skip to main content

Texas Gardening

Mushrooms (?) in mulch each morning

8 years ago

Each morning, we have hundreds of mini mushrooms that show up in the mulch in our flower beds. By midday, most seem to have disappeared, and by the evening, they are all but gone. Yet the next morning, they are there again. What are these? How do I prevent them from popping up?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

roselee z8b S.W. Texas
8 years ago
From the internet:

"They are just random fungus growing out of the compost. That is perfectly normal and encouraged by most of us who understand how the soil works. Means there is lots beneficial soil bacteria and a healthy micro-herd supplying nutrients to your plants and improving your soil quality at the same time.

"Don't worry about them, encourage them. The mushrooms are merely temporary fruiting bodies. Remove them if you wish, but the fungi will still be present and active in the form of tiny hyphae and mycelia threaded thoughout. Decomposing fungi (called saprophytes) are a GOOD thing. When they get too thick in an area just scratch rake them back into the surface of the soil with your fingers or a hoe and count your blessings."

I love seeing them because that means I have healthy soil. Happy gardening!
K M thanked roselee z8b S.W. Texas
bossyvossy
8 years ago
nooooo! let them be, a good thing. mushrooms are evidence of high microbial activity in your soil. However, do ck that you are not overwatering as mushrooms are more prevalent during rainy or overwater conditions.
Related Discussions
Little tiny mushrooms growing in my vegetable garden!
Q
Comments (27)
@Mark Biddle, did you read the full thread? As has been clearly pointed out, mushrooms that appear from out of the soil are NOT harmful to growing plants. The mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of naturally occurring fungal organisms that are the decomposers of organic matter or dead plant material. They are everywhere and do not eat "at the garden roots and stems and such" or bother any living plants! There is no need to compost them as they will disappear in a couple of days all on their own. They are the sign of a healthy soil.
...See More
mushrooms in the garden
Q
Comments (2)
Dogs don't normally eat mushrooms, but keep an eye on your puppy and if he shows any interest in them correct him and offer a chew stick instead. Mushrooms grow on dead material like mulch and, unless you eat them, are harmless.
...See More
mushrooms in newly planted asian jasmine
Q
Comments (2)
Not to worry, they are feasting on (decomposing) the mulch. You wouldn't believe the assortment of mushrooms that pop up after someone has put down some new mulch.
...See More
Identifying a plant/weed? and Mushroom overtake!
Q
Comments (5)
When I hear these stories of the bad, irresponsible advice dished out at big box stores, it makes steam come out of my ears! Fungicides should only be used on plant diseases! Mushrooms growing in mulch have nothing to do with plants, but with the mulch that the fungus is working hard to decompose. Those mushrooms are not a sign of disease but of an essential beneficial biological process. ! Using chemical fungicides where they don't work is exactly like humans taking antibiotics for a cold.....it doesn't work and creates resistance to the antibiotic. Fungicide resistance is a major problem. My advice is to ignore the mushrooms in the mulch. Those are just the fruiting bodies, anyway. You can rake them away, but the active fungus is actively working in the mulch and soil, doing good stuff. Avoid using fungicides, period, but never unless you have a precise identification of a real plant disease.
...See More
daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
8 years ago
Yes, loads of mushrooms in Texas summer sounds like someone is getting heavyhanded with irrigation. Those mature plants in your picture don't look like they need wet soil.
Alisha Pierce
13 days ago
I found some of these by my tomato seedlings yesterday and they were gone today, glad I am not going crazy...but I hear tomatoes like moist soil so I guess they are here to stay

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES New Ways to Think About All That Mulch in the Garden

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Before you go making a mountain out of a mulch hill, learn the facts about what your plants and soil really want

GARDENING GUIDES Garden Myths to Debunk as You Dig This Fall and Rest Over Winter

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Termites hate wood mulch, don’t amend soil for trees, avoid gravel in planters — and more nuggets of garden wisdom

GARDENING GUIDES Southeast Gardener's May Checklist

By Gardening with Confidence®

Bask in the blooms and mind your mulch this month; summer means lots to savor and lots to do in the garden

FALL GARDENING 7 Reasons Not to Clean Up Your Fall Garden

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Before you pluck and rake, consider wildlife, the health of your plants and your own right to relax

REGIONAL GARDEN GUIDES Mid-Atlantic Gardener's March Checklist

Hunt for new growth in the garden but play the protector for baby plants and birds flying home to nest

GARDENING GUIDES 3 Ways to Revel in Summer Garden Sweetness

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Patiently observe what works and doesn’t work in your landscape

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Gardening for Happy Kids

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Foster creativity, self-esteem and more by designing your landscape with a sense of discovery

GARDENING GUIDES How I Learned to Be an Imperfect Gardener

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Letting go can lead to a deeper level of gardening and a richer relationship with the landscape. Here's how one nature lover did it

FALL GARDENING 5 Ways to Put Fall Leaves to Work in Your Garden

By Therese Ciesinski

Improve your soil and yard the organic way with a valuable garden booster that grows on trees

GARDENING GUIDES Sweet Serendipity: Opening to Happy Garden Discoveries

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

Unplanned nature scenes can be unbelievably beautiful; you just need to know how to look

Sponsored

Nova Design Build

Custom Premiere Design-Build Contractor | Hilliard, OH

More Discussions

Placing the TV on the wall and designing the artificial stone behind t

1

How cold is too cold for bare root bagged roses?...

12

Weed Treatment For Bermuda Grass

6

Crossvine oddness

4

iris not blooming well

8