Mushrooms/Fungi

ahateley28_rkup2KC · March 2023

Hi, completely new to gardening and just reaching out for some help. We started on our sons play area in the garden last summer stripping out old slabs and decking at the top of garden. Flattening it out with a larger section of the garden. We put about 4 tonnes of soil down and then seeded. By the time we got around to the seeding it was late summer maybe August time.

We have been away for 2 weeks and when we went into the garden we noticed hundreds of little fungi has started to spout. It is only on the areas which we soiled and seeded. Which suggests to me there is something in the soil we laid down (it was from a reputable online store though).

Obviously I can treat this with killer etc but is there anything else worth doing at the same time? Will it keep growing back?

Obviously with it been in our sons play area we just want to do everything possible.

Any help would be appreciated, obviously the photos there is a lot of dead patches, this is from the squirrels over the winter.

Dovefromabove · March 2023

Hello and welcome to the forum 😊
No need to do anything and certainly don’t treat the area with any ‘killer’. Weed killer will not kill fungi anyway. Chemicals will damage all the good bacteria in the soil that are needed for your plants, including grass, to grow healthily. And personally speaking I would never apply weed killers or other chemicals to an area where my children were going to play.

Fungi mycelium is in all healthy soil … it’s the way the organic stuff (compost, dead leaves, manure etc) is broken down and transformed into a state where it can be utilised as nutrition by the roots of your plants. The toadstools are simply the fruiting bodies of the mycelium that is in the soil. If you don’t like them being there, or if your child is too young to be taught not to put things in their mouth, then rake/sweep the toadstools away and put them in your compost bin where they will help to make new compost.

Anyway, toadstools only appear during specific weather conditions that are favourable to them, and will disappear as quickly as they came. Nothing to worry about.

😊

GardenerSuze · March 2023

I wouldn't use any form of weedkiller, fungi is part of our natural environment. Weedkiller may actually boost fungi. The fruiting bodies are part of the cycle and will disappear. Improving drainage would also help.

ahateley28_rkup2KC · March 2023

Well I'm glad I asked the question guys, as I was miles off! Thanks for help!

Dovefromabove · March 2023

Pleased to help … never be afraid to ask … we were all beginners once 😊

GardenerSuze · March 2023

@ahateley28_rkup2KC You are welcome without fungi no trees without trees.....

Lyn · March 2023

Definitely no weed killer and now would be a perfect time to start teaching your sons about nature and the garden. Teach them not to touch, pick or eat anything without coming to you or their mother to explain what’s what. You can always ask here or google it. Your children will think you’re both so clever, that’s a bonus 😉

Children love a nature ramble even if it’s in the garden.

GardenerSuze · March 2023

I agree plants and gardens are a new world for small children to explore. It can be an inexpensive way to keep them amused whilst learning. My daughter hated veg until she grew a wigwam of runner beans.

bédé · March 2023

Many fungi get nutrient from dead plant material, others grow symbiotically on tree roots. Some feed on green grass leaves, but fungi in grass is generally a healthy sign.

Some can be decorative, some poisonous, some both:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/6n/l7xxzr1pcgbi.jpg

bédé · March 2023

Don't avoid simple chemicals, they can be of great help in gardening.

Weed killers are designed for plant weeds, sometimes with specific speciality uses. Fungus killers are usually designed for the fungi that attack live garden plants.

The fruiting bodies of fungi (aka mushrooms) will be killed by Sulphate of Iron applied quite dilute. It will not affect the undergrounf parts. My suggested application is: 6 tablespoons of FeSO4 in a 1.5 gallon watering can. To a fine lawn I apply at the rate of 3 watering cans to 100m2 .

Sulphate of Iron is readily available in garden centres. If you are worried by the word "chemical", this one is no worse than rust.

JennyJ · March 2023

But why buy a product when the toadstools can easily be brushed off in the time it would take to mix it up and apply it?

Mushrooms/Fungi

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