Lawn fungi

[ideasguy]

A work colleague brought in some samples of a what he described as a black patch on his lawn.

Black inside, white papery ourside - thin wafer like "leaves"
On a wet day, the lawn is a black mass in this particular are. When the sun shines, the fungi/lichen curls up and shows the white outer colouring.

Ive done some research, and the nearest I can find to match the specimens is Dog Lichen.

This looks like the one my colleaguie has.
http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/lichen.htm

Has anyone seen Dog Lichen, have it in their lawn, and more to the point, how do you treat it?

Heres some of the other links I saved in the research:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74100.html

http://helios.bto.ed.ac.uk/bto/FungalBiology/profiles.htm#top
http://helios.bto.ed.ac.uk/bto/FungalBiology/puffball.htm#top

http://helios.bto.ed.ac.uk/bto/FungalBiology/bovista.htm#top

http://helios.bto.ed.ac.uk/bto/FungalBiology/lichen.htm#top

http://www.scotts.com/index.cfm/event/ProductGuide.product/documentId/f9095679818cac79e4af21db473414bd

Treatment

Lawn feeding
http://www.dlf.co.uk/Johnsons_Lawn_Seed/New_Products/Bio_-_Active_Lawn_Feed.aspx

What you can eat:
http://www.nifg.org.uk/edible_fungi.htm

What you cant eat:
http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/sept97.html

[3fren]

This is a fantastic topic !

Recently saw a documentary on the farming of mushrooms - very organic .. muchroom needs clean air
and clean environments.. the farms is situated in the valley of mountaineous areas - so the air is very good.

 

[ideasguy]

When I'd finished doing the research on the Musahrooms, I concluded that it would be very unwise to eat anything other than the mushrooms produced by the experts like those you describe, Jessie.
Theres a lot of poisonous "lookalikes" in that species!

Were the mushrooms being grown outdoors in the documentary?
Here, mushrooms are grown in black plastic polytunnells.

[3fren]

These are farm mushrooms. 

1. the spores are stored in bottle, detox and let it grow,
   subsequently, transferred to other bottles, detox - all these done in a clean sealed environments to
   without out bacteria.
2. preparation of the grow: they lay a layer of reed stalks, a layer of dry cowdung, a layer of wheat stalks and so on
3. thereafter, the spawning spores are pour over on the upper most layers.  there are many such "trays" in a roll.
4. thereafter, the environment is moistened with water , then all the surrounding are completedly sealed with reed stalks, top and
    bottom, Once a day, misty water is sprayed on.

5. within two weeks, the mushrooms are ready for harvest.   

Its organic - no artificial chemical.

[ideasguy]

Very interesting Jessie! What a VERY fast harvest!
Is that how its done in Singapore, or China?
The mushrooms grow outdoors?