It's always something...

As we worked through the heat wave last week, overall, it looked like the course was holding up well.  Of course, that would be the time that some Fairy Ring disease came roaring in on several of the greens.  When Fairy Ring shows up, there is no need for a petri dish and microscope to diagnose the problem, as this fungus is quite easily identifiable.

There can be several visible signs of the fungi at work:  a dark green circle caused by a release of nitrogen in the soil, mushrooms may form on the turf surface, or the fungi may cause the perimeter of the ring to become hydrophobic, causing the turf to wilt. 

Moisture level on the edge of the Fairy Ring.

Significantly higher moisture inside the ring.

A combination of fungicides and wetting agents labeled for the control of this fungus have been applied.  However, these rings are persistent, and with the low fertility regimen we have the greens on, the rings really stand out.  The pictures above were taken the day after treatment, and the "10.3" reading is actually an improvement, and encouraging.

We always try to look ahead, and have an idea of what may be a potential issue.  So, why did the Fairy Ring come as a bit of a surprise?  Well, in looking at our application records, it has been six years since we have had a problem with Fairy Ring.

In trying to better prepare for the future, it would be great to have a solid disease prediction model for Fairy Ring.  One thing that jumps out between the past two times we have seen the disease are temperatures.  When you look at the end of June and beginning of July, 2012, the conditions parallel what we have experienced this year--some really hot, humid weather.  It was the exact same time frame when we last saw Fairy Ring, in 2012.

July, 2012, started out hot!

While it's never fun dealing with these issues, it's somewhat consoling to know we're not in this alone.  A local turf industry consultant recently said that he has seen more Fairy Ring in the past 10 days than in the past three years.  This picture (from a different course) is definitely impressive:

We certainly won't shed a tear if we don't see Fairy Ring again until 2024, and thanks to some experience and solid record-keeping, we should be better prepared when it does arrive.