Guys,
did I read once that Fairy Rings can be controlled by soaking the affected area with washing up liquid. I know it seems odd but I thought I'd read something along those lines on here. Only ask as I seem to have 2 at the moment and I want to sort them out if I can.
If true, presumably Fairy Liquid would be the preferred brand.
Thanks for any help
washing up liquid is effectively actual as a penetrating agent (I think) so it allows water into the fairy ring.
Can't do any harm to try it - though of course it's won't be approved for use ;).
Of course there's no bounce, bend your back and put some bloody effort in.
I remember Mr. Asquith advising the use of Fairy Liquid for, er, fairy rings. Dunno if washing up liquid in general would do but since this brand was named it would appear that it is the "preferred brand".
From the posh end of the room!!
Hi guys im also experiencing fairy rings at an early stage on my cricket square!, because the area is hydrophobic it's taking nutrients and creating red thread on two of my tracks!. I know by fertilizing will aid the appearance and the nitrogen will green up the sward. But what should i do about the fairy rings?.
Should i apply a wetting agent to the area?
Are the fairy rings of the type which kills the grass?
I have the type that don't, have had them on and off for years and never treat them with anything other than water when it's particularly dry. Feeding the square masks the effect and keep the cutting routine up to prevent swamping of the finer grasses.
I don't find they affect play in any way.
If you have the type that kills the grass, well, that's another story that I have no experience of.
Be careful with washing up liquid. Many of the surfactants used in household cleaning products can be classified as harmful to the environment, dependant on concentration. The liquid in the bottle isn't classified with the "dead tree, dead fish" symbol because of the dilution. However, when you apply this to a clay base, the clay particles might well specifically bind the surfactants, which could then build up to hazardous levels. This might be beneficial - you could kill the fairy ring fungus perhaps - but it might have a bigger negative impact - you might kill things you wanted to leave alive. An occasional dose in winter to bring worms to the surface might be one thing, but repeated doses in high summer might be bad news!
The ciderman rolls
I agree with JT above.
Call me over careful if you will, but I think it is safer to use things for the purpose for which they were designed.
"I'm cheap, and nought but fashion; fling me away."
Cheers JT, i think there type 2, very lush green. I would fertilize but season closes early August so will wait for renovation. Was worried they might have an affect on how the pitch will play as the rings are covering one track on a length.
As for the washing up liquid, i may try it on one on the outfield to see what results it brings.
From memory, fairy ring destroyer was banned so there is no alternative. Fork into the soil at 45 degrees from the outside of the ring, aiming for about 5 inches below the "ring line", all the way around. Fill the holes with fairy liquid or equivalent ( I think it's a high level of anionic detergent you want, read the label). Keep repeating. The aim is to break up the waxy layer formed by fairy rings with a detergent. Wetting agents will also help, being just a detergent really . However, bear in mind i am no expert on the subject as i have never really suffered from them myself. Fertilising is just masking the problem. I would imagine that this process would be most successful through the winter when precipitation would help the detergent penetrate the soil profile.
Many thanks fellas will proceed with caution, thanks for all replies
I have type 1 fairy rings that kills the grass and after three years forking and using washing up liquid for some reason they have improved and can hardly be seen.
The worst strip we had has greatly improved.
It may be that deep spiking in the winter has helped
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