Mushrooms where I took out a tree?
Question:The summer before last I took out a crab apple tree. I made the area into a flower bed, but now all of a sudden I keep getting mushrooms there. I never had them before, and I don't have them anywhere else. They are very small and look like tiny umbrellas. Any advice on how to get rid of them? I've been digging them out carefully, trying not to disturb them and spread the spores, but I need to do something different. Will a fungicide work? Thanks for the help!
Answers:
A mushroom is the spore producing part of a fungus which is growing beneath the surface of the soil. The fungus is helping to break down the organic material in the soil, either from the mulch you laid or from the tree you removed. Ultimately, this is good for your flower bed as it it releases nutrients into the soil.
Keep digging them out. It takes a while before they mature enough to release spores.
Answer #1 is right.. the fungus is degrading what was left of the tree. If you add some nitrogen to the bed, it will help with the breakdown of the wood waste and turn it into soil more quickly. Something like blood meal is a good nitrogen source and is organic. What the soil doesn't use will benefit the plants.
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