Treatment For Red Thread Lawn Disease
While this fungus will not kill the lawn, it can be frustrating for homeowners to deal with this eye sore for weeks while it grows out. If red thread lawn disease is severe, a fungicide treatment can be applied to the lawn. Post application, the disease will not be able to actively spread for three to four weeks. This allows the lawn time to grow out the infected grass blades more quickly than the disease can spread, and the fungus is gradually cut away with regular mowing.
Manage Red Thread With Cultural Best Practices
Diseases, such as red thread, are often harbored and survive in thatch. Managing thatch layersthrough yearly aeration and, if necessary, fall dethatchingcould help better manage the severity of the disease. Remember, thatch is not dead grass on top of the soil. It sits below the soils surface. Using a soil probe is the best way to determine the severity of thatch.
Managing pH and nitrogen levels is also important. Requesting a soil test can determine whether the soil doesnt have the proper amount of nutrients, which could contribute to the severity of red thread or other diseases.
In terms of fertilizing, its important to keep in mind that over-fertilizing can contribute to the problem. Thats one of the reasons its important to apply slow-release fertilizer at only the recommended rate and at regular intervals throughout the season. Extra fertilizer between regularly scheduled applications wont cure red thread. What fertilizer can do is keep grass healthy and put it in a position to outgrow the disease as conditions become less favorable for fungal growth. It can take a couple of weeks from the time red thread stops being active for the turf to recover and turn a more uniform green.
Collecting grass clippings after each mow can also decrease the number of fungal threads that are reintroduced back into the turf. Watering correctly can also ensure youre not essentially feeding the fungus.
It can take two or more years of careful fertilizing to prevent red thread.
Symptoms Of Red Thread
The infected grass will firstly be bleached in color the grass will turn pale cream/white. Not all grass blades will be affected, as non-infected blades may exist next to infected blades. In these circumstances the grass will appear visibly messy. In moist conditions the fungus will form the pink branching threads. Once the threads are well developed the lawn will have reddish/pinkish tinge to it in small patches, these patches may join together to form larger patches.
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Tips To Prevent And Treat Red Thread Lawn Disease
Many homeowners want a lush green lawn to border their homes. However, problems can crop up that prevent you from reaching this goal. Some are relatively easy to fix, such as brown spots on your lawn. Others are more complicated, and the cause needs to be identified before the problem can be solved, like if your grass starts changing color. One such problem is red thread lawn disease. Luckily, its a problem thats easy to identify and treat if you know what to look for. Heres everything you need to know about preventing and treating red thread lawn disease.
Use A Natural Fungicide To Kill Fungus In Grass
You can also use natural fungicide instead of a commercial product. Natural treatments include:
- Baking soda and water
Mix one tablespoon of baking soda and 5 litres of water. Spray the solution on your lawn every three days until the fungus dies.
Neem oil is also an effective fungicide. Mix four tablespoons of neem oil with 5 litres of water. Spray every few days until the problem is gone.
To use compost tea, use four cups of tea per gallon of water. Compost tea is made from tap water combined with a few cups of organic compost.
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Red Thread Lawn Fungus On The Move
The thing you need to remember is that most turf fungus is NOT a major concern. It will go away on its own with proper care. The first line of defense is aeration with compost top-dressing and broadcast seeding to rejuvenate and add missing nutrients to your soil. Secondly, timely fertilizer and fungicide applications will ensure the health of your lawn throughout the entire growing season. The third component to ensure a lush lawn is keeping up with weekly maintenance, such as a regular irrigation schedule and consistent mowing.
If you are seeing anything that looks like Red Thread on your turf, and you are not currently on our fertilization program, please let us know! The sooner the lawn is treated the better the outcome.
How Can I Manage Red Thread In My Lawn
Were in the middle of June, and red thread is present on many lawns. This disease is formed by a fungus that develops a weblike, pale reddish mycelium that surrounds and connects to the leaf blades. In the early morning, before the lawn dries out, you can see small reddish hair on the tips of turf.
Red thread survives unfavorable periods on infected leaves or within thatch, and are most severe on lawns that have a high mix of perennial ryegrass. These threads survive highs of 89 degrees to lows of minus 4 degrees. But the optimum range is between 60 to 75 degrees. Typically, when temperatures consistently reach 75 degrees, the fungus growth rate decreases dramatically and it ceases to grow at 85 degrees.
Over the past month, weve seen wild swings in weather from cool to hot, from dry to rainy. Over Memorial Day weekend, many areas experienced nearly 3 inches of rain in below average temperatures. Just days later, the same areas were hit with 4 days straight of 90 degree weather, no rain, and high humidity. These conditions spawnedif not contributed tothe development of red thread.
While unsightly, Ive never once seen red thread permanently damage healthy, established turf. Its a stress disease, which means it impacts the bladenever the crown or root system.
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What Causes Dollar Spot
Dollar spot fungus occurs in high humidity, especially if there is a restricted airflow to the grass.
The fungus itself, schlerotinia homeocarpa, comes from the earth and is most prevalent from early spring right through to the backend of fall when daytime temperatures reach between 59-86°F , and the nights are cool.
The reason the temperature range for infection is so wide is that different biotypes of dollar spot are more notorious at different temperatures.
Turfs with a moist canopy and dry soil are the most susceptible to infection. Low nitrogen fertility in the earth is another reason your lawn might develop a dollar spot problem.
Dollar spot can be exacerbated greatly if areas of your lawn are covered, preventing sunlight and air from drying the buildups of dew on the blades. This excess moisture combined with the ambient humidity provides the perfect catalyst for fungal growth.
Not all grass types are equally at risk from dollar spot. Those particularly susceptible include bents, fine fescues, and annual meadow grass. If you have any of these grasses on your land, you should keep a close eye on them during the humid months.
The good news is that dollar spot doesnt have its own reproductive process or autonomy. This means that it cant spread on its own.
It requires mechanical help, by which we mean it must be physically moved from place to place through the dissemination of already infected plant matter.
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What Is A Red Thread
Red thread disease is one of the common fungal diseases in the lawn. This disease is caused by a fungus called Laetisaria Fuciformis. This disease is most prone in water-soaked lawns in cool and humid weather. You will see some red thread-like branches coming off from the top of the leaves.
The red thread is sometimes confused with a similar-looking disease called pink patch. Pink patch disease is caused by a different fungus called Limonomyces Roseipellis. Both of the diseases are very closely related and have similarities in the disease cycle, epidemiology, host range, and appearance.
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Different Ways To Treat Red Thread In Lawns
There are two primary ways to treat red thread disease and it depends primarily on the severity of the infection when treatment is applied:
- Relatively minor infections: Treating red thread fungus may only be a matter of fertilizing and aerating your lawn more effectively. Adding nitrogen back into soil in the spring and early summer can reduce or eliminate the threat of red thread disease, while aeration can loosen the soil to help nutrients like nitrogen more easily reach grass roots.
- More severe infections: Its likely that a fungicide will need to be applied to curb the spread of the disease.
How To Treat Your Maryland Lawn For Red Thread Disease
Green lawns are all the rage. Imagine a yellow lawn or a brown lawn. It just wouldnt be the same. And one with spots? Forget about it.
A lawn is definitely more inviting when its a nice shade of green. That would be your preference for an enjoyable summer lawn in Maryland. We completely understand. We like a green lawn, too.No one wants to see splotches and rough spots and blemishes. If you see some weird light or even pinkish spots showing up in your lawn, it can certainly be a cause for concern. And youre not wrong to worry. In fact, certain conditions can cause this issue, which can actually be a turf disease. One particular disease that can result in patches like this is red thread. Lets look at what red thread is, what causes it, and how you can get rid of red thread lawn disease for good and get that uniform, green, healthy lawn back.
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What Causes Grass Diseases In Northern Virginia Lawns
Unfortunately, all lawns have diseases. Yep. You didnt expect us to say that, did you? But its true. No one wants to hear that. It can make you look at your lawn differently for sure. While disease is present, it doesnt have to be visible though.
In fact, lawn diseases only emerge when your lawn is stressed out. Its kind of like how you might get a headache or aches and pains when your anxiety levels run high. While you might be stressed out by deadlines, family squabbles, and a to-do list that keeps growing, your lawn gets stressed out for other reasons.
It can start with something as simple as mowing improperly. You want to mow your Northern Virginia lawn to a 3.5- to 4-inch height. This means mowing it weekly during the growing season and removing no more than one-third of the grass blades during any single cut. For a quality mow, you want sharp mower blades so you dont tear your grass versus cut it. Watering correctly is also important. If you water too much or at night when your lawn cant dry out before nightfall, then you encourage disease-causing conditions, such as persistent wet, humid areas. Another thing you want to make sure is in place is proper lawn fertilization. A soil test helps determine what your lawn is lacking, and fertilizing based on these results means you wont under- or over-fertilize. This ensures you dont have nutrient deficiencies that can stress your lawn and encourage disease.
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Continue To Monitor For Fungal Diseases
After treating the problem, continue to monitor your turf for signs of fungal infections. Some fungal diseases are seasonal and may return the following year, requiring you to repeat the treatment. In the meantime, maintain correct mowing techniques.
If possible, collect grass clippings as you mow. Collecting clippings minimises the spread of fungal diseases, as most types of fungi are easily distributed throughout a lawn. Avoiding excess foot traffic also cuts down on the spread of fungal diseases.
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How Do I Prevent Red Thread In My Lawn
Knowing how to prevent red thread from attacking your lawn requires you to know the root causes of this fungal infection. The basic factors that contribute to red thread is continuous humid weather as well as a stressed lawn.
These are the main causes of a stressed lawn that red threat will take advantage of:
Lawn nutrition soil with low nutrient content will generally result in grass that is of low quality and prone to attack from fungus such as red thread. Ensuring that your grass is well fed with a high-quality fertilizer will help reduce the chances of disease in your lawn. Weve written an article on good lawn feeding practices.
Blunt mower blades A blunt mower blade will tear and rip the grass blades instead of cutting neatly through them. This tearing will wound the plant and allow a fungus to attack it given the right weather conditions. Sharpen your mower blades once a year at a hardware store so that the mower slices through the grass cleanly.
Lawn thatch Thatch in your lawn will prevent air and nutrients from penetrating into the soil effectively. Over time, this will reduce the vigor of your turf. Scarify your lawn once a year, preferably in the early fall/autumn.
Low light/shade Try to thin out any shrubs or trees that might cast a shadow over your lawn. Higher light levels will mean stronger grass. It will also allow your turf to dry quickly when wet thus decreasing the chances of the spread of fungus.
Positively Identify The Disease As Red Thread
Among the first lawn diseases of the growing season, red thread is extremely common in spring but can appear in fall in and winter as well. Cool, wet weather and prolonged overcast conditions create the ideal environment for it to thrive.
In addition to the pinkish-red color, lawns affected by red thread have grass blades that look ragged and seem to be dying back from the tip of the leaf. The affected grass will appear in irregularly shaped, straw-like patches that range in size from 2 inches to 3 feet in diameter.
The red, thread-like strands that may also be present appear more often in later stages of the disease. Youll notice brittle, antler-like strands extending ¼ inch or more from grass leaf tips. When grass is wet, red thread appears darker red in color when dry, it looks more pink. The best time to look for red thread is in the early morning when theres still dew on the blades. As red thread disease continues to progress, you may also see a pink, gelatinous growth on top of grass blades.
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How To Keep Red Thread Under Control
Red thread is a fungal infection caused by the fungus, laetisaria fuciformis. This disease will cause irregularly shaped patches of tan or red throughout your lawn. But it really only comes down to doing one thing, to ensure you never have to worry about it.
The truth is, almost any lawn is susceptible to this turf fungus. However, it is not uncommon for some lawns to have more issues than neighboring properties. This is because of different soil conditions, maintenance, and water patterns.
So, lets take a look at what causes red thread, the negative effects and point out the best way to control it.
What Is The Best Grass To Plant To Avoid Red Thread
Some grasses are more prone to developing red thread than others. Perennial ryegrass, bluegrass, fescue grasses, bent grass, and Bermuda grass are all more likely to struggle with red thread. Perennial ryegrass, in particular, tends to suffer from it.
In general, warm-weather grasses and drought-tolerant grasses are more resistant to red thread. Zoysia is a good choice for these reasons. In part, this is due to water evaporating more quickly in this warm-weather and drought-tolerant grass that needs less frequent watering.
You may also want to consider moving away from a grass lawn. If your lawn has heavy shade and poor drainage, you may have better luck with a moss lawn. A mixed lawn, which may contain some grass and some weeds or creeping perennials, is another good choice. There are many health issues that grass-only lawns face that dont afflict mixed lawns.
Red thread can look frightening, but its mostly a cosmetic issue. Although it can damage sections of your lawn, it is rarely fatal and is easily preventable once you know what to do. You can help prevent it through proper lawn care, planting a resistant grass variety, or switching to a non-grass lawn. Now that you know all about red thread lawn disease, you know not to panic when it appears. Youre ready to handle this fungal infection calmly and confidently.
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How Do I Get Rid Of Red Grass
To get rid of red grass, fertilize your lawn with high nitrogen fertilizer because red thread occurs on a low nutrient lawn. The other thing you can do to remove red thread fast from your lawn is to apply fungicide in your lawn, which will remove the disease faster from the lawn but can cause some temporary damage to the lawn.
How To Treat Brown Patches In Lawn
Proper mowing, watering, and fertilising help limit the risk of fungus in grass. However, if you already have brown patches or other fungal issues, you need to address the problem to keep it from spreading.
Some fungal diseases can continue to spread until they destroy a lawn. Use the following steps to treat the problem:
- Use a fungicide to kill the fungus
- Collect grass clippings when you mow
- Avoid excess foot traffic on the lawn
- Repeat the treatments if the fungus returns
The fungal disease may not go away on its own. Apply a fungicide to kill the fungus and begin restoring the health of your grass.
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