Repairing Fairy Rings

While fairy rings may look pretty, they aren't exactly the best things in the world to have in your lawn. In fact, if you don't take care of repairing fairy rings as soon as possible, you can easily find yourself with a bunch of problems that you never knew you had. About the nicest thing that fairy rings can cause to happen to your lawn is that it thins out and even dies.

There are a few things that you can do to repair the damage caused by fairy rings, but most of it is contingent upon you acting as soon as you notice the rings beginning to form in the first place.

• Aerating. A quick way to help break up the fungus that causes fair rings is to aerate the soil that is contaminated. If the area is rather small, you can simply do it by hand with a hand aerator that you can get at your local home improvement store. However, it may be a good idea to have a professional do the job for you. After the soil has been aerated be sure that you apply some fertilizer to the area. This will help with the common discoloration problem that you can find yourself faced with.
• Kill and replace the sod. Another really good way to help deal with the fairy rings is to simply kill off, and then replace, the sod that is infected. Often all you need to do is simply cut out the sod that is infected and then disposed of properly. Do not place this sod in your compost pile, or you can end up spreading around the infection. Apply some fertilizer to the area, and then mix it into the soil. This will help prepare the soil for the sod that you will soon be placing down. Once you have prepared the soil, get some new sod and fit it to the area. Once you have placed in the new sod, ensure that it stays nice and moist until it has taken firm hold.
• Fumigating. There is one more method that you can use, though it can often require that you do some serious digging. This method is called fumigating, and will require that you dig out the top two feet of the ring, and then turning over the next nine inches. You can purchase some fumigation spray from your local home improvement store. Spray this fungicide on the afflicted area, and then cover the area with a plastic tarp. Allow it to sit there for a few days, and then replace the grass that you removed.