Preventing Fairy Rings

It may seem like fairy rings are nothing more than an interesting decoration, or unusual growth in your yard, it can actually indicate that your lawn has a problem you need to take care of. While these lawn problems can often be found in heavily wooded areas, there is a chance that they will also be found in your lawn. While there are a couple forms of fair rings that are generally harmless, the vast majority will cause your lawn to slowly wither and die. Luckily, there are a few things that you can do to go about preventing fairy rings from forming.

• Understand the cause. The first step in preventing fairy rings is learning what causes them. While the technical cause of fairy rings is due to a fungal growth, there is also a much simpler reason for it. That reason boils down to the simple fact of improper lawn care. Improperly caring for your lawn can allow the fungus that causes fairy rings to not only creep in, but take deep root.
• Annual aerating. Aerating your lawn annually can help break up any existing fungus infestation, and allow the roots of your grass to receive the nutrients and water that they need. You can do the aerating manually by hand, rent an aerating machine, or even by hiring someone to do the work for you.
• Proper watering. If the grass is being watered improperly, this can lead to your grass having all kinds of problems, least of which is fairy rings. Take time to learn, and then implement, proper watering techniques. It may seem like a rather simple thing, but improperly watering your lawn can allow the grass and soil to either dry out, or to even allow the roots of the grass to molder and rot. Ideally, you should have a seep watering system installed as it is the most efficient method for watering currently available.
• General maintenance. General maintenance, beyond aerating and watering, can be a huge help in preventing any fairy ring formation. Simply taking the time to properly mow your lawn with a well maintained lawn mower, fertilizing your lawn, and periodically checking your lawn for problems all go a long way to helping stave off most lawn problems.
• Take steps at the first sign. Often time's people make a very common mistake when dealing with things like fairy rings. That mistake is that they wait. By waiting for "confirmation" of whether or not there are actually any rings to be worried about, you allow the fungus to get entrenched and spread out. The minute you suspect that you may have a fairy ring problem, take care of it.