Mushrooms thrive in lawns with boost from rain, organic matter

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Mushrooms thrive in lawns with boost from rain, organic matter

Areas with lots of organic matter are the primary spots for mushrooms to grow. Often in lawns, this is where trees once grew and now the fungus is able to live on the remaining rotting roots. The mushrooms may pop up in a circular pattern called fairy rings. They are almost impossible to control, so most gardeners ignore them, knock them over as noted or hand-pick them to discard.

Q. The garden has finished and I usually remove the vegetation and spread out ground-up oak leaves to till in before covering the area with clear plastic. A friend says I should wait to till the site before planting. What is correct?

A. Sounds like you have a good garden preparation plan to me. After the soil solarization process of covering the soil with clear plastic for 6 to 8 weeks, you want to plant the next crop with minimal disturbance. Simply remove the plastic when you are ready to plant and add the seeds or transplants. Tilling the ground before planting could bring unaffected pests up from deeper levels in the ground. Around mid-August is the next planting time, so you should be right on schedule.

Q. I have an older ten-foot tall gardenia that used to product lots of blooms. It appears to be declining and has been given little care. Can it be revived?

A. Don’t give up on your aged gardenia yet, but do start the rejuvenation process with a good feeding. Use one of the sow release fertilizers made for landscape planting that can feed your shrub for several months. If the leaves do not re-green as expected, also apply Epsom salts, a source of magnesium, as instructed on the label.

Continue the good care by keeping the soil moist and maintaining a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch. Lastly it would be best to apply an insecticide to control scale insects often found with gardenias. Use one of the new systemic products that can be applied to the soil and absorbed by the roots to eventually affect the insects feeding on the stems and leaves. It is a good bet your gardenia is going to like this care and recover.

Q. Mandevilla plants covering the posts on our front porch did not decline this year, so I did not cut them back. They have been given several feedings but are not flowering. Why?

A. Give your plants a little more time to make additional growth. The over-wintered shoots are encouraged to start more vining portions by your good feedings. Skip a few feedings now to allow the plants time to slow down and flower but do keep the soil moist. It’s only the start of mandevilla flowering time for plants that survived the winter.

Recipes for Mushrooms with Bill & Sheila

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