Black mushrooms in the lawn: what to do

Of the race is an ecosystem that mushrooms belong to. Isolated mushrooms are usually not a problem, if the green is weakened, black mushrooms, among other things, can appear in large quantities.

Identify mushrooms

As with plants, fungi also have different requirements for their location. Knowing which black fungus it is exactly can help fight them. Different black mushrooms can appear on lawns.
There are some types of mushrooms that are black or black. Some species turn black with age. Some typical mushrooms that can appear in the lawn are:

• Thin-skinned potato bovist (Scleroderma verrucosum)
• Blackening sapling (Hygrocybe conica)
• Dotted fertilizer (Panaeolus olivaceus)
• Black and blue bald head (Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa)
• Small Schockftintling (Coprinus sterquilinus)
• Black-and-blue Rötling (Entoloma atrocaerulea)

One reason why it is important to know which fungus it is is to be able to assess the potential danger. Mushrooms, like the Schopftintling, would even be edible, while others, such as the dotted fertilizer, are poisonous and can be dangerous for babies who play in the grass, for example.
In order for these fungi to settle on lawns, they need suitable site conditions, including, for example, nutrient-rich soils or a suitable pH value. If the appropriate temperatures and humidity are available for a sufficiently long time, the first mushrooms will sprout within a very short time.

Note species protection

If you want to fight black fungi in the lawn, you should keep an eye on species protection. For a fungus to settle, the conditions must be optimal. Protected species in particular rarely find suitable site conditions. If you have a protected mushroom in your garden, such as the olive-black sap, which is not poisonous but is considered inedible, you should You think about whether the existing stock is acceptable, or whether the lawn will be permanently damaged or even a danger to children or Pets given is.

Witch rings for nutritional deficiencies

Mushrooms have a high need for nutrients. If they find sufficient nutrients in the soil, they spread irregularly and over a large area. Even with a large spread of black mushrooms in the lawn there is usually no danger to the green.

Fungi only become a problem when they form so-called witch rings. The mushrooms are arranged in a circle and the rings can also be larger. The reason for this ring-shaped arrangement is that the mushrooms in the center have used up the nutrients and are thus moving further and further away from the place in the direction of new nutrient sources. The lack of nutrients can also be seen in the grass. The growth is poorer and the grass is often lighter in the affected areas. Occasionally it can happen that mosses get out of hand in such places as the sward becomes lighter.

Note: You can easily recognize the formation of a witch's ring by the fact that the grass in the affected areas only becomes darker. It is the nutrient limit and the mycelium is already drawing nutrients from the soil at this limit.

Ways to combat

If you have found that the mushrooms in the garden are unacceptable, you have different options Ways are available to help you drive black mushrooms out of your lawns without fungicides can:

• Change the water balance
• Reduce nutrients
• Aerate the soil
• PH value change
• Change lighting conditions
• mow properly

Too much as well as too little water can promote the colonization of fungi. Watering in summer helps to make the lawn beautiful and strong, but the water increases the humidity of the air and soil, which promotes the growth of fungus. A problem area for fungi are areas that are regularly shaded over long periods of time. A simple help is changing the light conditions and the right watering.
In order to bring more light to certain places, you can, for example, thinning out bushes or trees. It is problematic when, for example, a building provides shade. You should take other measures here.
This can be, for example, increased or decreased watering of the lawn. In the event of fungal attack, it helps if they water more intensely and thus flush out nutrients. To fight fungi or To prevent infestation, proceed as follows when watering:

• water when temperatures are below 20 ° C
• water according to demand (not during rainy periods)
• Let the floor dry in between

The ideal time to water the lawn is late in the evening or in the evening. the night. So the soil has the opportunity to dry up again and again during the day, which also leads to the formation of roots Grasses favored. If you want to do without watering, you can mulch the soil. However, there is a risk here that too many nutrients get into the soil, which in turn favors fungi. Above all, mushrooms such as the Schopftintling prefer very nutrient-rich and sometimes even over-fertilized areas.
Black mushrooms are therefore also a sign that you meant the fertilization a little too well. Anyone who mulches the lawn at least once a week can do without additional fertilizer. The advantage is that the balance between fertilization and consumption of nutrients by mulching is very good and fungi have a hard time settling.

Care as a preventive measure

One of the reasons why black mushrooms or Generally speaking, fungi colonize the lawn because of the lack of care. Above all the ventilation or Scarifying the lawn would prevent fungus, but is often done at the back by gardeners. In many species, the mycelium of mushrooms is only a few centimeters below the ground. By scarifying and aerating, you aerate the soil, which causes the mycelium to dry out and suffer long-term damage.
Scarifying also ensures that the ground receives sufficient light, which in turn helps prevent fungus. So that the mushrooms don't stand a chance and the lawn develops healthy and strong, the right care is important, especially in spring.
To do this, proceed as follows:

• first lawn cut at approx. Carry out a height of 10 cm
• Scarify the sward
• Aerate the sod
• Scatter quartz sand and place it in the holes
• Spread the sod lime evenly with the spreader

Most of the people are still familiar with scarifying, very few hobby gardeners are familiar with aerating. An aerator has thorns several centimeters long and provides deeper ventilation. The sand loosens the soil and at the same time introduces drainage, which helps prevent black fungi, especially in very damp and shady areas.
Note: Many black mushrooms prefer a sour soil. Incorrect pH is one of the reasons fungi grow in lawns. Regular liming is a simple help.

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