Did you ever see a thin red color string or pinkish brown patches on your lawn? It is a widespread lawn disease, especially in America and the European region. Well, let me introduce you to these diseases. They are collectively known as the red thread and the pink patches.
To be specific, red thread and pink patches are not deadly lawn diseases but can be dangerous in many ways. More of that, these diseases can last longer than two years if you don’t take the necessary steps to get rid of them.
However, if you don’t have enough idea about these diseases, I guess you are on the right track. Today, we will discuss these diseases from their every nuts and bolt. You will learn its cure, prevention, and everything in one place. So, let’s start.
What Are Red Thread and Pink Patch?
Red thread and pink patches are fungal diseases that generally affect turf grass. It happens most frequently in the late spring. And its existence is largely found in lawns with superfluous thatch buildup. It comes to sight during a lot of rain and summer, especially on undernourished lawns.
Generally, this red thread and pink patches are two different types of lawn diseases, but they appear at the same time in most cases. That’s why we are describing these two issues together in one place. However, a fungi names Laetisaria fuciformis is the main cause of red thread, while Limonomyces roseipellis is the cause of pink patches. So, both of them are kinds of fungal diseases.
When your lawn is affected by these diseases, you will notice a lot of thin pink strings, which are the red thread diseases, while the patches that look quite pinkish brown and blotchy. But it is important to identify this disease perfectly if you want to treat them in the right way.
Ways to Identify Red Thread and Pink Patch on Your Lawn?
Spotting Red Thread and Pink Patch is quite easy. This disease usually makes circular pink color patches in the yard, and it covers almost 2 to 6 inches in width. Primarily, the grass patches turn pinkish brown before the leaves turn fully brown and die.
Moreover, the size of patches of dead grass usually ranges from 5cm to 30cm in diameter. Sometimes, the affected grass is simply mixed with the healthy grass and then makes a large affected area.
Because of the red thread, a fungal structure is created, which is formed of the affected plant tissue and mycelium. This kind of problem is known as Stroma as it is affected by the spore called Stomata. In this case, the clips of the grasses turn reddish brown and become thinner.
Identifying Pink patches is a little confusing because people mistake them with Fusarium Patch or snow mold. You will see that the fungal growth takes shape in short, distinctive pink cotton balls or jelly made of mycelium. Here, no sort of Stroma is formed as the spore doesn’t spread like the red tread disease.
Causes of Red Thread and Pink Patch
As I said before, Laetisaria Fuciformis is responsible for the Red thread, and Limonomyces Roseipellis is for pink patches. All species of grass are prehensile to these diseases; notably, fescues and perennial rye are at the highest risk. So, it is a very common lawn disease that appears in almost all places in Europe and America.
Red thread and pink patches may appear at any season in the year, but if the situation is mild, it might last into Autumn. Primarily, the heavy dew of early and late summer mornings puts the lawn at risk of growing red thread and pink patches.
People often mistake red patches as a drying effect of the summer sun and that the lawn is getting worse due to drought conditions. Thus it is important to diagnose the disease correctly before medicating it. In addition, the red thread appears on your lawn gradually if it does not have enough nitrogen. And here are some specific causes that might avail this disease’s success.
- Excessive moisture and high humidity only bring the advancement of this disease.
- Air temperatures between 40 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit are the best time for red patches to grow.
- Excessive thatch can improve the risk of red thread and pink patches.
- Low fertilization is one of the main causes of this disease.
- Frequent drought in the hot area can also cause this disease.
- Lawns with less growth of grass are more prehensile to it.
- Your lawn is also at risk if it doesn’t get enough sun exposure.
So, these are the main reasons your lawn can get affected by a red thread and pink patches. These diseases mainly appear in fall and spring. Still, it can get produced out of the blue at any time. So, you have to be prepared to take care of it and have a better look on your lawn as it can also be destructive.
Though this Red thread and Pink patches cannot truly kill your lawn alone, they can cause grass blades to discolor and ultimately kill the grass. Also, it can hover in thatch along with infected plant debris. The terrible infections will eventually weaken the turf’s health. At the same time, it can also be a welcoming authority for other lawn diseases.
How to Cure Red Thread and Pink Patch?
The easiest way to cure your lawn from these deadly diseases is to keep your lawn healthy. For that, you have to follow a specific and proper lawn care routine. As you know the probable causes of these diseases, you can easily get rid of them. Here are some of the practices that might help your lawn to cure.
- First of all, you have ensured enough fertilizers on your lawn. A nitrogen-rich fertilizer is the best remedy for pink patches and red thread. Here, you should choose a quick-release fertilizer and use it in a small amount for the best result.
- You have to ensure that the lawn is getting enough water. Try to water the grass deeply before 8 to 10 am.
- There are possibilities that thatch may harbor red thread and pink patches. So, you need to dethatch and aerate the lawn immediately after you find them on the lawn.
- Sometimes, stopping watering the lawn for a particular time helps get rid of these diseases. In this case, you have to stop watering for 3 to 4 days. But make sure to water it again before the grass looks gloomy.
- Grass clippings are the source from which the spores carrying this disease can spread. So, you must use a lawn vacuum to eliminate all those grass clippings. If you don’t have any, rake the lawn and clean it properly.
- Most often, you will find these diseases under shades. So, you have to ensure it will get enough sunlight. With proper sunlight, the fungi will die, and you may get help.
Besides the tips, you can also use some special fungicides to get rid of red thread and pink patches. Generally, fungicides like Azoxystrobin, Flutolanil, Trifloxystrobin, Triadimefon, etc., work better to cure red thread and pink patches.
Preventions of Red Thread and Pink Patch
It is always better to follow the process of prevention instead of the cures. Eventually, a proper lawn care routine can help you prevent it for sure. To avoid the long-term infection of red thread and pink patches, you must keep the soil healthy. Here is how you will do that.
1. Mow It Timely
Mowing the lawn grass on a regular basis will help it to be greener and thicker. Especially when you will confine the grass from getting taller, it grows sideways. Thus, it grows new shoots which germinate new grass leaves.
No wonder healthier and thicker grass leaves are more capable of fighting the disease, including red thread and pink patches, outbreaks of weeds, and moss infestations. Therefore, it is wise for you to mow the grass every ten days and cut it every seven days when it is time for optimal growth. Spring and Autumn are the best times to cut the grass’s peak.
2. Shapen The Mower Blade
People may not tell you about this fact, but a dull blade can cause this disease. The dull blade cuts the grass harshly, sometimes removing them from the roots. That’s not the issue here. The problem is about the uneven surface. Because of the dull blade, all the grasses may not get cut. As a result, they store the fungi and cause this disease.
3. Fertilize It
In general, Red thread and pink patches appear on the lawn, which is indigent in nitrogen. Indeed, nitrogen is very effective in keeping the grassroots healthy and propagates cells and grass growth.
In addition, it improves root development and generates chlorophyll to make photosynthesis easier. The workable action would be if you can fertilize your lawn four times, specifically every year, including the season’s Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. To make your lawn even more defensive to red thread and pink patches, try to apply a moderate amount of nitrogen at least once a year.
4. Aeration
Excess lawn thatch makes your lawn weak and more prone to red thread and pink patch disease. Removing this thatch will enable necessary nutrients, oxygen, and water to barge into the soil. Thus the grassroots consume them, and this helps to grow and produce food.
To aerate your lawn, you will need a garden fork, a rolling spiker, or aeration shoes to make it about 2 to 3 inches deep. No doubt that it will make the water, nutrients, and air get into the soil to nourish the grass and prevent deadly diseases.
Removing cores of turf will help to create room for compacted soil particles. And separating from each other will allow the oxygen, nutrients, and water into the soil, resulting in stronger roots.
5. Water Early in the Morning
Watering the lawn is a simple yet effective task to prevent red thread and pink patches. But many people mistake and flock out to the lawn and bestow a sprinkling of plump with a hosepipe. This will put your lawn more prone to this disease.
Watering the grass will certainly make your lawn soil moist, and it helps the grass to absorb all the vital nutrients. But you must remember that watering the grass in the evening will only give the fungus the moisture that will help them to grow.
Therefore, watering the lawn in the morning, heavily to depths around 1 to 2 inches, for an hour a week will get the perfect moisture. And even if there is any moisture left on your lawn grass, the solar heat will dry it soon and incubate the fungal disease.
Also, you have to remove the extra thatch and ensure enough sun exposure. You can also apply fungicide to avoid the outbreak of red thread and pink patches, particularly in Spring and Autumn. One of the most recommended fungicides is Provanto Lawn Disease control. Make sure to apply it two times a year. And it is cheap in price and very easy to use.
FAQ
Q: How much time does a red thread usually take to buzz off?
A: Normally, the red thread can last up to two years if you don’t take the necessary steps to cure it. It is a fungal disease, and it can spread rapidly. That’s why it can last longer than you expect.
Q: Is there any chance that over-watering will cause red thread?
A: Initially, the red thread is caused because of drought. But still, there is a minimal chance that overwatering can cause this disease. It can happen if you water excessively in a place where the sun exposure is lower.
Q: Can mowing ever spread the red thread and pink patches disease?
A: Yes, the mower can spread the fungi that cause red thread and pink patches. These diseases usually spread through wind, rain, wind, mowers, and other equipment. So, you should use a hand spade or knife to cut the affected area.
Q: Is pink patches and snow mold the same disease?
A: No, pink patches and snow mold are completely two different types of lawn diseases. Pink patches make circular patches that are pinkish brown in color. But snow mold quite looks like a spider web.
Q: What is the most feasible way to get rid of pink patches?
A: Penetrant fungicide is the most effective way to prevent the pink patch disease. Besides, thatch removal, quick-release nitrogen fertilizer, and sunshine can also help get rid of these diseases.
Final Verdict
As we see, the red thread and pink patches are not very dangerous diseases like dry patches or dollar spots on the lawn. But it is pretty much annoying and irritating for sure. The most disturbing fact is that these two lawn diseases can call other dangerous diseases just to kill your lawn. So, that can be a big problem in the end.
So, you should be always careful and try to identify this disease properly. Once you find it, try to maintain a proper lawn care routine and use some fungicide if the affected area is big. It is better to follow a proper lawn care routine so that you can prevent these diseases and save your lawn.
However, we already have a big discussion and should end here. Make sure to tell us if you have any questions to ask about this problem. Thank you for your time.