Red Thread
All of the rain we had over the past several weeks made your grass plants lazy. As rain was so plentiful, the roots didn’t need to grow too deep to reach water. That means your plants have shallow roots. Shallow roots need easy to access water. Therefore, it’s time to water!
Your lawn needs an inch of water each week. If you have an automatic sprinkler system, aim for about 30-40 minutes per zone, every other day. If you are using hoses and sprinklers, try to water 2x a week, for an hour in each area.
If you cannot water and we do not receive substantial rain each week (quick thunderstorms don’t count) expect your lawn to slip into drought stress. Our lawn care techs will automatically adjust your program accordingly.
Mowing high is also critical at this time of year. Longer turf will help keep weed populations down. Mowing your lawn too low or “scalping it” will make it brown out faster and more prone to drought stress. Mow it at the highest setting, keeping it at about 3-3.5 inches.
If red thread was a problem in your lawn, and it was in many, it may take longer to recover in the warmer, drier weather. Fungicides are still not recommended as red thread needs to grow out of the grass plant to resolve itself.