Mushrooms are controversial when it comes to how beneficial or dangerous they are to your yard.
Despite the fact that it’s a personal preference, it can be more dangerous than you’d think, especially if you have a curious kid or hyperactive pets who may get in touch with mushrooms.
Moreover, they find mulch to be one of the most ideal environments to live and colonize, therefore, you should know how to get rid of mushrooms in mulch.
Luckily for you, this guide on Lawn Advisors shall explain why they love mulch, and how to kill mushrooms in mulch, and then how to protect your lawn/yard from mushroom invasions in the future.
We’ve explained in a previously-published article how mushrooms grow, what the ideal environment for their growth would be, and how fast they grow. You can read the article here.
Now, let’s talk about How to Get Rid of Mushrooms in Mulch.
Why Do Mushrooms Grow in Mulch?
As we explained in the aforementioned article, mushrooms feed on decaying matter. Whenever they find decaying matter and dampened areas in your yard full of moisture, then you’re most likely going to find mushrooms there.
In mulch, mushrooms find their beloved decaying matter, and mulch will most likely be moisture enough for their growth.
Whether your mulch consists of pine straw & hay, or wood, it’ll be a reliable environment for mushrooms to grow.
How to Get Rid of Mushrooms in Mulch
We’re going to explain in depth, how to get rid of mushrooms in mulch, but in 3 different directions:
- How to Kill Mushrooms Residing in Your Mulch.
- How to Kill Mushrooms By Depriving Them of Their Food.
- How To Slow Down Mushroom Growth to the Minimum.
A. How to Kill Mushrooms Residing in Your Mulch.
1. Baking soda
Baking soda serves as a natural fungicide, as it can be effective in killing mushrooms in 3-4 days.
It increases the pH of the mulch significantly, disrupting the mushroom’s ideal environment.
How to use baking soda to kill mushrooms? Mix a single tablespoon of baking soda in a full gallon of water, and use a garden sprayer to spray it over the mushroom infestations in your mulch.
2. Household Vinegar
Household items are easier to work with when it comes to killing mushrooms in mulch.
Vinegar may be the most common among other substances, as it contains acetic acid that’s mostly effective on mushrooms.
With a 1 to 4 ratio, mix household vinegar with water, and spray it on the mushroom-infested piles of mulch.
Similar to baking soda, household vinegar can kill the mushrooms in mulch in as little as 3 days.
3. Laundry Detergent
You can resort to using laundry detergent as simple household items continue to be effective on mushrooms in mulch.
Use dish soap of any form of laundry detergent liquid that can mixed up with water, to create a solution capable of dealing with mushrooms in mulch.
Spray the mixture directly on the mushrooms’ different body parts, and you’ll notice a decrease in their numbers after 3-5 days, depending on how old/mature the mushrooms are.
B. How to Kill Mushrooms By Depriving Them of Their Food.
Using Fertilizers Rich with Nitrogen
In this method, we’re not going to kill or dispose of the mushrooms directly, but we’ll take an indirect approach by coming at their food.
You can use fertilizers that are rich with nitrogen, as the latter will help accelerate the decomposition of decaying matter.
This means that the mulch shall dissolve sooner than later, and by then the mushrooms will find nothing to feed on, and die.
Additionally, fertilizers will also help your grass and lawn become more healthy, productive, and look more lively.
C. How To Slow Down Mushroom Growth to the Minimum.
1. Use Fungicides
Using Fungicides aims primarely at controling/preventing any fungal outbreak.
You can use different fungicides depending on how mature the mushrooms in your mulch are, but generally speaking, you can visit the local stores for better guidance.
You will still need to kill mushrooms if they have already established their colonies inside your mulch, and afterwards you’ll need to use the fungicides for prevention reasons.
2. Lime
It may seem a bit strange, but yes, lime can be used to mess with the soil’s pH level, disturbing the mushrooms environment & growth.
It will slow down the growth of mushrooms until they die over-time.
How to Make Your Mulch Inhospitable for Mushrooms?
In a previous article on how to get rid of mushrooms in lawn, we agreed that to make the yard inhospitable for mushrooms, you’ll need to do the following:
- Water Early Morning.
- Get Rid of Organic Matter.
- Mow Short.
- Improve Drainage.
However, you can do further prevention steps when it comes to How to Get Rid of Mushrooms in Mulch, by doing the following:
Pick Up Matters That May Attract Mushrooms
Pick up the dead flowers, the fruits that fell off the trees, leaves that scatter around the mulch, broken branches, and any other matters that may attract mushrooms.
This shall deprive the mushrooms of their food, making the mulch inhabitable.
Rake Your Mulch Often
The more often you rake your mulch, the more you aerate it and allow the sun inside the mulch.
This shall deprive the mushrooms of the moisture required for a mushroom infestation.
It’ll also kill the newly-formed mushrooms inside the mulch at a pretty young stage.
Trim Your Trees
You’ll have to trim your tree’s branches as much as you can if you have put the mulch beds under those trees.
This shall allow more sunlight to lower the moisture level inside your mulch.
Moreover, the better you rake your mulch, the more helpful this trimming shall be.
Attend to New Mushrooms ASAP
Whenever you encounter a newly-growing mushroom, don’t delay dealing with it until it’s fully-grown for whatever reason.
The more you wait before you remove or kill the mushrooms, the more likely it’ll have already started producing spores for further reproduction.
Should I Eat Mushrooms Growing in Mulch?
No, please don’t eat the mushrooms growing in mulch.
Even the best specialists in mushrooms can mistake a poisonous species for an edible one.
Additionally, a handful of species living in mulches can be toxic, and you don’t want to be on the receiving end of one of them.
Make sure the kids and pets are aware of this matter too, removing the mushrooms ASAP shouldn’t be debatable as both the kids and pets can get close to those toxic mushrooms on a daily basis.
How to Get Rid of Mushrooms in Mulch FAQ
Summary
Protect yourself from the poisonous and toxic mushrooms and their unsightly presence by mastering how to get rid of mushrooms in mulch.
This article explained multiple ways of killing the mushrooms, depriving them of their food, and slowing down their growth until they die.
If you have any questions regarding the process, feel free to ask us in the comments section below
