Springtime means budding flowers, red-bellied robins, and warmer weather, but as the days get longer and snow begins to melt, snow mold may appear in your grass. These gray, white or pink colored circles are unsightly, but with a few steps, you can prevent and treat the condition, so your lawn is luscious and green when summer sets in.

What is Snow Mold?

Snow mold is a lawn disease that’s caused by a fungus in the soil. It’s present year-round, but it lies dormant until temperatures rise above freezing. This causes the snow to melt and saturate the soil. As the spores spread, you may notice discolored circles or straw-like grass under the melting snow. Snow mold can be gray, white, or even pink.

How Does it Form?

If heavy snow occurs before the ground gets a chance to freeze, the fungus can lie dormant among dead leaves, matted grass, and other organic matter below the snow. As temperatures hit 32 to 45 degrees, the snow begins to melt and spores can spread quickly. There are two types of snow mold: gray snow mold (also called Typhula blight) and pink snow mold (Microdochium patch or Fusarium patch).

What Types of Grass Does Snow Mold Affect?

Snow mold can affect all types of cool-season grasses, especially if they’ve been covered by snow for a long time. Some grasses may be more susceptible than others, but they’re all at risk of harboring snow mold. Kentucky bluegrass is the most common type of cool-season grass that’s found in most yards, and snow mold can become a major problem.

Signs and Symptoms of Snow Mold

Snow mold appears as temperatures rise, snow melts, and grass appears. Straw-colored patches of snow mold can range from just a few inches to several feet in diameter. Gray or white discoloration on blades of grass indicates that gray snow mold is present, and pinkish-white discoloration suggests that pink snow mold is the culprit.

Grey snow mold usually only affects the grass blades, but pink snow mold can be much more aggressive. In fact, pink snow mold can kill the crow and roots of your grass plants.

Treatment Options

Unfortunately, there is no fungicide application that will work to kill snow mold once it appears in the spring. Instead, prevention is key. If your lawn is at risk of developing snow mold, it’s recommended that you treat it with a fungicide in the fall before the first heavy snowfall. There are also certain measures you can take to keep your lawn healthy and mold-free.

If you notice snow mold in your yard, make sure it’s treated each fall. Without treatment, snow mold can kill your grass and spread very quickly throughout your entire lawn.

Preventing Snow Mold

Treating your lawn with a fungicide in the fall is the best way to prevent it from appearing in the spring. Here are a few things you can do to prevent snow mold:

• Mow your lawn before the first heavy snowfall.
• Remove leaves and grass clippings from your lawn in the fall.
• Dethatch your lawn at the end of summer.
• Don’t use too much fertilizer that contains nitrogen.
• Apply a fungicide that’s designed to prevent snow mold around Thanksgiving (before the first heavy snowfall).
• Don’t create piles of snow on your lawn when shoveling sidewalks, stoops and driveways.

Snow mold can be a nuisance, but you can keep it at bay by taking a few preventative measures. If you’d like to learn more about how to have a healthy lawn, contact us today. Our experts at American Arbor Care can help to create the perfect maintenance plan for your home landscape.