Soil fungus – sphaerobolus stellatus

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August 25, 2016 at 3:45 pm #30283
Starsail85
Hello

New to the forum , know where little about fungi , although interested to learn.

Long story short, I work on a golf course, and several of our greens have what is know in my industry as thatch fungus/thatch collapse. Basically the fungi is feeding on the lignin on grass thatch which is producing sunken areas on the greens , normally circular areas about 6-9″ across .

If we could get the whole green , rather than isolated spots , decomposing at the same rate then it would actually improve the greens in many ways, but as it is it’s very uneven and highly undesirable

I have done some study but not much information is out there in my trade . I’m lead to believe that sphaerobolus stellatus is the species responsible for the enhanced decomposition of grass thatch .

What would be the definition of a antagonist in this situation? If there was another species of fungi that could keep the S S in check would this be the solution?

Would encouraging the fungi to spread throughout the greens rootzone be feasible ? How could this be achieved.

If my understanding is right S S feeds on lignin, so is often associated with woody substances. If the wood fully decomposes , the fungi food web would include the SS and other fungi that feed upon SS and keep it in check, or outcompete the SS without the same decomposition effects?

Anybody an expert in this area?

Also interested in other basidiomycetes that are responsible for fairy rings in turf, and how these issues can be dealt with.

I am not interested in any kind of fungicidal treatment , as there is obviously a lot of good coming from other types of soil fungi that I’d like to protect. I guess it’s just something that needs rebalancing , and I’m here asking for advice

Any help would be great

Tom
August 26, 2016 at 1:39 pm #38655
Flaxton
Participant
Hi Tom

Welcome to UK Fungi. I am not an expert in this field by any means but being interested in Fungi generally and Chairman of the Green Committee at our local club for a few years I have some experience of the problems of fungi on greens. Below is what I think happens but if a real expert disagrees I would understand.

Thatch, a layer of dead and decomposing grass below the growing surface, is always going to be present. If the surface is not too compacted then there is often no problem as aerobic decomposition takes place. If the surface gets too compacted, as a putting green tends to, then you get anaerobic decomposition often called “black layer” and this stinks something awful. The treatment for this is aeration through tining, hollow tining or slitting using something like a “Graden” machine followed by topdressing with sand to open up the surface and allow air in to the roots.

Fungal attack as far as I know is something entirely different. The common microscopic species are fusarium, red thread and anthracnose caused by warm damp weather, heavy rain and stressed greens respectively. The treatment for these is a fungiside, nothing and a feed of somesort respectively. These all cause small or large patches to die back if not treated.

The “fairy ring” type attack can be caused by various macrofungi but the common one is Marasmius oreades. I have never heard of Sphaerobolus stellatus being a cause of problems before.

Are the areas you describe solid circular or doughnut shaped patches?

Mal
August 27, 2016 at 2:55 pm #38656
Starsail85
Hi Mal

Thatch decomposition is always going to occur in turf as long as anaerobic conditions are avoided and excessive use of fungicides too. Thatch decomposition by Sphaerobolus s tends to occur at a higher rate than other fungi and leaves slightly sunken circular areas(not doughty like fairy rings) of beautiful healthy turf(that has a lower organic matter level and naturally released nitrates due to the decomposition processes) that is now a depression due to the OM disappearing . As SS feeds on lignin it is more damaging to finer grasses greens with fescues and bents being more susceptible . Your poa dominant greens (99% of all golf courses UK stereotypical parkland over watered over fed over fubgicided etc) are less susceptible due to poa thatch having a higher cellulose content. Most parkland courses due to high membership fees can afford to basically sterilise the soil with fubgicided and stop the damaging effects of some basidiomycetes , but this is not the goal on my course( a seaside links) as we appreciate the damaging effects of fungicides in general and how they can damage soil microbe/ grass relationships to the detriment of your sward botanical composition

The bones of my question were

1. How can we /can we evenly establish SS within the whole root zone

2. What would be the natural competitor in the soil food web to SS

We certainly have a lot of fungal activity on our golf greens and a lot of it is good. The normal thatch eating fungi and bacteria that contribute to gradual OM decomposition is great and we try to promote it through regular aeration and seaweed treatments as biostimulitive methods, low salt inputs in our feeding programs . Mycorrhizae fungi has a huge role to play in terms of giving the perennial grasses the competitive advantage over poa annua . Even the fungal pathogens play a role in improving the sward , as anthracnose and microdocium nivale tend to target the poa and reduce it. We have red thread and dollar spot that tend to arrive due to low fertility ( so increasing natural N input from fungal OM decomposition plays a role here too) . Take all patch is a problem on one green, and we are experimenting with alittle manganese to check it . We only spray a preventative fungicide in early September

Thatch fungus (cases point to SS being the culprit) is a relatively new phenomena on greens, with reports of it occurring coming about 2010 onwards. The real trouble is even the experts in the field of greenkeeping know very little about it , which is why I am trying to do alittle detective work on here

King regards

Tom
August 27, 2016 at 10:23 pm #38657
Flaxton
Participant
Tom

I am obviously a little out of touch as it was a few years ago since I was involved and none of the articles I have left from my time show no mention of Ss (mostly from the STRI). This is also interesting from a mycology point of view as this fungus was very common in the past but has been steadily declining and is now very rarely found and almost never on anything other than dung or woody debris.

We also have tried to promote the finer grasses and as you say a small amount of fusarium does help to reduce the amount of Poa but it is a risky regime trying to allow just a little fusarium. I would be amazed if you could “encourage” the Ss to attack evenly over the whole green. You will never find an even spread of fusarium or anthracnose they always appear as patches and I am sure that is the way Ss will manifest itself.

I played a course on the west coast which had almost lost many of its greens to anthracnose after prolonged flooding earlier this year and they are replacing some more of their greens to USGA specifications at huge cost and will become one of those who need to over water over fertilize and need more fungiside.

Let us know how you get on with your research.

Mal

Ps is your course in the US or the UK?
January 10, 2025 at 6:28 am #38658
Anna21
Hello everyone,

I apologize for reviving a topic that seems a bit old, but I find myself facing a situation very similar to the one described here, and as a beginner, I’m a bit lost.

A few months ago, I started gardening in earnest, and all was going well until recently. I’ve noticed what looks a lot like thatch fungus on a small lawn I’m trying to keep in good shape. The symptoms resemble what’s described in this thread: slightly sunken circular areas, with a healthy lawn but visibly affected by the disappearance of organic matter.

Reading your exchanges, it seems that Sphaerobolus stellatus could be a potential culprit. If so, what would be your recommendations for dealing with the situation? Is coring the affected area a good first step? If so, would you have any specific advice on how to go about it correctly to maximize the chances of success (depth, spacing, etc.)?

I also have a question about the idea of balancing this fungus in the soil. Are there any realistic ways of encouraging a “natural” food web that would limit its negative effects, without harming other beneficial fungi?

Finally, I’ve read that this type of fungus could develop more in conditions that favor fine grasses. Is this an idea I should revisit if I want to limit its impact?

Thanks in advance for your help, and sorry for digging up this topic! This forum seems to be a mine of information, even if a bit quiet lately. I hope some of you are still active here!

Looking forward to hearing from you
January 10, 2025 at 2:01 pm #38659
Flaxton
Participant
Hi Anna,

As I said in my original reply I have no updated knowledge of SS. I have seen it a few times but almost exclusively on wood. Almost all fungal attacks on grass are caused by a l lack of something stressing out the plants. This can be lack of nutrients, a lack of air (compaction) or too much thatch giving rise to excessive fungal growth.

As a general guide good maintenance tends to work most of the time and would lead to the “balance” you are looking for

Mal
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