Cure for fairy ring

Hello Cary00~

?Fairy ring? or ?spring dead spot? is a disease that creates round
spots on a lawn, typically from 1 to 15 ft. in diameter (although
spots may be larger or smaller). The spots are often sunken and appear
straw-colored. This is caused by a fungus that breaks down organic
matter in the soil; nitrogen is released, initially causesing a green
ring on the lawn. When the fungus gets dense, it prevents water
movement in the soil, causing brown spots. After rainfall, mushrooms
usually appear on infection lawns.

Ridding the lawn of organic matter such as tree stumps, logs, lumber,
roots, and the like will give the fungus nothing to feed on, and it
will disappear.
If you can dig up the lawn (or part of the lawn) and replace it, make
sure to mix the existing soil together, since the fungus will attack
itself if this is done.

To help ease the effects of fairy ring, you can water and fertilize
the lawn more than usual. (In general, lawns that are watered and
fertilized regularly tend to not have fairy ring. This is the best
preventative to fairy ring.) In fact, if the only side effect of the
fungus is a green circle, fertilizing will usually take care of the
problem. You may also dig holes in the lawn, about 12 to 24 inches in
depth and 1 inch round, to allow water to penetrate the soil. After 6
to 8 weeks, fill the holes with fresh, uncontaminated soil.

In some cases, when the effects of the fungus are severe, you may need
to remove the grass and sod, and repeatedly cultivate the area. After
several weeks of this, you can reseed.

Using chemicals to control fairy rings is rarely helpful.


For more information about Fairy Ring presentation and treatment, see
the following articles:

?	?Fairy Rings: Who?s Been Dancing in Circles in My Lawn,? Spring
Green: http://www.spring-green.com/fairy_rings.htm

?	?Fairy Rings and Mushrooms in Lawns? Lawn Talk, University of
Illinois Extension: http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/lawntalk/lawntalk29.html


Regards,
Kriswrite

KEYWORDS USED:
?fairy ring? lawn

Some blurbs from my lawn care book:
[Fairy Rings] it can affect all types of grass, but the effects may be
less severe in grass varieties with long stolons.

Apply adequate nitrogen fertilzer to hide the problem. Aerate rings
and use a wetting agent to improve water penetration. Keep areas wet
for 2 weeks and mow frequently.

It is difficult to eradicate fairy ring with a fungicie. The lawn can
be fumigated with methyl bromide, but this kills the grass and must be
applied by a licensed professional.