What Can I Do To Prevent It And How Can I Cure It
In this case, the prevention and the cure are almost the same. Lawns that arent fed lack nitrogen, and this lack of nitrogen encourages the fungus to take over. Feed your lawn a nitrogen rich fertiliser to cure your red thread problem and to prevent it. We recommend our QUICK RELEASE: Spring / Summer once watered in, this granular feed will set to work on your lawn making it green once again, and red thread free!
What Is Red Thread And What Can I Do About It
The first thing you should know about red thread is that it has never killed a lawn, so whilst it is unsightly and quite frankly, annoying, it wont kill off your lawn.
In most cases, red thread isnt the fault of the lawn owner, so were not about to reprimand you – but it can be prevented by regularly feeding your lawn. More on that later, but first lets find out what this dreaded red thread is and what causes it.
Why Is My Lawn Turning Red
Patches of red lawn, commonly known as red thread, are caused by the fungus Laetisaria fuciformis which attacks the green part of the grass, making it turn red and eventually die. The fungus is present in most lawns throughout the year, but it is usually active in the months towards the end of the summer and beginning of autumn, when the weather is warm and wet.
You will easily be able to identify if your lawn is suffering from red thread, dead brown patches will appear across your lawn either in dense clumps or as larger areas.On closer inspection, you should be able to see visible fungal growth which appears as pink or red thread-like growth on the leaves, that may be binding them together.
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Is Your Lawn In Bad Shape
Dont worry, Fantastic Services can bring it back to life! The lawn care plan we create is personalised to your preferences and your turfs needs, so you can be sure that your lawn will stay healthy all year round.
The gardening teams we send are proficient enough to perform a large variety of lawn care services, including aeration and fertilising. Dedicated to their job, the gardeners always come fully equipped with everything needed to leave your turf looking neat and clean after every visit.
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 Red Thread
Red Thread is a fungal disease that can take over your lawn in patches youll first notice some yellowing of your grass and then you will notice needles forming through your grass that are a pink/red colour. If youre really invested in the intricate details of red thread, its Latin name is Laetisaria fuciformis.
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.
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Red Thread Signs And Symptoms
Red thread creates small patches of reddish tinted grass that from a distance may make the grass appear dead. These patches are often confused with dollar spots and other lawn diseases. But upon close inspection it is easy to see the red, thread like material that seems to grow out of the top of grass while the blades themselves remain intact.
Mycelium, a pink fluffy material, can be sometimes be found on the bottom of the infected grass blades.
How Do I Get Rid Of Red Thread
The short answer to this question is apply a nitrogen rich fertilizer or a special lawn fungicide as soon as you see red thread appearing in your lawn.
Lets look at why applying a fertilizer will help your lawn recover from this fungal infection.
This is key for two reasons.
Its also possible to apply a lawn fungicide to kill the fungus that is causing the damage to the grass. Gardeners from the U.S. could use a fungicide such as BioAdvanced Fungus Control for Lawns.
Gardeners from the U.K. could use a fungicide like Provanto Lawn Disease Control.
Both of these products should protect your lawn for up to 4 weeks. Although they can be applied at any point in the year, we would recommend that you only apply these fungicides when the weather is at its most humid during the summer months. This is the period of the year when your lawn is most susceptible to red thread.
As always, closely follow the manufacturers instructions on the packet.
Therefore, ensure that you apply a fungicide no more than once every 2 years.
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Be Careful Mowing Your Yard
Check the settings on your lawnmower. Cutting the grass too close to the root will weaken it and make your grass more susceptible to fungus and other diseases.
You might find yourself cutting it closer in some areas than in others, which is probably because the soil is uneven.
If you have this issue, you should get a heavy lawn roller and try to get the yard as even as possible.
How To Treat Red Thread Disease
One of the causes of red thread, and a contributor to its severity, is poor, under-nourished turf, so your first line of defense is to give your grass regular care. If red thread disease continues to be a problem in your lawn, treat it with a fungicide. Like other lawn diseases, red thread will likely leave behind some damaged areas that may need to be patched. The easiest solution is to use a three-in-one seed repair once you have the disease under control.
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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.
How Do I Get Rid Of Red Thread Disease
Almost any lawn is susceptible to this turf fungus. However, it isnt uncommon for some lawns to have more issues than neighboring properties. Property owners often wonder what can be done to get rid of Red Thread on lawns when it shows up. The remedy is to disrupt the disease triangle so that this fungus stops growing. The disease triangle is used to illustrate how fungi grows on plants, in this particular case, your lawn. The susceptible host are grass plants that are lacking in nitrogen and have started to not grow as aggressively as they have in the months prior. The pathogen is present in the thatch layer of a lawn and impossible to completely remove. When the plant is weak, and the temperature and relative humidity is favorable, Red Thread will begin and continue to grow.
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How Can I Tell If My Lawn Has Red Thread
You should take a piece from your lawn and examine it closely. Two of the easiest ways to do this is by placing it onto a white piece of paper, or by using a magnifying glass.
If your lawn has Red Thread, you will see pink-to-red colour threads wrapped around the brown grass leaves. .
You will most likely see the disease in patches in various sizes across your lawn. As the disease develops over time, the patches may increase in size and eventually join together.
Depending on how badly the disease has established in your lawn, you may eventually see very bright red, easy to see patches of severe infestation.
How To Treat Red Thread Lawn Disease
If your lawn is starting to look a little pink, it might not be your eyesight you may be dealing with Red Thread Lawn Disease.
The good news is that Red Thread Lawn Disease is not harmful to humans or animals, however, it can cause damage to your lawn.
Fortunately, there are ways to treat and prevent this fungal intruder.
Read on to find out what to look for, how to control Red Thread Disease, and ways to keep it at bay.
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How To Identify And Treat Red Thread On Your Lawn
Kelly Burke is a professional turf manager for a manicured corporate campus in New England. He is accredited in organic land care and is a licensed pesticide applicator. He formerly managed the turfgrass as a golf course superintendent and has held several senior management positions at private country clubs overseeing high maintenance lawns.
Kris Lord / Flickr / CC By 2.0
Does your lawn have what appears to be dying patches with pink or reddish fibers in them? This may be the telltale sign of red thread. Red thread is a turfgrass disease most commonly caused by low levels of nitrogen in the soil or environmental stress.
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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Use A Commercial Fungicide To Kill Fungus
You can use store-bought fungicide or a natural fungicide. Store-bought options come in two styles contact and systemic.
Contact fungicide is a liquid that coats the blades of grass and kills fungus on contact. Systemic fungicide typically comes in small granules that you spread across the soil.
Many fungicides are designed as all-purpose fungus killers while others are designed to target specific types of fungi. Always read the label to ensure that the product can treat your problem.
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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How Can My Lawn Be Treated Once It Has Red Thread
The only products that are available in the professional turf industry are chemical fungicides. However, most of these fungicides tend to act only as a preventative, rather than a cure.
Lawn Master have our own 2 part treatment to cure Red Thread, which is a result of years of testing various products and methods at championship golf courses and football pitches, to see which work most effectively.
How Long Does It Take To Go Away
Within a few weeks, you should notice the effects of red thread begin to lessen, i.e less visibility of red needles, and the patches should start to green up again. Of course, this is dependent on the type of fertiliser you choose and how fast it works. If you want the quickest solution make sure to invest in a quick release fertiliser.
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What Is Red Thread Fungus
Red thread turf fungus can appear in two different forms in your lawn, and both affect the blades of each piece of grass. The first form, sclerotia, displays itself as a branch-like growth that often looks like antlers growing from each blade. The second form, mycelium, grows as pinkish fuzz. Both forms usually appear anytime between late April to mid-June, depending on the nighttime temperatures. During this period when lawns grow fast and aggressively, nitrogen is stripped from the soil, thus promoting fungal growth.
How To Treat Your Lawn
Since you cant control the weather or remove the pathogen one cell at a time, the best solution in the fight against red thread is to fertilize your lawn and replace the nitrogen thats been lost from springtime growth. If you didnt spread a nitrogen-rich fertilizer in the fall, then treat your lawn in early spring or as soon as you suspect you have a fungal growth. Its important to point out that treating this type of fungus can take several years of fall treatments to prevent red thread from returning in the spring.
If the growth of red thread in your lawn is severe, chemical fungicides can also be used, but these are generally avoided in residential lawns to avoid harmful chemical reactions in children and pets.
Dont let red thread or any other springtime fungi take over your lawn this spring. Be ready by letting the team at Green Acres Landscape fertilize and treat your lawn in early spring. To schedule your lawn inspection or your annual spring appointment, call us today at . We proudly serve residents and commercial properties throughout Marion County, OR, and we look forward to treating your lawn this spring.
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