Red Thread

I have been paying a lawn specialist company to attend our lawn and improve it for more than 12 months at a cost of £16+ each month.

They have rid the lawn of vertually all weeds but the moss and now Red thread are very much in evidence. I have cancelled the deal with the lawn firm. I know how to control the moss but what can be done about the increasing patches of Red Thread? The chemicals available to non commercial folk are not thought to be very effective.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

stony

 

How bad is the problem Stony, could you post a picture or two please.

 

I know it is generally bad "internet etiquette" to post on old threads, but seeing as this one didn't have any replies I thought I could offer some suggestions for future users.

Firstly, Red Thread infection on lawns is caused by a fungus called laetisaria fuciformis. Like other fungi, it spreads via tiny spores, so it will have either blown onto your lawn from a neighbour, or been brought in on someone's boots / equipment.

2012 was a bit of an epidemic for Red Thread. Being a fungus it thrives in damp, warm weather, and that was exactly what we had for the most of the summer.

It is quite easy to spot as the grass will look "untidy" in curious circles, and looking closely you'll see red needles coming out of the blades of dead grass (see pic).

It won't kill your grass as it only affects the top leaves, but it does make it look a bit untidy.

To remedy it, there are a couple of things you can try. The easiest / cheapest / safest is to give your lawn a big dose of Nitrogen. This will promote top growth, and literally grow out the fungus. A good liquid feed would be best, to get into the leaves. Something like a tomato feed. You can put it on using a watering can every couple of weeks.

You could also apply a fungicide, and there are one-or two available to the public, but the most effective ones are extremely expensive and require a licence to apply, so you'll have to get a man in for that.

Overall though, it won't kill your lawn, so if the look of it doesn't bother you, don't worry about it!

Hope this helps

Kris

 

Hi Kris,

No problem, usefull for future reference. I was reading about it in a gardening mag the other day.

 

I actually quite like that look. It adds a bit of colour. But then I'm a bit unusual in that I'm not a fan of the manicured lawn, and routinely allow daisies and clovers to grow in mine.

 

I'm getting fed up with the lawn invading my daisies, buttercups, clover and moss; oh and a pretty teeny purple thingy. Yes, bane of my life this lawn malarky!

 

Kris, many thanks for your advice and assurances that our lawns will survive - inspite of this fungus,the lack of warm sunlight and the more than generous supply of liquid from the heavens for months and months.
Just to comment that Stony has not been seen on GC since the day he posted this question. It irks me a bit, that people "pop in" ask for advice and then never come back to see what has been offered,
hey ho - grump over
Jenny

 

Some folk forget which forum they joined. Seen one of ours on another forum recently, last time she forgot, she googled me to find her way back here

 

Another stalker, Zigs???

 

I'm on a couple of techies forums. Its almost a shame I can't remember which ones. I once spent about 10 minutes getting wound up because a forum was denying my login attempts even though I was definitely 100% certain I'd put the right credentials in. I was right, they were the right credentials, just the wrong forum.