April, 2018 | Superior Lawn Care
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How Can I Tell If My Lawn Has Red Thread Disease?

Temperatures are finally rising this spring, and that makes everyone happy. However, as it becomes warmer, the conditions that favor the development of red thread disease have also arrived.

Red Thread Is a Lawn Disease

We’ve had customers tell us the “red thread” sounds a bit sinister. It’s actually a fungal disease that appears as pink circular patches in lawns. As the disease develops, these patches produce strands that resemble thread. Red thread has become more prevalent in well-nourished lawns and golf courses in recent years.

Why Does My Lawn Have Red Thread?

It’s a hardy disease that can live and then develop throughout a wide range of temperatures. Although the disease is most prevalent in the low-to-mid 60 degree range, it can still grow and flourish at any temperature between 40 and 80 degrees – and in the Pittsburgh area, that’s quite a few months out of the year. Red thread is most severe during extended periods of cool, wet, and overcast weather.

If your lawn doesn’t have the right mix of nutrients, it can become susceptible to disease. Often, lawns that have a nitrogen deficiency will have red thread. (Nitrogen is a must because it keeps grass healthy in several ways.) A lawn care plan that includes a blend of fertilizers will solve that issue. Another possible problem is that your lawn doesn’t have enough drainage, keeping your yard moist for far longer than it should be. Aerating the lawn in the fall will help.

How Can You Control Red Thread?

Fungicides are available that will control the disease, but they’re usually not needed, since red thread doesn’t often cause lasting damage to healthy grass. Proper cultural practices will minimize the severity of the disease. They include:

  • Using proper fertilization practices to meet the nutritional need of the turf and promote vigorous growth.
  • Ensuring that you water your lawn during early morning hours to
  • prevent prolonged periods of leaf moisture throughout the night.
  • Mowing when the grass is dry to minimize the spread of fungal spores. Although it is not generally advised to remove clippings, they should be bagged and removed while the disease is active to prevent spread of red thread.

Superior Lawn Care Keeps Your Yard Healthy and Free of Disease

If you see patches of grass in your yard and are concerned that you have red thread, give us a call right away. We have a five-application lawn program that keeps the grass well-fertilized, controls disease and insects, and increases your curb appeal. We cover southwestern Pennsylvania, including North Huntingdon, Murrysville, Moon Township, Wexford, Penn Township, Cranberry, Indiana, and Upper St. Clair.

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Avert the Dandelion Menace This Spring with Superior Lawn Care

Looks are deceiving, because it’s been a very cold spring, but soon dandelions and other invasive weeds will be popping up in your yard. While they may look bright and pretty in a field, they take away from the look of a well-kept lawn. Now is the time to take the steps that are needed to control the dandelions that will most likely litter your yard by May, and continue right into the fall months.

Why Do I Have So Many Dandelions?

Dandelions don’t need pollination to grow and thrive, and they have a perfect seed dispersal system. After the bright yellow flowers start to wilt, they turn into the whitish, fluffy crown that little kids love to pick up and blow around. The wind can break apart those seeds and send them into other parts of your yard, or a pet may run by them, or someone can step on them, which also delivers them somewhere else.

Dandelions also steal the water and minerals of the grass and plants around them, giving them more staying power. They are long-lasting weeds, and may live for several years due to their very deep root system. You’ll see many people try to tug dandelions out of the ground, but they probably aren’t eliminating the entire root, which means that these hardy weeds will just grow back. Homeowners need to have a plan in place to ensure that dandelions won’t be able to overtake their yard.

How Do I Prevent Dandelions?

Since there are so many dandelion seeds floating around, you have to start early in the season – late winter and early spring are the best times.

Applying a broadleaf weed control now, and then continuing to apply it during the remainder of the spring and summer, is necessary to control dandelions. Superior Lawn Care’s 5-step application lawn program delivers the right amount of weed control in the early spring and then again throughout the growing season.

Our lawn care program doesn’t just control dandelions and other weeds, though. It also fertilizes your grass with the nutrients that are needed during the spring, summer, and even fall. It also protects your yard from crabgrass, keeps it insect-free, and promotes root growth.

Enjoy a beautiful lawn this year. Call or contact Superior Lawn Care today to start your lawn care program. We serve homeowners all over southwestern PA, including Indiana, Moon Township, Cranberry, Murrysville, Penn Township, Wexford, Upper St. Clair, and North Huntingdon.