Be on the lookout for stinkhorns in your yard

Noticed an awful smell in your yard lately? It could be due to stinkhorn mushrooms.

The stinkhorn fungus is a decomposer. From this view point it is considered beneficial because it helps break down decaying plant material.

Management options include:

Tolerance: Learn to live with them as they do represent beneficial organisms to the soil ecology in Florida. Keep windows closed during periods of mushroom production to minimize the odor problem.

Eradication: Hand-pick the "egg" stage before it ruptures and put it in a zipper bag in the garbage. Small or new colonies may be eradicated through the complete removal of an area of mulch to the depth of the native soil. No guarantees with this method.

Environment alteration: Use of nonmulch ground covers, such as ivy, jasmine, liriope, mondo grass, etc., will serve to reduce stinkhorn incidence in a landscape. no legal effective or practical chemical control options.