Snow mold, also known as snow rot, is a lawn disease that thrives under snow or wet leaves during the cold winter months. It occurs when too much snow stays on the ground for extended periods of time.
Sound like winter in the Northeast? We have yet to see what lawns will look like under all that snow, but no need to stress if you see patches of snow mold. It is treatable and you can prevent it from happening in the future.
Tips
Here are some tips:
Treating snow mold: As temperatures start to rise with the approach of spring, snow mold will likely go away on its own. If it doesn’t, rake the area and reseed any bare spots.
Preventing snow mold: By taking a few simple steps, you can reduce the chances that snow mold will come back.
Mow your grass a little shorter than normal when you do your final cut of the season.
Mulch leaves in the fall to eliminate wet leaf cover as this is a perfect breeding ground for snow mold.
Use a low-nitrogen, slow-release lawn food. Nitrogen can promote snow mold growth.
Try to minimize the size of the snow banks you create. Snow mold can occur in areas where snow has been piled, such as along driveways when shoveling or snowblowing.
If you aren’t sure if what you are seeing on your lawn is snow mold, give Green Thumb a call and one of our lawn specialists will come out and take a look.