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Could this be Fairy Ring?

fourstringdrums

15 years ago

I don't have any pictures as I thought I could describe this well enough to not warrant them.

I have one spot at the edge of my front lawn that has a patch of much darker grass with a smaller circle of orange-brown grass in the middle. The whole area is maybe 12" across. Is this fairy ring? From what I've read I think so, but there are no mushrooms sprouting.

What can I do to fix it? Should regular fertilizing take care of it? I use synthetics, not organic.

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Comments (6)

philes21
15 years ago
Fourstring, here's a website that has some of the best pictures for diagnosing lawn diseases. 'Next page' is at the bottom of the page.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lawn Diseases
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
15 years ago
You don't have to have visible mushrooms to have a fairy ring effect. Mushrooms are simply the temporary and seasonal fruiting bodies of very active decomposing fungi in the soil.
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That does look like a fairy ring! Mushrooms aren't required, nor is dead grass in the center if it's well-fed and healthy. I had a minor ring some years ago that was kind of hard to pick out from the rest of the grass, and didn't cause any problems. Higher levels of organic matter and a diverse soil biology tend to reduce the impact of or completely defeat a fairy ring. They just can't dominate if there's enough competition. One that my neighbor had spread dozens of yards on his property, but flattened out as it approached mine, and finally stopped just as it touched. It never penetrated.
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paulinct
15 years ago
Could it be a dog urine spot? Especially if it is right along the street in front.
fourstringdrums
Original Author
15 years ago
Paulinct - Urine Burn, that's what the guy at Lesco said it probably is, and it would make sense. I am along a sidewalk.

Any products I can use to deter dogs from doing their business on my lawn without harming the grass?
paulinct
15 years ago
I don't know. I've heard of people using motion activated sprinklers (I think hav-a-heart makes one reasonably cheap) but have never tried them myself. Sounds like it would work, but could be a nuisance if you get a lot of traffic on that sidewalk unless you aim it very well.

Any idea which neighboring animal it is? If you are on good terms with the neighbor maybe you can deal with it that way. Hopefully someone else has better advice. Good luck!
fourstringdrums
Original Author
15 years ago
That's the problem is I live on a main route and the dog could come from anywhere. One neighbor does have a dog but I don't know if it's theirs. I usually don't see it out except in their back yard. I see a few dogs walk by regularly. This is the first burn I've ever had but even so I want to see if I can put something down as a deterrent. Lesco has a mustard based thing but it's like $56 and it burns your eyes when you spray it.

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