Fairy Rings in Lawns

What Are Fairy Rings?

Fairy rings are circular patterns in lawns caused by fungi growing outward through soil. These rings expand from a central point, typically a buried piece of wood or organic matter, creating ever-widening circles that advance approximately 15-30cm annually.

The visible symptoms appear at the outer edge of fungal colonies where activity is most intense. As rings expand yearly, the centre returns to normal because the fungus exhausts nutrients there and relocates outward.

Over 60 different fungal species cause fairy rings, each demonstrating slightly different behaviours.

The Three Types of Fairy Ring

Type 1 Fairy Rings are most destructive, creating water-repellent soil layers that prevent moisture from reaching grass roots, resulting in dead or dying grass bands that are extremely difficult to rewet.

Type 2 Fairy Rings display as darker green, more vigorous grass rings. Fungal breakdown of organic matter releases nitrogen that fertilises grass above. These remain unsightly but don’t kill turf.

Type 3 Fairy Rings produce only mushrooms or puffballs in circular patterns without visible grass effects. These are purely cosmetic and most manageable.

Why Mushrooms Appear

Mushrooms or toadstools are fruiting bodies appearing when reproduction conditions suit the fungus, typically in autumn after rainfall, though some species fruit during spring.

Not all fairy rings produce visible mushrooms — many remain underground. Dark green rings or dead grass bands often indicate the only visible signs.

Mushrooms can be knocked over or mowed off. This doesn’t affect underground fungus but removes visible nuisances. Some fairy ring mushrooms are poisonous, warranting removal if children or pets access the lawn.

Treating Type 2 Rings (Dark Green Circles)

Dark green Type 2 rings are most common and easiest to manage. Regular lawn feeding makes surrounding grass as green as the ring, effectively concealing it.

Nitrogen-rich fertiliser applied to entire lawns evens colour differences. The ring remains but becomes invisible against uniformly green backgrounds.

This approach proves remarkably effective. Most individuals with Type 2 fairy rings discover proper feeding makes problems visually disappear, despite fungus remaining active in soil.

Treating Type 1 Rings (Dead Grass)

Type 1 rings with dead grass bands are harder to treat because fungus creates hydrophobic (water-repellent) soil. Water runs off rather than soaking in, and grass dies from drought despite surrounding lawn being well-watered.

Treatment involves breaking through hydrophobic layers. Spike affected rings heavily with garden forks, pushing as deep as possible. Then apply wetting agents (available from garden centres) helping water penetrate resistant soil.

Follow up with thorough watering, forcing moisture down through spike holes. Repeat this process several times over weeks. The goal involves rewetting root zones so grass can recover.

For severe cases, strip affected turf, remove top 30cm of soil, replace with fresh topsoil, then reseed or returf. This proves drastic but sometimes necessary for persistent Type 1 rings.

Aeration and Cultural Control

Regular aeration helps prevent and manage fairy rings. Good soil drainage and air movement create conditions less favourable for fungi.

Removing buried organic matter eliminates potential starting points for new rings. Old tree stumps, buried wood, and thick thatch layers all provide fungal food sources. Scarifying reduces thatch, removing one potential food source.

Improving drainage through aeration and topdressing with sand helps water move through soil rather than sitting in layers where fungi thrive.

Chemical Treatments

No fungicides are approved for home gardener use against fairy rings in the UK. Professional turf managers access some treatments, but these prove expensive with inconsistent results.

Fungi causing fairy rings live deep in soil, beyond most surface-applied product reach. Even professional treatments often provide only temporary suppression rather than elimination.

For most home lawns, cultural approaches combined with feeding to mask symptoms prove more practical than pursuing chemical solutions.

Living With Fairy Rings

Complete fairy ring elimination is often impossible without drastic soil replacement. Fungi can persist for decades, slowly expanding yearly.

For Type 2 and Type 3 rings, management rather than eradication represents the practical approach. Feed well to mask colour differences, mow off mushrooms, and accept that underground fungus continues invisibly.

Many lawn enthusiasts view fairy rings as interesting natural phenomena rather than problems requiring fixing. In meadow lawns or wilder gardens, they add character. Formal lawns mainly experience frustration from visual impact.

Fairy rings are just one of many fungal lawn issues. For guidance on other common problems such as red thread and fusarium, see our dedicated guide. You can also explore our full range of lawn care problem-solving guides for more help.

Preventing New Fairy Rings

While fairy ring prevention isn’t always possible, reducing risk factors helps.

Remove old tree stumps and buried wood during garden construction or renovation. These represent common fairy ring colony starting points.

Maintain good lawn health through regular feeding and autumn care. Healthy, well-nourished grass proves more resilient to fungal activity and recovers faster from any damage.

Keep thatch controlled through regular scarification. Thick thatch provides organic matter some fairy ring fungi feed upon.

Ensure good drainage. Waterlogged soil favours many fungal problems including some fairy ring species. Fixing drainage issues benefits overall lawn health.