Stinkhorn mushrooms are a type of mushroom.Stinkhorns are part of the Clathraceae family.A thin, pale mushroom with a large head is the most common type.If you have stinkhorns on your property, you can either uproot the mushrooms or kill them with bleach or lime.It may be easier to leave the mushrooms alone if you attempt to kill them.The stinkhorns are not poisonous and are almost impossible to kill.After the most aggressive attempts to kill them, mushrooms may come back.Stinkhorns are beneficial to the soil of your garden, but tend to only stay for a few days.
Step 1: Remove the mushroom from its base.
You need to dig beneath the mushroom to get to its egg-shaped base.The round white egg-shaped growths are going to be new stinkhorns soon.The material must be secured in a plastic bag.Put on a pair of cheap latex disposable gloves if you don't want to get dirty from the stinkhorn.Immediately after you kill the mushrooms, put these in a plastic bag and throw them away.
Step 2: The immediate soil needs to be removed.
You should dig up the top layer of soil around the mushroom you have removed to make sure there are no mushrooms in the area.If the fungus grew in a medium other than soil, use the shovel to remove it.The excavated soil should be placed in a plastic bag with the stinkhorn fungus.The bag needs to be firmly shut.
Step 3: The bag should be placed out for trash collection.
If the bag were to open, the mushrooms could escape and create new ones.If mushrooms begin to reoccur, you may need to apply a chemical agent.
Step 4: The area should be sprayed with a fungal killer.
This will make sure that the mushroom is dead.Allow the affected area to receive sunlight and dry out after applying the spray.The spray should not repeat at all.You should be able to find a safe spray at your plant nursery or gardening center.
Step 5: Put boiling hot water and bleach in a container.
You can begin this process in your kitchen by boiling the water.Put bleach in your yard or garage.Add the same amount of bleach as you did water.They are mixed at a 3:1 ratio.When working with bleach, make sure to wear clothes that you don't mind ruining, since the bleach will remove color from any fabric it splashes onto.If you want to avoid splashing bleach into your eyes, consider wearing safety goggles.If you use bleach or lime to remove mushrooms, you are likely to harm other plants in the area.Your soil will be damaged by the chemicals.
Step 6: The mixture should be put onto the fungus.
Don't wait for the solution to cool down because the water is still hot.The combination of boiling hot water and potent bleach should kill any stinkhorns and prevent new mushrooms from growing in the soil.If you dig up the stinkhorns before applying bleach, you can pour the hot bleach solution over the entire area.
Step 7: Lime can be applied to the mushrooms and surrounding soil.
Lime will help you remove stinkhorn mushrooms if you haven't done it before.Spread the lime over the patch of soil that has been producing stinkhorn fungi with a shovel or trowel.When handling lime, be careful.Lime can be purchased at a local hardware store, plant nursery or gardening center.The package contains instructions for applying lime to the soil.Before laying down lime, you may need to damp the soil.
Step 8: The mushroom has a smell.
This probably won't take a lot of effort if you're dealing with a stinkhorn.Stinkhorns have a smell similar to that of feces or a dead animal.Stinkhorns are not poisonous to humans or pets.Stinkhorn fungi won't hurt your pets or plants.Stinkhorns use their smell to attract flies.The flies land on the mushroom, pick up the spores on their bodies, and then distribute the sports wherever they fly.If you notice a lot of flies around a mushroom, you may be dealing with a stinkhorn.
Step 9: Look for moist or mulch-covered terrain.
If you suspect that you are dealing with a stinkhorn, you should confirm that the environment it is growing in is related to the type it prefers.Stinkhorn mushrooms can be found in moist areas and patches of ground covered in mulch.Stinkhorns can grow out of the wood of dead and decaying trees.Stinkhorn fungus can grow anywhere in North America and into Central America.Some varieties prefer the tropics.
Step 10: Look at the mushroom.
The most common type of stinkhorn fungus is pale white and has a phallic shape.The cap at the tip of the mushroom varies in diameter from 1–4 cm.The cap is brown and slimy.The mushroom has a long stem.There is a white ring-like circle at the tip of a stinkhorn mushroom.
Step 11: Stinkhorn fungi can be identified by other types.
There are many types of stinkhorn fungi in North America.Most of them have a thin stalk with a slimy head.Stinkhorns can be either pink or reddish in color.The shape and size of the mushrooms can be different.Some mushrooms grow as tall as 15 cm (6 inches).