Fairy Ring Prevention and Control: An Ultimate Guide

Fairy rings develop in circular patterns via the organic materials in the soil, mat, and thatch, first emerging in the grass as dark green circular rings. Rings can be as little as one foot in diameter or as large as 100 feet in diameter, and they frequently appear as areas of increased growth. Affected regions may have dead rings of turfgrass as a result of heat or water stress. The region of increased growth is assumed to be the result of organic matter degradation, which releases nitrogen sources, which are then accessible to the turfgrass plant.

Fairy rings are classified as either edaphic or lectophilic. Fungi that live in the soil under the turf usually create edaphic rings. These typically result in the formation of a rigid hydrophobic layer of soil above the regions of active development, which restricts water entry into the soil and frequently results in plant death. This variety is commonly linked with rings of dead grass. Fungi that live in the thatch layer and decomposing plant detritus, litter, and old thatch form lectophilic rings. The damaged areas have a tiny dip encircled by dark green turfgrass rings where the fungus is breaking down plant material and releasing nitrogen.

Signs of Fairy Rings

Fairy ring symptoms show as patches or rings that are initially One foot or less in diameter but grow in size every year, reaching up to several hundred feet in diameter in mature grass stands. The majority of fairy ring fungi do not infect or parasitize grass. Instead, the proliferation of these fungi in the soil can have an indirect impact on and even kill the turfgrass above.

A deep thatch layer, as well as the addition of composts or other organic material that has not been entirely digested, adds to the supply of undecomposed materials. Furthermore, turfgrass grown in poor fertility soils with insufficient watering appears to be more susceptible to fairy ring damage than turfgrass growing inappropriate fertilization and watering.

Control and Prevention

• Reduce thatch by using a vertical mower to trim the grass and aerating the lawn to remove tiny soil plugs or cores.
• Reduce the quantity of organic debris on which the fungus feeds by removing tree stumps and roots.
• Top-dress the lawn with a fine coating of high-quality sand. This reduces the quantity of organic matter in the soil and offers a substrate for turfgrass root development.
• Fertilize the grass with nitrogen to disguise dark green fairy ring symptoms by promoting growth in the remainder of the turfgrass.
• Aerate the soil and saturate it with a wetting agent to allow water to reach the grassroots if you have brown-colored drought signs.
• Extra water should be applied to the hydrophobic root zone.

Fungicide treatment is typically not suggested for household lawns, although it may be required for golf courses and other commercial grass. Fungicides alone cannot manage fairy rings because the soil in the fungi’s colonized region is nearly impermeable to water. When used as a preventative strategy, fungicides are most successful. Core-aerate the soil first, then treat the damaged area with fungicide for the greatest effects. Apply a wetting agent after the fungicide has been applied, or put it into the spray tank with the fungicide.