As some communities dig out from this winter's record snowfalls or unusual snow events, they might find it hard to escape the ramifications of that winter weather.
The long accumulation of snow this past winter was great for all the moisture but may have led to snow mold in lawns. Snow mold is generally not a major problem; damage is usually superficial or minimal and lawns usually recover well without extensive attention.
How do you know if you are dealing with snow mold? Symptoms include matted grass with grayish mycelia ( Typhula spp); these patches are slow to green up. There may be some whitish "globs" within these patches.
What to do? Now that grass is starting to dry, rake spots or patches to get the grass to stand up, to dry and to stimulate growth. Raking, sweeping or brushing can remove the grayish mycelia (mold). Light fertilization and/or overseeding spots may be useful. Fungicides are mostly ineffective.
Here are some prevention techniques from the Arapahoe County CSU Cooperative Extension office that are useful year-round:
- Core aerate in fall; plug holes should on average 4 inches apart or less. Core aerate again in spring (late March/early April)
- Avoid snow compaction on lawns; avoid piling snow to form huge "Matterhorns" on lawn areas. If this is unavoidable, sprinkle dark organic materials (such as compost) in thin layers onto piles of snow to help it melt faster in sunlight.
- Avoid excessive fertilizer applications in early fall. The best time for fall fertilization, if you have a cool-season grass like Kentucky bluegrass, is before the lawn goes brown-dormant and is not growing much but still green, usually around mid-late October.
- Mow attwo pointfive to three inches until lawn goes brown-dormant (often late Nov. or Dec.)
- You can mow shorter than two and a half inches if desired and IF turf has gone brown-dormant
- Rake up leaves that have dropped and accumulated on the lawn before fall/winter snows; compost these or dig them into vegetable/flower garden soils.
For more information, call Arapahoe County, Colo. Cooperative Extension at 303-730-1920 or visit www.colostate.edu/depts/CoopExt/4DMG
/Pests/Diseases/snowmold.htm.