Are you noticing patches of grass in your lawn are starting to resemble the picture above? Ohio Summer thus far has included an inordinate amount of rainfall. All of the excessive moisture has caused the lawn disease Red Thread to flourish. Although unsightly, very seldom does Red Thread permanently damage the turf. Red thread is a foliar disease that usually occurs on taller mown turf-grasses during the spring and fall. It seems unusual to have this problem in the summer, but we are sure it is no surprise that Ohio weather has been out of the ordinary for this time of year.
Red thread takes its name from the antler-like structures produced by a fungus on the tips of the infected leaf blades. From a distance, red thread symptoms appear as circular patches of tan or pink turf about 4-8 inches in diameter. Red thread usually occurs where turgrass nutrition is poor and there are other factors that hinder growing turf.
Red thread disease is largely cosmetic. Unless environmental conditions exist, that help the disease flourish, the turf will recover – usually with no long lasting effects of the infection. If it is bothersome or you get Red Thread even when the weather patterns are normal, call our office for further information and management options.
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