How to kill mushrooms

Content

Method 2 of 3: Creating an Unfavorable Environment for Mushroom Growth
Method 3 of 3: Fighting the witch's circles
Tips
Warnings
What do you need
Additional articles

1 Pull the mushrooms out of the ground as soon as their caps appear. If the mushrooms are allowed to grow for too long, they will release spores and there will be more mushrooms. When you see mushrooms sprouting, simply pull them out of the ground.

You can also try walking over mushrooms with a lawn mower or rake, but doing so runs the risk of spreading spores to the rest of the lawn.

2 Dispose of fungi appropriately. Do not throw them into the compost pit. Instead, take a plastic bag and place the mushrooms in it as soon as you pull them out of the ground. Once the bag is full, tie it tightly and discard it in the trash can. This will keep the mushroom spores from scattering around your lawn.

3 Use nitrogen fertilizer to keep fungi from growing on organic debris. Fertilizer will speed up the decomposition of organic matter and the mushrooms will have nothing to eat. It is necessary to use about 500 g of nitrogen for every one hundred square meters of land.

Do not use long-acting fertilizers or dry, water-soluble nitrogen fertilizers.
Apply fertilizer annually.
Also consider using phosphate and potash fertilizers. Fertilizers must be combined in the following proportions: 3 parts of nitrogen; 1 part phosphate and 2 parts potassium.

4 Use soap and water to kill the mushrooms. Mix 2-3 tablespoons (30-45 ml) of dishwashing liquid with 7.5 L of water. Use a trowel, garden trowel, or regular screwdriver to cut holes in the soil around the mushrooms. Fill the indentations with soapy water.

5 Maintain your potted plants properly. Potted plants are often attacked by fungi and fungal infections. They are often waterlogged and kept at home where the air is stagnant and warm. These are excellent conditions for mushroom growth. Below are some guidelines to help protect indoor plants from fungi.

Pull mushrooms as soon as they appear and discard them immediately.
Provide good air circulation by placing the plant on a window or near a fan.
Avoid over-watering. Let the topsoil dry before watering again.
Use the automatic watering dripper to keep the soil moist inside the pot and dry on the surface.

Method 2 of 3: Creating an Unfavorable Environment for Mushroom Growth

1 Provide good drainage for your lawn. Mushrooms love dampness and moisture. If too much water accumulates on the lawn, it must be well drained. Below are some suggestions for creating good drainage for your lawn.
- If water is flowing through the lawn due to sloping soil, create an earthen bank in front of the lawn to redirect the water flow to a more suitable location.
- Decorate the area with a pond that will collect excess water. This pond is easy to maintain and can be an additional decorative element for your lawn or garden.
- Arrange drainage drains under the downpipes so that it is they who take water into themselves during heavy rains. This will prevent excess water from entering your lawn.
- Consider creating an underground drain, such as a French one (using gravel trenches), to promote water flow and prevent stagnation.
2 Make sure the lawn soil also has good drainage properties. If you have clay soil in your area, then the water will simply have nowhere to drain when it seeps through the grass. It will accumulate and stagnate. If possible, try mixing sand or other material into the soil to improve its drainage properties so that the water seeps through and does not stagnate.
- When it comes to watering, try to water your lawn in the morning, not at night. The sun evaporates excess water, preventing it from stagnating and creating an environment for the development of fungi.
3 Prune trees to reduce shading. Cut branches close to the trunk, right at the bark. Don't leave any knots. Make the cut with a downward slope so that rainwater does not fall on it and does not provoke rotting.
- Protect trees from fungal growth by pruning any dead or diseased branches.
4 Clear cut grass to reduce shading and improve air circulation.
- Rake the lawn by hand.
- Use a lawn cultivator. You can try to rent this device. After combing the lawn with a cultivator, you will need to use a conventional rake to remove torn blades of grass and sod.
- If your lawn consists of frost-resistant grasses, cultivate it between late summer and early fall.
- If the lawn consists of warm-loving grasses, cultivate it in late spring.
5 Ensure good air circulation by aerating your lawn. Insufficient air circulation leads to stagnation of moisture, and where there is excess moisture, fungi will appear. Get a soil aerator from a hardware store and use it to walk all over your lawn. The aerator pierces holes in the soil, helping to make it lighter and more airy.
- Consider using an aerator to keep the mushrooms from growing in stagnant wet environments.
6 Clear your lawn of decaying organic debris that promotes fungal growth. Remove the lasting sawdust and small branches that mushrooms like so much. Also, keep your lawn free of pet excrement and other decaying substances that mushrooms can eat. Do not leave cut grass on the lawn, collect it with a rake after mowing the lawn, or use a lawn mower with a grass catcher. Remove excrement after your pets. Cut dry dead branches from trees and remove them.

Method 3 of 3: Fighting the witch's circles

1 Find the witch's circle. The witch's circle is a ring of mushrooms growing in the grass. It is usually easy to spot, but sometimes the mushroom caps are not visible. In such cases, the witch's circle is a ring of dark green grass. Sometimes the witch's circle looks like a ring of dead dry grass.
2 Determine how deep the mycelium of the witch circle is. Take a scoop, garden trowel, or screwdriver and dig out the soil around the mushrooms. Notice the white threadlike weaves in the ground. They will be the mycelium. Depending on how extensive and deep the mycelium is, you will have to use different methods of destroying the witch's circle.
3 Treat the witch's circles with a soil aerator if the mycelium grows no deeper than 7.5 cm. Start aeration 60 cm beyond the ring and gradually work your way towards the center of the ring.
4 Dig up witch circles if the myceliums are deeper than 7.5 cm. Take a shovel and dig out the ground with mushrooms. Go deeper at the same time by 30 cm. After you dig the ring of mushrooms itself, you will have to expand the excavation by 30-45 cm to both sides of the trench. And it would be even better to grab 60 cm in both directions. Some experts advise generally digging everything to the very center of the ring.
- While you dig, try to figure out the reason for the formation of the witch circle. Look out for rotting wood, debris, and anything else that can impair water drainage. In the course of work, eliminate all of these causes.
5 Get rid of fungi and contaminated soil. To avoid spreading fungal spores throughout your garden, throw everything in a large trash bag. Tie it tightly and throw it in the trash can. Do not throw mushrooms and contaminated soil into the compost pit.
6 Refill with new soil instead of the removed one. Refrain from using unripe compost for this purpose, which may also contain fungal spores. (Overripe compost is excellent for soil drainage and is considered sterile since it has already passed the composting stage).
- If you have heavy clay soil, add sand to it to provide better drainage.
7 Consider planting fast-growing grass on a bare patch of land. Over time, the grass will cover the ground by itself, but this will not happen so soon. If you are in a hurry to quickly give your lawn a normal green look, lay a roll lawn on the bare ground. Alternatively, you can sow the land with grass seeds instead.

Tips

Fungicides are not very effective in eliminating fungi, as they do not attack the underground part of the mycelium. If the mycelium is not eliminated in the soil, the fungi will continue to grow.
If mushrooms grow on a tree, this indicates that this part of the tree is dead. In some cases, it is best to cut the tree down completely, especially if deeply affected by a fungal infection. A deep fungal infection can weaken the trunk, causing the tree to fall and possibly cause additional damage.

Warnings

Fungal spores are carried by the wind from elsewhere, so mushrooms can re-start if you create favorable conditions for them with the presence of shade, moisture and humus. Do not stop the measures started after the disappearance of the mushrooms, unless you want them to return.
Since mushrooms feed on dead and composting natural material, sometimes it is impossible to completely get rid of them without removing the affected area (for example, without removing a tree branch or fence board).
Some mushrooms are poisonous. Do not eat any mushrooms you find. Only professional mushroom pickers are able to distinguish some poisonous mushrooms from their edible counterparts. Be careful if children or pets are near wild mushrooms.
Be sure to wash your hands after handling mushrooms.