WSU Extension Q&A: Mushrooms in lawn may be beneficial
Q. All of a sudden, I have mushrooms coming up in my lawn. How do I get rid of them?
A. If the mushrooms are appearing in random places in your lawn and not appearing circular or semi-circular patterns, they are most likely signs of decay fungi breaking down the thatch in a lawn or organic matter in the soil. They will not harm your lawn and are considered beneficial. Mushrooms often appear in lawns during the cool wet weather of fall and spring. They may also be more prevalent in lawns where the irrigation water was not turned off during our recent cool moist weather, increasing the moisture situation.
In our area, mushrooms appear at this time of year because of excessive irrigation. Your best bet in controlling their appearance during cooler, rainy weather, is to adjust the frequency of your irrigation to account for the weather. Check to make sure the thatch in your lawn is not excessive or greater than .05 inches. If it is, plan on dethatching this fall or next spring to remove excess thatch.
Q. While searching for canning information on the Internet, I found some recommendations for canning foods in foil pouches. Is this safe?
A. No! There is no research to support the recommendations being made about canning in foil pouches, and the potential risks are dire. You cannot assume a processing time developed for glass jars is transferable to foil pouches. In addition, some of the Internet sources are recommending packing the pouches tightly in the canner. Pouches of food processed in a home canner present a significant risk for botulism poisoning.
Q. My neighbor has a cherry tree that he sprays for cherry fruit fly. What is the cherry fruit fly?
A. The cherry fruit fly is about one-fifth-inch long with a black body and black stripes on the wings. The larvae are whitish maggots that live in the fruit. Commercial growers cannot tolerate any cherry fruit fly because their fruit will be rejected for export to other countries. By Washington law, this is a pest that must be controlled.
Questions should be called in to the WSU Extension offices in Kennewick at 509-735-3551 or Pasco at 509-545-3511.
This story was originally published May 22, 2016 at 5:25 PM with the headline "WSU Extension Q&A: Mushrooms in lawn may be beneficial."