My lawn is covered in pinkish-red patches…..Help!

Partially dead lawn


Your lawn most likely has red thread, a disease of cool, wet weather, occurring mostly in the spring and fall. Round patches of light tan to pink-colored turf appear in the lawn, with pink webs binding the grass blades.

Grass

On close inspection, you may see ¼- to ¾-inch-long pink threads at the tips.

Grass closeup

If lawns are a bit hungry, likely in need of nitrogen, and the conditions are cool and moist, then the fungus may take advantage of the ideal situation for fungal growth.

Like most grass diseases, red thread is very much weather related. When conditions are right for development, management of red thread is limited to checking and correcting any nutritional deficiencies or direct treatment with a fungicide material.

Lawn treatments with fungicides are usually effective, and one or two maintenance applications in the spring and again in the fall are adequate in most situations for control.

Grass closeup held in hand

If you have seen signs of red thread on your turf, please give Grasshopper Gardens a call at 518-793-9623. We’re always ready to help with managing diseases, so you can have the best lawn possible.