TruGreen, the UK lawn care experts warn that British lawns could be at risk this Spring/Summer from the increasingly common disease; Red Thread. Gardeners need to act fast to stop the spread early on in the growing season. This disease is often referred to as an indicator of low fertility and symptoms will often develop more severely if nitrogen or potassium is limited, and given the increase in rainfall over the past 4-5 weeks it is likely that the nutrients applied during the first treatment of the year will have been used more readily by the plant or leached through the soil. 

How to tell if you have Red Thread:
TruGreen advises carrying out thorough checks for the visible signs of the disease: 

Red Thread looks like what can be described as ‘pink shredded wheat’ sitting in your grass. This is in fact the fungus.  Also most noticeable in late winter early spring, Red Thread will bleach the grass blades and the leaf will eventually die. The infected patches may be close together or widely apart. 

 

If you are unsure, contact your local TruGreen expert who will quickly be able to identify any intruders.

How to treat

Red Thread is a water-borne disease, which, if left untreated, can ruin the appearance of your lawn for summers to come and spread throughout the garden.  Even if the summer has hot dry conditions, the spores of Red Thread can live and rapidly multiply when wet.

 

Early diagnosis is vital to prevent further spread and long term damage.  Steve Welch, Network Manager at TruGreen says; “It is essential that treatment of these spring diseases begins as soon as possible to get your lawn back to full health."  A fully trained TruGreen expert can carry out a thorough fungicidal treatment to remove the disease using specialist products.

 

TruGreen offers a free, no-obligation 14 point lawn analysis programme, which will identify the state of your lawn and recommend any course of action required.  For more information, contact your local TruGreen expert.