Question
I've got Necrotic Ringspot Fungus, and have read your mildew+towel analogy. It makes sense. Will "doing nothing" and building my soil help solve that? Some say the problem will never go away, but I can suppress it and overseed with resistant rye grass.  If my lawn is low in the fungus areas, would adding 6" of topsoil and reseeding/sodding accomplish anything or will the fungus just eventually come back?

Answer
Hi Ed,

Wow, I must have answered a lot of questions on here. I don't even remember the towel/mildew analogy, but I have no doubt that I'm the culprit there! I'm pretty fond of analogies.

My experience with Necrotic Ring Spot is that you can get it under very good control if you just core aerate the lawn and topdress it with good soil in the fall. Do this each year, and you'll see a dramatic difference pretty quickly.

The fungus survives and thrives in the thatch layer. By aerating and composting, you are naturally reducing the thatch to much more ideal levels.

Good luck!

-C.J. Brown
www.TheLawnCoach.com