The rainy season ended abruptly and early here in South Florida and the landscape is showing the stress. Some lawns are turning brown and a few trees and shrubs a dropping leaves. But one sign of fall is still showing up at least in irrigated lawns, the fairies have been dancing leaving behind a ring of mushrooms.

The term "Fairy Ring" conjures up visions of sugar plums maybe? The term has been around for centuries and mentions of the phenomena can be found in English myths and superstitions dating back to medieval times where it was believed that the rings were formed by dancing fairies and the area a place of enchantment.

Actually, Fairy Rings are the result of the growth of various fungi and occur in all types of turfgrasses. They tend to occur where quantities of organic matter, such as lumber, tree stumps, logs, etc., are located either naturally or from having been buried during construction. The fungi are simply doing their job, which is decomposing the organic matter. The highly visible mushrooms are the fruits of the hard working fungus.

There are three types of Fairy Rings. Type I rings have an area of dead grass inside a zone of dark green grass. Type II rings tend to have a band of dark green turf, with or without mushrooms. Type III rings do not exhibit a dead zone or a dark green zone, but simply have a ring of mushrooms present. Typically we see only Type II or III Fairy Rings here in Florida. Type I rings and the disastrous results occur more often in more northern regions and cool-season turfgrasses.

Rings can be present anytime of year, however we generally see mushrooms during the late summer and fall. Fairy Rings can be small, sometimes less than 1 foot across and usually grow larger each year. Older rings can be 6 feet or more in diameter. Not all rings are complete circles; they vary considerably and can appear as half-moons, quarter-circles, or irregular shapes.

Most of the mushrooms are safe, but some are poisonous. If there are concerns about kids or puppies eating them, the mushrooms should be removed or destroyed. Remember; never eat a mushroom that you are not absolutely sure of its identification, even experienced and trained mushroom collectors use extreme caution when sampling their harvest.

There are no controls recommended for home lawns with fair rings. However, it is possible to mask the dark green ring symptoms with an application of fertilizer. It is very difficult to dig up and remove the under ground organic matter which the fungus feed on and even if you try, it is likely that he rings will return. Fairy Rings will usually disappear naturally, but it may take several years.

You may find a fungicide that list Fairy rings on its label, be aware that many fungicides only inhibit the fungus growth, not completely stop it, and do not eliminate the dark green bands of turfgrass.  My suggestion is to make up a story of the Fairy party last night on your lawn, and live with the Fairy Rings.