Fairy rings can be caused by many different species of fungi but the fungus, Maramius oreades, is the most common organism responsible for fairy rings in turfgrass. This fungus is in most soils but the rings it causes seem to be more noticeable and damaging in dry locations with lower fertility. The first signs of fairy ring is generally a ring of mushrooms followed by a ring of darker grass bordered by a ring of dead grass.
Controlling fairy ring is more than alittle difficult, the best way to start is by keeping your turf in good health which will not eradicate the problem it will make your lawn more resistant to future breakout. Unfortuneately fungicides don’t work very well on fairy ring as mycelium is resistant to fungicides and fungicides cannot reach underground. Since the issues is so difficult to do away with it is often easier to mask the effects through use of fungicides, heavy fertilization and watering.
Alright, so on this disease I have two contradicting trains of thought, on one side I see it as the disease it is and would like nothing better than to find a way to cure it and remove it from the long list of turf diseases, however on the other hand I find it to have a certain aesthetic to it and if I had the chance I would cultivate it in an enclosed exposure as I find the look of it pleasing. But as a turf pest I agree that it must go.
