grow in your lawn.”
Children should be given this message very clearly
and, to this day, I have followed this advice as well.
Mushroom poisoning can vary from a minor upset
stomach to a rather painful protracted death.
The abundance of mushrooms in many area lawns
provides a greater opportunity for small children to
come in contact with them. Remove mushrooms as
they appear to reduce the temptation they can offer
to children.
Mushrooms have become very common in many
lawns since the occurrence of multiple rounds of rainfall
over the past couple of weeks. They belong to a
group of organisms called fungi. Mushrooms are the
reproductive portion of the fungi and the vegetative
portion (known as hyphae) grows belowground.
Since mushrooms lack chlorophyll that is found in
green plants, they must derive their food from decaying
plants. They will grow on decaying underground
roots, bark, and other sources of organic matter found
beneath the soil. They are often found in areas that
had trees removed some years back.
Some types of mushrooms grow in a distinctive circular-
to-elliptical pattern known as a “fairy ring.” Most
mushrooms encountered in lawns occur in a random
pattern and are close relatives of “fairy ring” mushrooms.
When we have periods of high rainfall and warm
temperatures, mushrooms can appear virtually overnight.
Save your money, as there is nothing you can
do to prevent this. Frequent mowing will do more
good than anything else.
Question: One of my trees was recently struck by
lightning. Is there anything I can do to save the tree
or is it likely to die?
Answer: A lightning strike to a tree in one’s
landscape is a traumatic experience for both
the tree and its caretaker. After checking to
see if one’s own limbs are intact, attention
quickly shifts to the welfare of the tree.
The morning after an electrical storm, local
Extension offices often field questions from
concerned homeowners regarding the prognosis
for beloved trees and what care might
be given to help them survive or recover. Unfortunately
and quite accurately for the concerned
tree steward, the best answer to these
urgent questions is often, “time will tell.”
A lightning strike can affect a tree in many
ways. Some are immediately obvious and
some are not. Sometimes the trunk and/or
large branches are splintered. A strike may
make continuous grooves in the trunk or main
branches. In many cases, the apparent damage
may appear minimal while internal injury
to the vascular tissues of the trunk and roots
is extensive and gradually manifests itself
over a period of months or even years.
In some cases, the majority of the damage
occurs to the main roots of a tree as the
electrical discharge (up to 100 million volts at
thousands of amperes) vaporizes the water
inside the roots, creating superheated steam.
It is difficult to predict which trees will be
struck by lightning and which are most likely
to be seriously injured. In general, lone trees, those
tallest in a group or those growing in moist soil have
the highest probability of being struck.
Should one apply any of the various wound dressing
concoctions commonly used? While most wound
dressing concoctions do no harm to the tree, many
dressings develop cracks over time that can harbor
insects or hold water that lead to decay. Applying a
wound dressing may make the caretaker performing
the operation feel better, but it is not recommended.
If the lightning damage has created hazardous broken
branches, these should be taken care of quickly
by an experienced arborist. My experience has been
that a lightning strike does not automatically spell
doom to a tree as many such trees are able to make
a remarkable recovery given adequate care and time.