How To Get Rid Of Fairy Rings?

Do you have an abundance of fairy rings in your yard that you would like removed? In that case, take heart; you're in good company. This annoying issue can be challenging to eliminate but not impossible. What are fairy rings, how can you tell if you have them, and most importantly, how can you get rid of them? If you want to end your fairy ring problems once and for all, read on!

Fairy Ring

Find out how to eliminate fairy rings on your lawn without using dangerous chemical drenches.

The fungi responsible for creating fairy rings belong to a large and varied group known as basidiomycetes. 

The disease often produces a thick fungal mat, blocking water from reaching the grassroots. When the soil dries out, it's tough to re-wet it, and the grass dies. Toxic by-products produced by the fungus can be directly lethal to the turf within a ring, and the fungus itself can deplete soil nutrients.

How To Get Rid Of Fairy Ring

Many grassy areas, parks, and athletic fields fall victim to the fungus known as Fairy Ring, which lives in the soil. As it spreads through the ground, this fungal growth consumes organic matter and excretes those nutrients onto your lawn. The result is a ring of lush, green grass that serves as the fairy ring. The presence of mushrooms is another telltale sign of fairy ring fungus.

Fairy Ring is not a severe lawn disease because it does not cause significant damage to a lawn, but it is an aesthetic issue that you might not want on your property if you prefer a neat and uniform appearance.

Fairy Ring is a disease YOU can remove from your lawn if you take the appropriate measures. What follows is a comprehensive do-it-yourself tutorial on curing that annoying lawn disease.

Identification

Before treating your lawn with chemicals, you should ensure the fungus you're dealing with is Fairy Ring. When a fungus is misidentified, the wrong fungicide may be applied, leading to wasted time and resources. 

Traditional fairy ring symptoms can be broken down into three categories—necrotic or dead turf resulting from the first type of fairy ring.

The second type of fairy ring symptom is increased grass growth, manifested as circular bands of dark green, actively growing turfgrass.

Mushroom growth is the third type of fairy ring symptom.

Fairy Ring can form either a ring of greener grass, a round of deader grass, or a perfect circle of mushrooms.

To identify your Fairy ring, use the image above in conjunction with our description. 

Inspection

As was previously mentioned, fairy rings can take the form of rings, arcs, or patches of widely varying sizes. Large rings can be 10 feet or more, but most are between 3 and 6 feet in diameter.

Where To Inspect

Fairy Ring is a versatile plant that can thrive in several lawn areas. Wherever the fungal spores can germinate and spread, Fairy Rings, will appear, unlike some turf diseases, grassy weeds, and broadleaf weeds. It is most likely to happen in large patches of your lawn where there is little or no grass growth. High nitrogen levels in the property, which can cause Fairy Ring, can also be prevented with regular fertilisation.

What To Look For

Brown rings of dead turf are the first type, followed by green rings of stimulated, healthy-looking grass that may be darker in colour (more nutrient-rich) than your typical grass, and finally, the presence of mushrooms is the third type.

Treatment

Once you've identified a hotspot for Fairy Ring development, it's time to get to work spraying the area with fungicides.

Measure And Apply Consan 20

By measuring the length and width of the area to be treated, you can calculate the amount of Consan 20 required. It is recommended that two tablespoons (1 oz.) be added to 1 gallon of water for lawn treatments. You should use one gallon of solution for every 50 square feet (5 x 10 feet) lawn.

Get a pump-sprayer ready, dilute some Consan 20 with water, and apply it liberally to the problem areas. Wet down the entire treated area, including all foliage and soil. 

Apply on warm, still days when the grass is dry or damp, and the wind speed is low to reduce the risk of drift.

Prevention

Prevention of Fairy Ring is preferable to treating it once it has spread through your lawn. Implementing organic practices that promote a healthy lawn is the most effective way to prevent fairy rings and other lawn diseases from returning to your property.

Water your lawn deeply once a week, giving it an inch and a half.

Regular, proper lawn mowing requires that you: (ideally at around 3 to 4 inches long).

The best time to fertilise your lawn is in the spring after you've aerated it.

Use a high-nitrogen fertiliser to fortify your grass against disease-causing organisms, but don't go overboard, as the Fairy Ring fungus thrives in nitrogen-rich soils.

Fairy Ring Prevention

Lawns, golf courses, athletic fields, and other types of turf can be affected by the fungus known as fairy rings, which manifests as brown or dark green arcs or circles. The seasons of spring and fall are when you're most likely to notice the symptoms—caused by fungi that thrive on dead or dying plant matter.

Fairy rings, a fungus, cause brownish drought symptoms by creating an almost waterproof (hydrophobic) layer in the soil, preventing water from reaching the grassroots. The nitrogen released by the fungi during decomposition causes the grass to grow dark green and lush near fairy ring infestations. Fairy rings, the characteristic circular symptoms of the condition, can range from a few inches wide to as much as 10 yards in diameter.

The wind can carry fairy ring fungi to new locations, or contaminated soil and organic matter can transport the fungi to new areas. More than 50 different kinds of fungi have been linked to fairy rings. 

How To Identify Fairy Ring

Symptoms of a fairy ring may vary. The fairy ring in your yard could, for instance, take the form of a dark green circle or a round of mushrooms. The fairy ring is divided into three subtypes according to their symptoms:

Type I fairy rings are the most detrimental to your lawn because they look like a ring of wilted, brown, dead grass. Soil and thatch are so dry they are practically waterproof.

The ring is a darker green than the surrounding grass and grows more quickly, indicating that this is a Type II lawn. Since the fungus breaks down organic matter, nitrogen and other nutrients are released, making the grass a deep, rich green.

The disease of Type III presents as a ring of mushrooms or puffballs. These symptoms often surface following prolonged or intense precipitation.

Symptoms of a fairy ring can show up anytime between spring and fall. The calls usually expand in a circular pattern but can also form in a semicircle. Their diameters can be several feet. France is home to the world's most giant-known fairy ring. It has an estimated age of 700 years, has a diameter of about 2,000 feet, and is a fascinating sight to behold.

What Causes A Fairy Ring On The Lawn?

Some of the mushrooms used by the dancing fairies belong to the basidiomycetes fungi family. You can find fungi like these in the soil and the thatch layer, where they can be found feeding on decomposing plant matter.

So what factors might increase the likelihood of the disease spreading on your lawn? Fairy ring fungi are more likely to infest lawns that:

An excessively thick layer of thatch

A lack of rain means low irrigation.

Low-N turf

How To Get Rid Of The Fairy Ring On The Lawn

It's hard to break up a regular dance party, let alone one where humans aren't invited.

Depending on the severity of the disease, removing fairy rings can be challenging and may even require professional assistance. You may not want to fall into the call if you have doubts about folklore. Hiring an expert can help put your mind at ease.

How then shall we politely request that the fairies find another lawn on which to dance and play? 

When dealing with Type I symptoms (a ring of wilted or dead grass), aerating the soil and applying a wetting agent are both effective ways to get rid of the problem. If you want water to permeate and spread throughout the ground, you must use a wetting agent. Because the earth and thatch of a Type I fairy ring form an almost waterproof (hydrophobic) layer, a wetting agent is necessary to break through to the ground below.

Nitrogen fertiliser can cover up the dark green overgrowth caused by Type II symptoms (dark green ring). While this method will not cure the fairy ring, it can improve its appearance. Caution should be taken when applying nitrogen because doing so in excess could encourage the growth of other diseases. To understand what a well-balanced application of nitrogen should look like, check out the uninfested soil around your property.

Many of these fungi's fruiting bodies are poisonous, so if you're experiencing Type III symptoms, you should get rid of them. While fungus removal won't stop the spread of fairy ring disease, it will make the lawn look better and keep curious kids safe.

You can use a dethatcher to cut down on the thatch.

Remove organic matter like tree stumps and roots to lessen the fungus' food supply.

Irrigate correctly. Early morning, before 10 a.m., is ideal for watering the lawn. An extensive root system is promoted by watering less frequently but for more extended periods.

Get rid of the grass and throw away the contaminated dirt. Replant grass and soil in the destroyed areas. Follow these directions to a depth of 3 feet, which is 2 feet beyond the ring. This strategy may work in confined outbreaks.

Removing fairy rings does not permanently eliminate the disease because the cells can grow back. Preventative measures are the most effective way to protect a lawn from disease.

Type 1 Fairy Rings

Toadstools appear at the outer edges of rings of dead grass caused by this type of infection.

Most of the time, this brown grass is surrounded by a thriving green lawn. As the mycelium spreads out to decompose new organic matter, lush grass begins to appear.

Once the grass dies, weeds and moss are more than welcome to move in and cause further problems.

Be sure to keep up with good watering practices.

You should remove tree stumps, dead roots, and any other woody debris from the grass.

Get rid of all the extra thatch.

Type Two Fairy Rings

When a Type 2 Fairy Ring is installed, it creates a ring of grass that is greener and grows more quickly than the rest of the lawn.

When the grass isn't as healthy and thick as it should be due to stress or neglect, that's when they stand out.

Type 2 Fairy rings are created the same way that Type 1 rings are, but they are limited to the thatch layer. They don't make the soil less absorbent or harm the grass plant.

Type 3 Fairy Rings

The third type of fairy ring is the least damaging to grass.

They do not cause bare spots or overgrown regions. Simply put, they make rings out of mushrooms. They manifest in the areas with trouble draining water or receiving a lot of precipitation or irrigation but with inadequate drainage systems.

How Does The Fairy Ring Spread In The Yard?

The fairy ring fungus is still around, but only as a solitary underground plant. Mycelia grow from the fungus in concentric circles or arches. As the fungus matures, the symptoms begin at the circle's periphery and spread inward.

Fairy ring mushrooms disperse their spores via wind and water, just like other types of mushrooms.

What If I Can't Identify The Disease On My Lawn?

Unless you correctly identify a lawn disease, no amount of effort spent on eradication will be fruitful. Lawn fungus and disease treatments that are successful in one case may not be so successful in another. Mistaken identification of the fungus causing damage to your lawn could lead you to implement ineffective measures to combat the disease.

It isn't always possible to visually identify a turf disease. If you have trouble remembering the fungus in your lawn, a diagnostic or turfgrass pathology lab can assist you. Typically housed at public universities, these labs are equipped to identify diseases plaguing turf.

How Do Fairy Rings Grow?

There is only one fungus responsible for the growth of Fairy Rings.

Hyphae are many strands or filaments found in the soil. Mycelium is composed of these individual Hyphae strands.

This mycelium forms a fan shape, with a diameter of just a few centimetres. Decomposes plant and animal matter while sapping soil nutrients. Mushrooms are the fruit of some fungi species, but not all, under the right environmental conditions. Mushrooms are the spore-bearing structures of fungi.

As the mycelium grows in all directions, it sometimes forms a perfect circle.

But genuine circles are unusual.

The form of mycelium can be deformed if its outward growth is impeded in any way (for example, by a mole, rocks buried in the soil, or vehicles churning up the ground).

Conclusion

Finding the root of the problem is a prerequisite. Typically, you will require a fungicide treatment and manual removal of the fungus. You can help stop fairy rings from forming by avoiding certain conditions. Using these suggestions, you can eliminate fairy rings and their unattractive effects from your yard in no time.

Content Summary

• Learn how to get rid of fairy rings on your lawn without resorting to using poisonous chemical drenches.
• Mushrooms are also a common indicator of the presence of fairy ring fungus.
• Be sure the fungus you're dealing with is Fairy Ring before applying any herbicides to your lawn.
• Use the image above and our description to see if you have a Fairy ring.
• Treatment
• Spraying fungicides in an area where Fairy Rings are prevalent is the next step after locating a hotspot.
• To protect your grass from disease-causing organisms, apply a high-nitrogen fertiliser; but, be careful not to apply too much; the Fairy Ring fungus thrives in nitrogen-rich soils.
• Indicators That You're Looking at a Fairy Ring
• Fairy ring symptoms are not consistent.
• Fairy ring symptoms may appear at any time between spring and fall.
• Replace the dirt and grass that was lost in the destruction.
• If you don't correctly identify the fungus that's wreaking havoc on your lawn, you can end up using inefficient steps to eradicate the problem.
• A diagnostic or turfgrass pathology lab can help you identify the fungus in your lawn if you can't remember the name of it.
• The development of fairy rings.
• Only one type of fungus may cause Fairy Rings to form.
• Avoiding certain conditions can prevent fairy rings from forming.
• When you follow these steps, you won't have to deal with the unsightly affects of fairy rings on your yard anymore.
• There is no easy fix for fairy rings.
• Douse the grass and dirt in the area as well as the plants.