Tis the Season... for Snow Mold!

February 10, 2017

 LEARN HOW TO IDENTIFY & TREAT AFFECTED TURF GRASS

As spring approaches and snow begins to melt, one may notice that areas of turf grass may appear to be “glued” together and pale yellow in color. This problem is sign of a disease know as snow mold. In the University of Minnesota’s article by Cynthia Ash, “Snow molds in lawns,” snow mold is defined as being “a fungal disease that appears in early spring as the snow melts.” No need to panic though, throughout this article we’ll discuss why snow mold has occurred, types of snow mold symptoms to watch out for as well as how to prepare your lawn to defend itself against the snow mold disease.


  WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? 

A less-tended to lawn can be more susceptible to snow mold but even a well maintained lawn can also fall victim to this disease. Although this disease does not occur every year, it is most common after a winter that had an early and deep snow cover that prevented the ground from properly freezing.

 

  • NOTE: A cold winter is less likely to promote snow mold but may still cause winter injury to lawns.
  • TIP:  Any lawn can experience snow mold but with proper fertilization, watering, mowing and aeration you can decrease the likelihood of your lawn being affected by this disease each year.


 THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SNOW MOLD TYPES & IDENTIFYING THE SYMPTOMS

There are two types of snow mold that become active under snow cover: gray and pink snow mold. Symptoms can first be noticed when pale yellow, straw like circular patches appear on a lawn after snow melts in the spring. Often, these patchy areas are matted, or seem “glued” together and have colorful fungal growth that cover the entire patch or develop along the edges of the infected area.

GRAY SNOW MOLD (TYPHULA BLIGHT)

Gray snow mold can be spotted shortly after snow melts and is not a particularly vibrant shade of gray, but rather more of a straw colored, circular patch that looks white, sometimes grayish, and is surrounded by a white or gray halo of fluffy fungal growth. It often appears to be a rough circular shape that looks like bleach patches in the lawn that gets larger if grass remains cool and wet. This disease is caused by Typhula spp., a fungus that has the ability to attack plants at low temperatures under snow cover. When examining the spots, diseased plants will reveal small brown or tan pea-like structures called sclerotia on or imbedded in infected plants. The good news is that even though this disease is not pretty to look at, it rarely kills turf grass.

PINK SNOW MOLD (FUSARIUM PATCH)

Ironically, pink snow mold is not pink for very long and is caused by a fungus called Microdochium nivale. This fungus can survive unfavorable periods of dormancy in infected plants and debris in cool, wet conditions. This particular type of snow mold does not necessarily need snow to infect turf but has the ability to develop under snow cover. Areas like, the Pacific Northwest are susceptible to pink snow mold year-round. Under wet conditions, pink snow mold produces pinkish cast circular patches up to 60cm in diameter that gives turf the appearance of being water soaked around the edge of the infected area. Under dry conditions, pink mold becomes tan and/or bleached out. Pink snow mold has the ability to kill the crowns and roots of turf grass, making it a more severe disease compared to gray mold. 


  • NOTE: Bentgrass and perennial ryegrass are more vulnerable to pink mold while Kentucky bluegrass and fine fescues are moderately vulnerable.

 THE SCIENCE BEHIND SNOW MOLD ATTACK Snow mold doesn’t happen overnight; the right conditions will lead to this turfgrass disease. In the article, Distribution of Typhula spp. and Typhula ishikariensis Varieties in Wisconsin, Utah, Michigan, and Minnesota, from the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Wisconsin states:


During winter dormancy, the carbohydrate reserves of the plants are depleted, and the plant becomes less resistant to disease. Weakened plant defenses allow these psychrophilic organisms to take advantage of a host while escaping competition and antagonism from other microorganisms (3,9, 14,23). In intensively managed turfgrasses, particularly creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) and annual bluegrass (Poa annua L.), symptoms and signs of the disease appear in spring after snow melt as straw-colored circular patches of either dead tissue embedded with sclerotia in the leaves, crowns, or roots of the plant, or sclerotia loosely detached, suspended in mycelium between leaves (32,34).


 TREATMENT STRATEGIES

Comes spring and if areas of turf grass appear to be “glued” together and pale yellow in color, then that means snow mold has infected your lawn. Luckily treatment is fairly simple, especially in cases that are not too severe. In the University of Minnesota’s article by Cynthia Ash, “Snow molds in lawns,” its recommended to "gently rake affected areas of the lawn to promote drying and prevent further fungal growth." If snow mold has been a severe, persistent and/or wide-spread issue in past years, a preventative fungicide program can be adopted. Contact the regions Cooperative Extension Office for more information in regard to current registered products available for use in that area.


 PREVENTION & MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

Turf grass is more susceptible to lawn disease during the winter months because of its dormancy. Since plants are not actively growing they are more vulnerable to disease due to the limited reserve of food/nutrients to get them through till spring. However, just because grass is dormant and more susceptible to snow mold disease doesn’t mean that the turf will become infected. It’s important to properly prepare turf grass during late spring/early fall in order to prevent & manage a future infection. Some important strategies to remember are:


  • Continue to mow turf as long as it continues to grow, this can even mean mowing into months when weather beings to cool.  NOTE:  Be sure to research or consult a lawn care expert about the grass species in your region for mowing specifications. 
  • When applying winterizer in fall, be sure to follow bag label instructions about application timing as well as proper application rate. Fertilizing too late in the fall will stimulate excessive new growth, which will be vulnerable to infection. TIP: Avoid fertilizers with excessive nitrogen in mid-fall to discourage growth, rather, look for a winterizer that has higher rates of Potassium (the K in N-P-K).
  • Avoid creating snow banks, or piles of snow from shoveling and plowing on lawns to prevent compacting turf. The longer the snow remains on grass, the more moisture will be trapped, encouraging snow mold growth. 
  • Leaf Mulch or remove leaves from lawn prior to winter weather. Piles of leaves create a favorable environment for snow mold.
  • Manage thatch and core aeration prior to heading into months of dormancy.
  • In areas affected by snow mold, lightly rake matted areas to loosen the grass in order to encourage new spring growth.


In the end, a balanced fertilization program that is applied in the correct amounts and at the right time ultimately provide the necessary nutrients needed to encourage a strong grass root system that will help prevent snow mold from occurring in the spring after the snow melts.


For professional fertilizers, humic and AMP-XC™ enriched products available, please visit TurfCare’s online Product Catalog.
 
For green industry professionals or others interested in ordering Turfcare products, please contact our Customer Service to find a distributor near you.

References:
http://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/pdf/10.1094/PHYTO-96-0926
http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/lawns/snow-molds-in-lawns/
http://plantclinic.cornell.edu/factsheets/pinksnowmold.pdf
http://plantscience.psu.edu/research/centers/turf/extension/factsheets/managing-diseases/pink-snow-mold
http://www.brennanlandscaping.com/home-and-garden-news/ProblemsAfterSnow
https://www.spring-green.com/lawn-care-guide/snow-mold/
http://www.turfmagazine.com/lawn-care/common-turfgrass-diseases/
http://plantclinic.cornell.edu/factsheets/graysnowmold.pdf

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