Plant Mushrooms (and Other Mushrooms) in Your Garden to Improve Soil Health

Many gardeners don’t seem to like finding mushrooms growing in their beds or their lawns, but finding mushrooms isn’t a bad thing – it’s actually a sign that the soil is healthy. Although there are fungal diseases that harm plants, from powdery mildew to black spot on roses, fungi and most other fungi are generally far from harmful to plants. In fact, plants rely on them in more than one way. Here’s how you can improve soil health by intentionally growing mushrooms.

How mushrooms help the soil

According to research in the Journal of Plant Science , mushrooms improve soil structure and break down organic matter, making plants available for more nutrients. But they also make up a kind of network that plants can use to talk to each other about growing conditions and dangers, called mycelium.

That’s right: it sounds crazy, but mushrooms act as a communication pathway for plants , and a symbiotic relationship can improve the overall health of the plants in your garden. In the wild, plants naturally form this relationship with fungi, but in the garden, the balance can be upset by plowing the soil, using pesticides and herbicides, and other human interventions.

How mushrooms eliminate soil pollution

Mushrooms also do another amazing thing: they can repair soil pollution. If you have problems with soil contamination from engine oil, gasoline, and other common pollutants found in urban and suburban yards, mushrooms may be the answer to your problem. They are super-destroyers, breaking down substances that might otherwise persist in soil or water for decades. In fact, mushrooms have been used to clean up pollution from wildfires, farms, and industrial pollution. Your yard can benefit too.

Mushrooms are much bigger than you think

When you notice a mushroom cap sticking out of the ground, you see only a tenth of what exists. Fungal mycelium permeates much of the soil, keeping it firm while invisibly doing the work of decomposition; the part you see above the ground is actually the reproductive organs of the mushrooms. The mushroom-like part of the fungus bears spores, which, like seeds, will reproduce the fungus.

You can grow mushrooms in your garden

Growing mushrooms in your garden involves using a mushroom kit or hardwood log , some wood chips or sawdust for food, spores , and some straw. Choose a shady location, as it will be easier to maintain humidity there. Lay down your food base, inoculate with spores, then cover with straw. Then alternate with food, seeds and straw two to three more layers. Water the spores well and keep them moist. You can also use leaves or grass clippings to cover the spores. Keeping the spores moist is key, so adding a layer of mulch will help the planted area stay moist long enough for the spores to germinate.

You can also encourage the natural growth of mushrooms in your garden.

You don’t need to grow mushrooms to stimulate their natural growth in your garden. Leaving a few fallen branches with a little bit of leaves or straw will allow the natural mushrooms to thrive. You can also encourage fungal growth by using wood shavings or sawdust in a moist, shady spot in the garden to provide plenty of nutrients for mushroom and other fungus growth. Chances are, you already have some mushrooms growing in your yard that you just didn’t notice, so creating a favorable habitat will allow them to thrive.