BYGL Hort Shorts May 15, 2008 HOLD THE MUSHROOMS
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 High moisture levels in lawns and landscapes are bringing up the usual crop of mushrooms and subsequent calls about their control. Mushrooms are the fruiting portion of a colony of microscopic threads of fungus. These threads, called mycelium, grow throughout the area and consume organic matter in the lawn and garden. When conditions favor their development they produce a fruiting body we recognize as a mushroom. The mushroom develops and disperses spores to begin new colonies.As interesting as they are, mushrooms can become a nuisance in landscapes. Large colonies can seriously impact the quality of turf. Homeowners are often concerned about risks to children or pets. There are no fungicides available to control these microbes. Control in the landscape involves manipulation of the food source or the mushrooms themselves. *Remove individual mushrooms as they emerge. They will, however, continue to be produced until conditions change or until their food source is exhausted. *Remove the organic food source on which they are feeding. This may be an old tree stump, buried construction material, overly thick mulch or even accumulated thatch in turf. In the case of thatch, core aerifying can speed up the decomposition process reducing the organic matter available to the mushrooms. *Do not eat the mushrooms you find. Deaths and serious health problems occur every year to people who guessed wrong when identifying mushrooms. Do not make a casual identification of mushrooms and do not recommend eating wild mushrooms; leave the identification to the experts. Remember, "There are old mushroom hunters and bold mushroom hunters, but there are no old, bold mushroom hunters." For more information, see:
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 14 May 2008 23:46 ) |
