This pesky organism can be found over the entire globe and has been frustrating superintendents for centuries. It is one of the largest single organisms and in northern Michigan there is a single fairy ring that has been growing for nearly 1500 years on a 37 acre site. Scientists estimate this 1 fairy ring weighs in excess of 21000 lbs.
Fairy rings are a fungus related to the mushroom group. These wood-decayers eat lignin which aids in cell strength. Lignin is a major component in thatch and why you will see it appear on golf course turf. The fairy ring doesn't attack the grass itself but the byproducts it produces attaches to the sand particles and creates hydrophobic conditions. This layer repels any water we may put down and with the hot dry conditions we've been experiencing will quickly lead to wilting turf. There are a few fungicides that we can spray that will suppress/eliminate the fairy ring. The second option is poking holes around the infection and watering heavily with wetting agents to flush the area and get water back to the bentgrass roots.
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| Type II conditions with mushrooms present |
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| Type II on golf course fairway |
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| Soaking fairy ring spots with wetting agent at Royal St. Georges |
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| 18 green. |
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