- Fairy ring is the colloquial name for a circle of mushrooms that appear on lawns and turfs. Mushrooms fruiting from fungal mycelium patches underneath the soil burst above the grass in a circular or arc shape. As successive mushrooms fruit and die off, they release nitrogen and other nutrients into the soil, often leading to areas of lush growth outside the circle and areas of nutrient-deprived or dead grass inside the circle. Most fairy rings are around 15 feet in diameter, but rings in excess of 60 feet have been reported.
- Fairy rings are unsightly but rarely cause irreparable harm to lawn grasses. The primary reason for wanting to remove a fairy ring is that several species of puffballs, toadstools, stink horns and other fungal fruiting bodies are toxic to humans and animals that ingest them. Therefore, if you have children or animals that frequent the area in which a fairy ring is discovered, err on the side of caution and remove the mushrooms immediately.
- Unfortunately, removing a fairy ring can be quite difficult. Raking or mowing away fruiting bodies above the surface of the grass does nothing to eliminate the mycelium patches underneath the grass from which the mushrooms are fruiting, so new fruiting bodies are likely to appear right away. To completely remove a fairy ring, mark the area 1 foot beyond the ring, and dig up the soil down to a depth of 1 foot and remove the soil without spilling any on the grass you left intact. Resod or replant the grass with new soil.
- It bears repeating that many of the fungal species associated with fairy rings are toxic to humans and animals. So if you want to protect your family and pets from toxic mushrooms, yet you do not want to deal with the hassle of digging up a giant part of your lawn, remove fruiting bodies immediately when you discover them; dispose of them at once, and wash your hands thoroughly after handling the mushrooms.
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