Fairy Ring

The symptoms of fairy ring appear as patchy rings or semi-circles that can range from less than 1’ in diameter to several hundred feet in diameter. The grass in the area bordering it is usually a dark green and often has mushrooms growing in it.

Fairy ring does not attack the plant, however, it causes the soil to become hydrophobic (water-repellant), leading to drought stress, and eventually killing the turf.

Some common causes of fairy ring are wood-rotting fungi that grow from old stumps or dead tree roots, nitrogen that is released into the soil by fairy ring fungi that accumulate in the soil, and after periods of heavy or frequent rainfall in areas that are poorly drained or over-irrigated.

Fairy ring fungi are very difficult to control. Irrigating to saturate the soil over several days may help. Aerating the lawn to allow more water and nutrients to reach the root, or you can replace the infested soil occupied by the fairy ring with clean soil. You can be patient and allow the fairy rings to disappear over time.

Preventative fungicides applications are most effective for fairy ring control. Curative applications have little benefit because fairy ring symptoms are caused by an environmental change in the soil.