You too? It’s funny that every year we hear the same question at this time of the season. Why does my lawn have these brownish-pinkish patches everywhere?!!! It’s a common question right now since we’ve had so much rain.

With all the rain we’ve been having it’s difficult to get out there and mow the lawn. Most folks use that opportunity to look over their lawn condition either consciously or unconsciously. So, when we finally get a break in the weather, we sometimes notice these weird patches. In fact, it is a disease… Don’t worry not all lawn diseases are major threats especially for residential turfgrass.

If there are pinkish areas on your lawn there is a good chance your lawn has “Red Thread”. Red thread is a fungus that affects the grass tips and generates little red threads that extend from the blade tips. Sometimes, you’ll even see little pink cotton ball shapes in between the blades.

Here are some things that can be done to help prevent and control Red Thread:

• Maintain soil pH between 6.0 and 6.5.
• Water deeply and infrequently.
• Avoid late afternoon, evening, and light, frequent irrigation which extended periods of leaf wetness.
• Prune trees and shrubs to improve air circulation and increase light penetration.
• Keep mower blades sharp to minimize leaf wounding, which can enhance infection.
• Collect grass clippings when the disease is active or growing slowly to reduce the number of sclerotia that are incorporated into the thatch.
• Maintain adequate fertility.

There are many varieties of fungus that infect turfgrass. When we have several days of rain, minimal sunlight, poor air circulation, and high humidity levels fungus seems to take root. Rest assured that as soon as the sun comes back out and we dry out a bit, you’ll start to see this fungus fade away. Treatments are generally not warranted for most fungus, your lawn should recover in a week or two.

If at any time you think you have an extreme case or want a second opinion, just give us a call. We’ll come right out and look things over for you.