Identify this… fungus? Maybe?

[k3am]

We noticed this stuff growing in our grass lately. It’s kind of the texture of a marshmallow and inside is filled with the equivalent of vanilla pudding. Any idea what it is and how to get rid of it?

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[scm1011]

I'm not sure, but are you in the Northeast? I've read a few articles recently about how our excessive rain in July has led to a lot of fungus in yards (notably mushrooms). We had mushrooms in our yard for a while recently. IIRC, the article said they'd go away on their own.

ETA article: www.wcvb.com/article/more-mushrooms-sprouting-in-massachusetts/37029021#

[k3am]

I’m actually in CA, Bay Area. No rain here, sadly.

[sandandsea]

Puffball mushrooms? Idk how to get rid of it other than some mushroom killing chemicals that may also kill the grass.

[RockNVoll]

Aug 5, 2021 12:34:14 GMT -5 scm1011 said:

I'm not sure, but are you in the Northeast? I've read a few articles recently about how our excessive rain in July has led to a lot of fungus in yards (notably mushrooms). We had mushrooms in our yard for a while recently. IIRC, the article said they'd go away on their own.

ETA article: www.wcvb.com/article/more-mushrooms-sprouting-in-massachusetts/37029021#

I've got what I assume is some kind of slime mold per that article in various spots in my beds.  It's gross, but I'm just leaving it alone and hoping it resolves itself.  Happy to see this article agrees with that strategy, LOL.

I even had mushrooms popping up in some of my indoor plant pots this summer.  Ew.

On the up side, the lawn looks super green and lush given all the rain!

[cmeon]

I agree, they look like puffballs- AKA: exploding potatoes to me and my siblings. When they're mature, they explode into a cloud of spores if you step on them (or throw them at each other).

I do think they're technically edible, maybe you can encourage local foragers to stop by? LOL

[k3am]

cmeon, I looked up puffballs and that's kind of what they look like.. but if you touch them, they're not spongy like the description they saw. It really is like gooey runny pudding. I kind of thought that someone had thrown food on our lawn yesterday. DH shoveled up the piles of them, and today, we have a whole new set.

DH texted a picture to the guy who put our trees in (our gardener doesn't text), and he says fungus, and that the watering instruction DH has been following from the gardener (5mins a day at 10pm) are bad. So back to what we were doing before. (This is also where I get to use my 3 favorite words with DH because... told you so... )