Tag Archives: Red Thread

Red thread is the common name for the fungal lawn disease laetisaria fuciformis. It is a very common lawn disease in the UK.

Red thread on lawns

The infection appears as circular patches of brown / pink coloured patches of grass. Upon closer inspection, fine red cotton-like strands grow out of the grass leaves. This is where it gets it’s name.

The infection moves between grass plants and spreads across a lawn. It can dramtically affect the look of a lawn.

Find out more about laetisaria fuciformis, how to spot it and how to control it, in these blog posts.

Question: Patchy lawn in colour and growth

I received this excellent question in July 2019. A patchy lawn is a common issue and the possible causes of this case are worth exploring further. Alex wrote: Hi Kris, I laid my lawn (turf rolls) almost exactly a year in July 2018. I prepared the surface and placed a rooting fertiliser before laying the turf. It was… Read More »

Red thread lawn disease (Laetisaria fuciformis)

Red thread fungus infecting grass

Red thread (Laetisaria fuciformis) is a parasitic fungal disease which infects grass. It can appear in conjunction with pink patch lawn disease, causing similar symptoms. The disease causes areas of grass to discolour. These are usually circular, but they can coalesce into larger areas. These patches can appear over a few days, and may stay for several weeks.… Read More »

Question: Lawn looking like straw after cut

New grass turning straw-like

I received this question from a reader from surrey in August 2017 who is worried his newly turfed lawn looks like straw. Unfortunately I live in surrey but came across your site. Thank you for offering to reply to my email. I installed a lawn 3 months ago. I put down 20 tonnes of topsoil. It was growing… Read More »