Many people like to use mulch as a way to keep weeds from getting out of control in their garden areas. You might also find it to be aesthetically pleasing and it can add quite a bit of color to your yard.
However, there are some problems that you can encounter with mulch when it comes to mushrooms.
Mushrooms will sometimes grow up through your mulch and this can be a bit problematic. You don’t necessarily want mushrooms growing in your garden area and you need to be able to contain this issue.
The problem is that many gardeners don’t really know how to go about preventing mushrooms from growing in mulch.
There are a few important steps you can take to get rid of mushrooms if they start popping up. Keep reading to learn all about what you can do to get the best results.
If you follow this information, your garden areas will be mushroom-free in no time at all.
1 – Try to Use Less Mulch
One of the biggest reasons why mushrooms grow inside mulch is that you are using too much of it. You’re allowing moisture to get trapped in certain spots and this is creating an environment where mushrooms can thrive.
If you try to use less mulch than you’ve been using, you should be able to get good results.
Just take the time to consider spreading your mulch a bit thinner overall. If all goes as planned, you should be able to prevent mushrooms from sprouting in your mulch moving forward.
Of course, you might want to replace the mulch or use some of the other methods that will be explained later on. You have to physically get rid of the mushrooms before spreading your mulch thinner.
It’s just worth knowing that using less mulch is going to be a big help when you’re trying to prevent future mushroom growth.
Also, you shouldn’t want to use too much mulch anyway because it can be bad for your plants.
When you have too much mulch near your plants, it can wind up suffocating them. It keeps them from getting the nutrients that they need and you only need to use mulch in moderation to get good results.
2 – Consider Compost
Compost could actually work out nicely when you’re trying to find a solution to your mushroom woes.
You’ll find that mushrooms are capable of thriving when you fill your gardens with things such as wood and bark-based mulch. Compost doesn’t have this problem because it’s much harder for mushrooms to grow when you’re using organic compost materials.
If the mushrooms aren’t capable of feeding off of decaying materials, they won’t be able to thrive. If you ever have to deal with any mushrooms, they should be very sparse and not that big of a deal. This could be the easy solution to your problems that you have been hoping for.
The only downside is that organic compost might not provide your gardens with the same aesthetic appeal as mulch. Mulch is very colorful and adds something to the overall presentation of your gardens.
The same cannot be said for mulch and it might even be kind of smelly depending on what you’re using.
3 – Consider Pruning or Trimming Your Trees and Shrubs
Did you know that mushrooms like to grow in dark and shady places? This is common knowledge, but you might not know that the small amount of shade created by hanging tree limbs and overgrown shrubs can have an impact.
If you want to get rid of mushrooms in your mulch, it’s going to be wise to consider pruning or trimming things.
You can take a bit of time to go through and trim overgrown tree limbs. Ensure that they aren’t casting shadows over your gardens and it’ll help to keep mushrooms from growing as easily.
You should also prune your shrubs and take any other measures that you see fit to eliminate shade.
Of course, this might not be ideal if you want the shade in your garden area for specific plants that do well in partial shade. Just use your judgment and try not to let trees or shrubs get overgrown.
This really can make quite a difference and it’ll be worth your time to handle things.
4 – Rake Your Mulch Really Well
Raking your mulch really well can be good for helping you to get rid of mushrooms, too.
Moving it around can free things up and it’ll give your plants more room to breathe than before. The main reason for doing this is that it allows the mulch to dry out some instead of having the moisture get trapped.
When things get too moist, it’s going to cause mushrooms to thrive. If you just take the time to rake your mulch really well every so often, it can act as a deterrent for mushroom growth.
Consider doing this more often and see if it helps to keep mushrooms from popping up.
You don’t have to go overboard or anything since doing this every single day would not be worthwhile. It could be good to come up with a little schedule for raking your mulch thoroughly, though.
For example, you could try to rake it every Sunday or every other Sunday.
5 – Replace Your Mulch
This was briefly mentioned earlier, but you could go ahead and just totally replace your mulch.
It is a good idea to do this if you have a really bad mushroom problem. In fact, you might even want to consider a different type of mulch since another type might be less mushroom-friendly.
The problem is that most people don’t have to have to spend an abundance of money on replacing mulch when some mushrooms are growing in it. If you don’t have a lot of extra money to spend on gardening stuff, maybe you should avoid this option.
You can always try to get rid of the mushrooms another way and it might be possible to salvage things well enough.
You just have to look at your problems and determine whether it’s worth it to try to kill the mushrooms or if you just need to replace the mulch. One way or the other, you’re going to have to take action.
You’ll also need to take preventative measures with your new mulch to try to keep mushrooms from growing.
6 – Use Special Fungicide
Special fungicide can work wonders when it comes to getting rid of mushrooms. It shouldn’t be hard to get fungicide that will work to alleviate your mushroom problem and using it generally isn’t hard either. Just follow the instructions on whatever fungicide you happen to buy.
This isn’t the ideal solution for some people because they worry about what the chemicals might do to their plants. If you have plants that you don’t wish to harm, you could go another route.
Try using a baking soda and water combination to get rid of mushrooms instead.
Some people have reported that using lime is a reliable way to get rid of mushrooms in your mulch as well. Lime makes the soil less acidic and this makes it so that mushrooms won’t like it any longer.
That could be bad for your plants as well, though, so you’re going to want to consider things fully before moving forward.
7 – Call Professionals
Finally, you could just consider calling the professionals to have them come out to take care of business.
There are landscaping companies that can do everything for you and they will be sure to get great results. They can put new mulch in your gardens while getting rid of any mushrooms that have been growing on your property.
Overall, this is going to be the most convenient option for someone who doesn’t have a lot of time to mess around with things. If you want to get rid of mushrooms fast, calling in experts is the sensible choice.
However, you can take care of things by yourself for a lot less money.
You’ll need to pay these landscaping experts to have them get rid of the mushrooms and spruce up your gardens. If you’re comfortable spending the cash to get this done, it can be a good experience.
Just consider your budget and whether you’d rather do things yourself.
Solve Your Mushroom Problems Today
Solving your mushroom problems should be possible now that you have read everything above.
You know more about why mushrooms can start growing in your mulch and you can also determine what you can do to stop that from happening. All that’s left for you to do is to figure out which actions to take.
The practical solutions listed above are ones that everyone can utilize. If you wish to get your mulch looking nice and mushroom-free once more, you’ll be able to get it done in a timely fashion.
You could also choose to call for expert help if you’re worried about not having the time or energy to take care of things.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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