Question
HI

I live in East Northport and my lawn is really looking pretty good this year because of the rain. However I have some patches of thatch with red in it. I thought that it might be grubs because I had that problem two years ago. Is this grubs or is it too much water or something else? I aerated in April and fertilized with slow release nitrogen in April after aerating and at the end of May as well.

Thanks

Answer
Frank, I would say you have two problems here.

The first problem was your "too much water" theory.  Between the cats and dogs it's been raining, and the cool weather, and other stresses that wore down the turf, you now have a problem named Fungus.

The second problem may have started when you solved your grub problem two years ago. Good money says you poured a nice strong grub-killer all over your grass.

I'll bet you saturated the lawn with one of those bottles that comes with a skull and bones on it.  You completely solved your grubs problem.  You also killed all the earthworms, freaked out the birds who no longer could meet at your house for breakfast, wiped out all signs of life and now you have Thatch AND Fungus.

Let's start with your question about grubs.  You wonder if they're back?  You want to Agent Orange your lawn AGAIN?

A few grubs is NO PROBLEM, Frank.  

Beetles love to lay their eggs in wet soil.  Now, we can't do anything about all this rain we're getting.  But unless you peel away the turf and see swarms of grubs, you don't have a grub problem.  If you cut yourself shaving, you don't call an ambulance.  If you have a few grubs, you don't need to use nuclear weapons.  The birds love them.  They're a sign your soil is recovering for the havoc wreaked 2 years ago with the Agent Orange.  I hope you have some grubs.  

If your Red Flag is Fungus, you may be dealing with something called Red Thread Disease.  This is a very common fungus that strikes lawns that were treated for grubs 2 years ago and have not recovered.  

DON'T TREAT IT WITH A FUNGICIDE!  

Classic case of Red Thread -- maybe Rust or something else? All of these affect grass weakened by poor soil, humidity and chemicals that wipe out Mother Nature.  

A lesson on Fungus:

RED THREAD is a cool-weather pink fungus (Laetisaria fuciformis).  Examine, close up, the red areas in your lawn.  Red Thread sometimes leaves bright red marks on leaves.  Little strands attach to leaf tips.

Ryegrass and Fescue -- especially Red Fescue, which is used in shade-grass blends -- are highly susceptible.  Sometimes Bentgrass and Bermudagrass get it, too.  And when Red Thread attacks a Bluegrass lawn, the effect can be really devastating.

You didn抰 mention your grass type, and you did not say your lawn looks pale and lacks vigor, but your description of patches of red a defining symptom of Red Thread.  

The trademark Red strands are launched with the first wave of high humidity and/or during long rainy spells.  Just like we are having now.  

Cornell University experts describe this as a problem which 搊ccurs in the spring and fall during humid periods when the air temperatures are between 60癋 and 75癋? weather we have seen lots of.  

Red Thread can get really bad on slow-growing, nitrogen-deficient turf.  Red patches might be a few inches wide or they might reach several feet across.  Sometimes they are pale pink, sometimes they are milky in color.

What should you do if you have Red Thread?  

Well, this disease is best treated with a good Nitrogen fertilizer.  It helps the grass out-grow the Fungus.  You have to water very deep, early in the day, and only when the grass needs it. Make absolutely sure the grass dries out before dusk.  Water ONLY when necessary. If you have an automatic sprinkler, which will water like clockwork, TURN IT OFF.

Make sure your drainage is good.  When you mow, remove all the infected grass clippings until this disease is under control.  

As for aeration, Chemically treated lawns must be aerated and de-thatched all the time.  Natural organisms that are part of the breakdown process are killed by Chemicals.  Aeration is unnecessary when organic management methods are used.  A pH of 6.5-7.0 will discourage Red Thread.

Another possibility -- but not likely because it usually hits during the summer -- is RUST fungus (Puccinia).  

Symptoms of Rust include Red-Orange spots or powdery, spore-filled pustules and powder on the blades, followed by a general decline in vigor and yellowed turf.  Merion and Touchdown Bluegrass are most susceptible, followed by other Bluegrass strains, Zoysia and Tall Fescue. As with Red Thread, healthy grass rarely comes down with Rust.  

Treatment consists of a healthy dose of Nitrogen fertilizer, improving air circulation where possible, and correcting watering.   

FUSARIUM (Microdochium nivalis), which used to be known as Pink Snow Mold, shows up as compact, Yellow patches, only a few inches in diameter, which turn Reddish Brown as they develop. The disease goes after Bluegrass. Day temps in the 80抯 and 90抯 are perfect for this fungus, especially when a grass is dealing with other problems humidity, watering and shade.  

In this case, lay off the Nitrogen fertilizer.  Overdosing on Nitrogen encourages Fusarium.  Bluegrass is most susceptible.  First sign of trouble is round, grayish areas in the turf, they can be small or they can be a foot wide.  

This fungus is known for its signature bulls-eyes.  But simple circles are just as common. Dead stems have hard, ruddy areas; dead foliage looks pale and bleached. To fight Fusarium, hold off on all Nitrogen fertilizers and adjust mowing to the correct height for your variety of grass.  

Thatch does not accumulate in healthy turf.  But if you have killed all the earthworms and organisms that cycle it, it will build up until you have a fungus problem, especially if you are watering in the dark at night with automatic sprinklers that don't care if the lawn needs it or not.

There are probably a thousand good reasons not to pour chemicals on lawn grass, all beginning with the letter F -- for Fungus.  Professionall turf people are only too happy to proceed with Fungicides because there is money to be made in "treatments".  But there is nothing healthy about a lawn that needs Fungicides and other chemicals.  My position is, if Adam didn't use it in the Garden of Eden, you should not use it, either.  

Normally, thatch is home to many natural fungi, most of them beneficial.  The fungus population is key to natural decomposition of grass clippings and dead leaves -- and a necessary ingredient for a healthy lawn.  Proper mowing, fertilizing, careful watering and intelligent, organic soil management will banish these from your lawn forever.  Check the photographs at the Cornell University Plant Clinic website (plantclinic.cornell.edu) to see if any of these pictures look like your lawn.  

I will close this note to you with one of my favorite Fungicide stories.  

A gardener was talking to his wise neighbor about the local landscaper.  He pointed out that the landscaper's first customer that morning had a really bad lawn fungus problem.  Was the landscaper spreading fungus on ALL the lawns?  See, every time he mowed someone's grass, the lawnmower he'd used on the first customer, who had the lawn Fungus, would spread Fungus spores all over the next lawn.  Was he giving all his customers the same lawn Fungus?

No, said the neighbor, he didn't think the landscaper was spreading Fungus all over everybody's lawns.

"He drew me a picture of a three-legged stool," explained the gardener of his wise neighbor.    

And the wise neighbor explained: 揟he seat of the stool is the disease, Fungus,?he began. 揟he seat has to have three legs to support it. One leg is the host plant, the lawn grass. Another leg is the fungus spores; they抮e present all of the time in the soil. The third leg is the environment around the lawn. If any of the three legs is not present, the stool falls and there is no disease.

揟wo legs: the grass and the fungus, are permanently present. They can抰 be changed. The third leg, the environment, can be changed in order to keep the Fungus at bay in a given lawn."

Water deep, once per week maximum, in the morning. Mow religiously at the perfect height for your grass. Don't put any more chemicals on your lawn. Not even a little. You will save money, work less and your lawn will be beautifully healthy.  Trust me.