Mushrooms are not essentially bad when seen growing on lawns. However, you may find these fungi as eyesores especially when you did not intend to grow them in your garden. These can also pose risks because the poisonous ones can be mistaken as edible particularly by your pets or children at home. To know how to get rid of mushrooms in the lawn with vinegar, read on.
5 Best-Selling Vinegar for Lawn
Most of the time, the presence of mushrooms in a garden means you a healthy and nutrient-rich soil that is optimum for their growth. They can even benefit your land by breaking down dead materials which can result in richer soil quality.
On the other hand, they can destroy the beauty of your landscape and they also multiply quickly. Vinegar is an effective solution against mushrooms in your backyard.
Get Rid of Mushrooms in Your Lawn Using Vinegar
You can always pull mushrooms from your lawn when you see them. Aside from just digging them up, you can also mow over them. However, they can grow again especially if the roots remain.
The following paragraphs will be about removing mushrooms in your yard using vinegar.
Vinegar as a Fungicide
Vinegar’s main component is acetic acid. Acetic acid is a known fungicide. Vinegar is available in grocery stores like balsamic, apple cider and those used in cooking do not contain enough acetic acid. Moreover, these are highly diluted. These only have concentrations ranging from 5% to 7% which renders them useless in killing mushrooms. To efficiently kill and prevent mushroom growth, you must use vinegar that has at least 10% concentration.
To be an effective fungicide, you must use industrial-grade vinegar. Industrial grade vinegar has a concentration ranging from 30% to 75%. Some can effectively get rid of mushrooms within hours of application. Even though higher concentrations are available, you must still be cautious enough when using this on your lawn.
Very concentrated vinegar can damage your soil and the growing plants that surround it. Make sure to read the product warnings. Remember to target only the area that needs it.
Steps in Using Vinegar to Get Rid of Mushrooms
Before you do the steps below, protect yourself first. High concentrations of acetic acid can cause severe skin irritation and eye damage when not handled properly. Protect yourself from accidental spill and splashes by wearing gloves and goggles. Use long-sleeved clothing and pants for extra protection.
Step 1: Dilute
If this is your first time using vinegar as a way to get rid of mushrooms, do this step. Dilution will make the product less concentrated and prevent possible damage to your lawn. Mix 1 part vinegar with 4 parts water as a starting mix.
Step 2: Transfer
Carefully transfer the vinegar solution into a spray bottle.
Step 3: Spray to Affected Areas
Spray a hefty amount of the solution on growing mushrooms as well as on the soil where it is based. As a safety precaution, stand at least 6 inches away from the fungi when spraying. Also, do not mist during windy weather to prevent vinegar vapors from coming back to you.
Step 4: Observe
Give the area you have sprayed with vinegar 1 to 3 days of monitoring. Aside from looking if mushrooms died, also observe if it has affected the surrounding soil, grass, or plants. Use a stronger solution if nothing happened within 3 days.
Expect a better outcome if you have used the correct concentration. You can always try different ratios until you get the most effective concentration your lawn requires. This will depend on the mushroom growing and how vast the growth is.
Why Do Mushrooms Grow in Your Yard?
It is important to fully understand the root cause of the problem so it will be easier for you to solve it. Now that you have the steps on how to get rid of the mushrooms unnecessarily growing on your property, you must also be aware of the reason why they grew in the first place.
Fungi need a lot of organic material as support for their growth. Although all gardens have fungi in them, some produce fruits that become visible to the naked eye. The following paragraphs list the 3 major reasons why mushrooms grow in your lawn.
Reason 1: Your Lawn has the Optimum Condition
If the weather in your area is neither hot nor freezing, fungi can grow without difficulties. Temperature ranging from 63-68 degrees Fahrenheit (17-20 degrees Celcius) is the best for mushrooms. Moreover, you have the most optimum condition when the area is damp, cool, and shady enough.
Furthermore, mushrooms are the reproductive structure of fungi and they are also the reason why they proliferate easily. These produce millions of spores that further develop when in favorable environments.
To make it short, the reason why mushrooms suddenly bud in your backyard is that it is an optimum place for them to develop and thrive. As a preventive measure, make sure all of your lawn areas receive plenty of sunlight. You can trim trees to decrease shade.
Reason 2: Your Garden Caters a Mushroom Growth Medium
Aside from a cool, damp, and shady environment, mushrooms grow best in surfaces that have decaying organic material. Examples include leftover grass cuttings, dead leaves, rotting roots, and logs. Additionally, an excess in the mulch layer can also lead to fungi growth escalation.
Check for parts of your garden that has a thick layer of decaying matter. Scarify these areas using a rake or a lawn scarifier. More than one inch of thatch is already excessive and must be dethatched. Unless you need a lot of mulch to support your plants’ growth, always keep your place free from unnecessary organic matter that can serve as a breeding ground for mushrooms.
Furthermore, ensure that there are no decaying wood or tree stumps on your grass plot or underneath its surface. If you suspect that this is the reason why mushrooms suddenly appeared, you can try digging up the area. Then, remove any decaying debris beneath it. Do not forget to till the area thoroughly before returning the sod.
Reason 3: A Defective Drainage System
Water must effectively penetrate within your soil. If your garden soil does not drain properly, moisture will remain only on its top part. This, when partnered with insufficient sunlight, can lead to exorbitant fungi growth.
To prevent this, make sure to use the correct garden soil that dissipates water properly. Then, aerate your lawn from time to time to relieve soil compaction and allow water and other essential nutrients to penetrate. This should be a part of your lawn maintenance. Lawn aeration will not only avoid mushroom growth, it will also improve your soil’s health and appearance.
Aside from that, remember not to overwater. Having too much moisture for long periods can lead to the uncalled-for growth of these fungi.
How Long Does It Take to Kill Mushrooms With Vinegar
Generally, killing mushrooms with vinegar can take three to four days. This span of time will still depend of course, but three to four days appears to be the agreed-upon consensus when it comes down to it.
This time period is depending upon the variety of vinegar that you choose to use and the pH levels/concentration levels of the vinegar. Using lower concentrations of vinegar can take much longer, or worse not even kill the mushrooms at all.
Higher vinegar concentrations on the other hand will probably kill the mushrooms approximately from a few hours to a day or so. No matter what level of concentration you used, it is best to observe the areas where you have applied the vinegar to see what the result is and if you need to apply an additional vinegar or perhaps dilute the vinegar a bit.
Conclusion
Do not panic if you find mushrooms growing in your lawn. This is not dangerous at all. Fungi is a good sign that your soil is fertile. Nonetheless, it is fairly easy to get rid of them. Use vinegar to kill mushrooms. This process is safe, cheap, and effective.
Mushrooms can grow in your lawn if your area has the optimum condition for its growth. Next, fungi will also multiply and develop mushrooms if there are mediums where they can grow on. Lastly, if you have soil that is always wet, mushrooms can easily grow in your yard.
