How to Kill a Stinkhorn Fungus

Uprooting Stinkhorn Fungus

Dig out the mushroom from its base. Don’t simply clip off the above-ground portion of the mushroom; you’ll need to dig beneath it until you’ve scooped out the mushroom’s egg-shaped base. Also dig under any nearby round white egg-shaped growths, as these are going to be new stinkhorns soon. Secure the foul smelling removed material in a plastic bag. If you don’t want to get your hands dirty (and smelly) from the stinkhorn, put on a pair of cheap latex disposable gloves. Put these in an airtight plastic bag and throw them away immediately after you finish killing the mushrooms.

Remove the immediate soil. There may be spores or other undeveloped mushrooms in the soil immediately surrounding the mushroom you’ve removed, so dig up the top layer of soil in about a 6-inch radius around the mushroom you’ve removed. If the fungus grew in a medium other than soil—such as tree bark, mulch, or other loose decaying plant material—remove this using the shovel as well. Place the excavated soil (or other material) in the plastic bag along with the stinkhorn fungus. Then, seal the bag firmly shut.

Place the bag out for trash collection. Do not place the discarded fungal matter with yard waste, since, if the bag were to rupture or open, spores could escape and create new mushrooms. After these steps, if mushrooms begin to reoccur, you may need to apply a chemical agent.

Spray the area with an environmentally approved fungal killer. This will make sure that the mushroom and surrounding spores are truly dead. After applying the fungal killer spray as directed on the packaging, allow the affected area to receive sunlight and dry out. The spray should also keep recurrence to a minimum. You should be able to find a safe, nontoxic fungal killer spray at your local plant nursery or gardening center.

Killing Stinkhorn Fungus with Bleach or Lime

Mix boiling hot water and bleach. Begin this process in your kitchen by boiling the water in a large saucepan on your stovetop. Then, in your yard or garage, pour in bleach. Add roughly the same amount of bleach as you did of water (e.g. 4 cups of each) so that they’re mixed at a 1:1 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. Also consider wearing eye protection (such as safety goggles) to avoid the risk of splashing bleach into your eyes. Be aware that removing mushrooms using bleach or lime will likely harm—and possibly kill—other plants in the area. The chemicals will also damage your soil.

Pour the mixture onto the fungus. Do this while the water is still hot; do not wait for the solution to cool down. The combination of boiling hot water and potent bleach should be enough to kill any lingering stinkhorns, and prevent new mushrooms from growing in the soil. If you choose to first dig up the mushrooms before you apply bleach, simply pour the hot bleach solution over the entire area from which you dug up the stinkhorns.

Sprinkle lime over the mushrooms and surrounding soil. If you haven’t had success removing stinkhorn mushrooms, lime will help by making the soil uninhabitable for the fungus. Using a shovel or trowel, spread the lime over the patch of soil that has been producing stinkhorn fungi. Lime is a caustic substance, so be careful when handling it. You should be able to purchase lime at a local hardware store, plant nursery, or gardening center. Before applying the lime to the soil, read the instructions printed on the package. You may need to first dampen the soil before laying down lime.

Identifying Stinkhorn Fungus

Smell the mushroom. If you’re dealing with a stinkhorn, this probably won’t take a lot of effort. stinkhorns are known to be a noxious fungus, and their smell can be likened to that of feces or a dead and decaying animal. Although the stinkhorns may smell offensive, they are not poisonous to humans or pets. Stinkhorn fungi will not harm your pets or any other plants in their vicinity. Stinkhorns use their unpleasant smell to attract flies. Flies land on the mushroom, pick up spores on their legs and bodies, and distribute these sports wherever they fly. So, if you notice a large number of flies around a specific mushroom, you may be dealing with a stinkhorn.

Look for moist or mulch-covered terrain. If you suspect you’re dealing with a stinkhorn, confirm that the environment it’s growing in correlates with a type stinkhorns prefer. Although stinkhorn mushrooms prefer moist areas and patches of ground covered in mulch, they can pop up in many types of terrains. Like all fungus, stinkhorns can also sprout out of the wood of dead and decaying trees. Varieties of stinkhorn fungus grow naturally throughout nearly all of North America and into Central America. Some varieties prefer subtropical and tropical regions, including parts of Mexico.

Inspect the mushroom. The most common type of stinkhorn fungus (‘’Phallus ravenelii’’) has a pale white stalk and a phallic shape. The mushroom typically stands between 10–15 cm (4–6 inches) high, and the cap at its tip ranges in diameter from 1–4 cm (0.4–1.6 inches). The cap itself is slimy and dark brown, with a coarse texture. The mushroom’s long, cream-colored stem has a spongy texture. At the very tip of a stinkhorn mushroom’s brown cap, there is a white ring-like circle with an opening at the tip.

Identify other types of stinkhorn fungi. There are over 25 types of stinkhorn fungi that live in North America. Most, like ‘’Phallus ravenelii’’, have a thin stalk with a bulbous, slimy head which bears the spores. Colors can vary, and many stinkhorns are pink or reddish in color. Shape and size of the mushrooms can also vary. Most mushrooms range from 2–6 cm (0.8–2.4 inches), although some species grow as tall as 15 cm (6 inches).