Fairy rings are circular or semi-circular and can range in size from a few centimeters up to many meters in diameter. Symptoms can be variable, depending on the species of fungi, and include: 1) dark green rings with no dead turf; 2) dark green rings with a thin ring of dying or dead turf inside or outside the green ring; 3) rings of dying and dead turf with a hardened hydrophobic layer of soil that is difficult to irrigate; and 4) rings of mushrooms without a visible effect on the turf. Weeds commonly invade infested areas.

Fusarium blight first appears as small, circular, grayish green areas, ranging from a few inches up to a foot in diameter. Some plants in the center of the circles may survive, giving them a donut appearance. The crown or basal area of the dead stems is affected with a reddish rot and is hard and tough.

Powdery mildew causes grayish white, powdery growth to develop on the leaf surfaces. All turfgrasses are susceptible to powdery mildew, but it is most severe on Kentucky bluegrass and fescues. Powdery mildew is most injurious in shady areas with high humidity and poor air circulation with temperatures at about 65°F.

Pythium blight , also known as grease spot, kills turf in small, roughly circular spots (2 to 6 inches) that tend to run together. Blackened leaf blades rapidly wither and turn reddish brown. Leaf blades tend to lie flat, stick together, and appear greasy. Roots may be brown and rotten. All grasses are susceptible to Pythium blight.
Lush grass with high nitrogen nutrition appear to be more susceptible.

Billbugs are a type of weevil or "snout beetle”. Billbug injury is most common on new lawns, particularly those established with sod. Within lawns, most damage occurs near evergreen shrubbery or other protective sites. Billbug injury appears as wilting and occasional death of grass, often in small scattered patches .

Carpetweed
A late-starting, rapidly growing summer annual. The green, smooth stems branch along the ground in all directions from the root forming a flat circular mat on the soil surface.
The light-green, smooth, tongue like leaves are grouped five to six together forming whorls at each joint on the stem. Flowers are small, white, with several at each joint.

White Clover
A cool-season perennial legume that spreads by underground and above ground stems. May or may not be objectionable in lawns, depending on individual preference. Flowers white, sometimes with a tinge of pink. Seeds will live for 20 or more years in the soil. Other common names: White Dutch clover.

Foxtail
Foxtails are warm-season annuals. Yellow foxtail has flattened stems that are often reddish color on the lower portion. The stems of green foxtail are round. The seed of yellow foxtail is four times as large as green foxtail. Giant foxtail may be found in some lawns.

Dandelion
Cool-season perennial common throughout the region. The yellow flowers occur from early spring to late fall. The thick fleshy taproot, often branched, can give rise to new shoots. Seedlings may appear throughout the spring and summer and are often abundant in the fall.

Dock
Dock seldom flowers when growing in lawns. The plant forms a large rosette. Curly dock is most common. The leaves have crinkled edges. They are often tinted with red or purple color. Pale dock, also known as tall dock has leaves that tend to be more flat and broad. Both species have flowering stalks that may reach a height of 2 to 3 feet.

Garlic, wild
The slender, smooth leaves are hollow and attached to the lower portion of the waxy stems. Both bulbs and bulblets are produced underground. Green to purple flowers are often replaced with bulblets. There is a characteristic oniongarlic odor. Wild onion is similar to wild garlic but does not produce under ground bulblets and the leaves are not hollow.

Goosegrass
A decidedly warm-season annual most often found growing where cool-season grass stands are thin. Germinates later than crabgrass. The stems tend to be flattened and near the base are whitish in color. Flower heads are thicker and more robust than on common crabgrass. The extensive fibrous root system makes it difficult to pull.

Henbit
A winter annual that starts growth in September. Stems look square; plants usually upright. Flowers are lavender to blue. Leaves are opposite. A few plants may bloom in the fall but the majority blossom in early spring.

Nutsedge, yellow
Warm-season perennial. Triangular stems of sedges produce three ranked leaves from near the ground. Leaves are light yellow-green. Lower portion of plant is fibrous and brown. Roots often terminate with small nutlets, about the size of a kernel of popcorn. Seed heads appear burlike. Plants grow rapidly in spring and early summer.

Broadleaf Plantation
Cool-season perennials that form rosettes with prominently veined leaves. The leaves of blackseed are oval shaped and 2 to 3 inches across with purplish stalks. Broadleaf plantain has smaller leaves without purplish coloration. Both species have rat-tail like seed heads that are several inches long.

Plantain, buckhorn Perennial.
Has slender, narrow leaves that are about one inch across with three to five prominent veins. The seed head is a short cylindrical spike.

Purslane, common
A warm-season annual. Leaves and stems fleshy or succulent, reddish in color. Grows prostrate. Root system tends to be fibrous; stems root wherever they touch the ground, particularly if the main root has been destroyed. Flowers small, yellow. Seeds very small, black.

Sandbur
A warm-season annual grass most often found in sandy turf areas that have been on low maintenance programs. Stems are flattened and branched; may be confused with yellow foxtail before the formation of the spiny burs.

Shepherdspurse
A winter annual. The deeply lobed leaves form rosettes in the fall that may be confused with dandelions; however, the leaves lack the milky sap. Blooms in very early spring. White flowers develop into triangular seed pods filled with numerous tiny reddish brown seeds. Individual seed pods held by their small stems resemble the purse once carried by shepherds.

Spurge, prostrate
A prostrate growing warm-season annual. Most prominent in July, August and September. Milky sap; leaves with or without reddish brown spots. Seeds are borne in three’s in a capsule. Other common names: Milk spurge.

Thistle
Biennial or perennial; reproducing by seed or fleshy root system. Leaves vary from 2 to 6 inches long, dark green or white in color with a spiny margin. May occur in turf as a rosette.

Windmill Grass
Perennial. Leaf sheath flattened and keeled, leaf blade grayish-green, 1 ⁄ 4 to 1 ⁄ 2 inch wide. Panicles of two or three whorls, stiff, wide spreading spikes. Primarily occurring in range and pasture areas. Lawns started with pasture sod or topsoil may be infested.

Woodsorrel, yellow (oxalis)
Classified as a perennial but more often performs as a warm-season annual. Stems branch from the base. The leaves are divided into three leaflets giving a clover like appearance. Funnel-form flowers are yellow (in some species violet). The seedpod is cylindrical, five-sided and pointed. The plants contain soluble oxalates that give it a rather pleasing sour taste.

Chickweed, common
A hardy, low growing annual or winter annual with creeping stems that root at the nodes. It has a delicate appearance and is found in green form most of the year in milder climates. The small, opposite leaves are oval-shaped and smooth. The small star-like flowers are white. Common chickweed is most often found in the shade of trees and shrubs and especially on the north side of buildings.