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Mystery mushrooms! #887126

Asked October 04, 2024, 9:23 AM EDT

All of a sudden I have mushrooms popping up all over. These are below a maple tree but I also have what appears to be different, smaller variety in my grass. Do they indicate a problem? What should I do?? (I wasn’t able to upload photos). 

Montgomery County Maryland

Expert Response

Fortunately, mushrooms are not necessarily a problem. Many are benign, and the fungi that produce them either decay already-dead organic matter in the soil, or grow in partnership with tree (or other plant) roots as mycorrhizae, which boost plant health and vigor. Wet weather promotes mushroom development because it can help fungal growth, akin to a plant reaching the flowering stage in its maturity.

If any fungi are growing directly out of wood (either trunks, branches, or soil-surface tree roots), then they indicate an issue, as wood decay is taking place (and probably has been for some time). In that event, have a certified arborist evaluate the tree in question. (They cannot cure an existing infection or reverse wood decay, but they can help to estimate its extent and how it may impact tree stability.)

If you're concerned about kids or pets trying to eat any mushrooms in the yard, you can pick them off (with gloved hands) or scrape them off with a shovel and dispose of them so they aren't consumed. (Or just keep them out of the area until the mushrooms wither and disintegrate.) Not all mushrooms are toxic, but it's sometimes difficult to separate toxic from safe species because they look so alike, and it's best to always assume mushrooms are inedible.

Miri
Thank you so much for your response. Here is a pic. It is not from wood but out of grass.  Would you advise I let them be or discard?

image0.jpegimage1.jpeg
Ellie 



On Oct 4, 2024, at 11:12 AM, Ask Extension wrote:


The Question Asker Replied October 04, 2024, 1:54 PM EDT
Although it's always possible they are emanating from rotting root wood under the soil surface when mushrooms appear in a ring around a tree like this, they also might be mycorrhizal with the tree or the grass and are harmless. If the tree has looked normal this past season, then they are probably not a wood decay type. (To be fair, trees can be ailing for a variety of reasons even if mushrooms growing near them have nothing to do with their decline.) Removal of the mushrooms won't have any impact on the fungus underground itself, but we can't determine if the mushrooms are harmful to eat or not, so in that regard, remove them if there is a concern of child or pet consumption. Otherwise, they can stay.

Miri
Thank you Miri. 

Ellie 



On Oct 4, 2024, at 2:04 PM, Ask Extension wrote:


The Question Asker Replied October 04, 2024, 2:46 PM EDT

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