Pink
and grey snow mold are commonly found in those turf areas of greatest snow
accumulation on unfrozen ground. The most notable symptoms are crusted areas
of grass in which blades are dead, bleached and matted together. These
bleached areas range from several inches to several feet across. Usually,
only the grass leaves are attacked, but under conditions favorable for
disease development, the fungus may kill the crowns and roots as well. Snow
mold can usually be controlled successfully in home lawns without the use of
fungicides. If you notice symptoms of snow mold, rake the affected areas
lightly with a leaf rake. Breaking the crusted, matted grass leaves will
allow air movement and encourage new growth. It is best to do this when
symptoms first appear in January, February, or March. The longer raking is
delayed, the more likely damage will occur. If you have a yearly problem, a
preventative product such as PCNB, applied just before winter may be the
answer.
The
following pictures were taken at the Custom Turf office in early March 2009.
The lawn surrounding our office has always been prone to Snow Mold. In
previous years, we applied a Snow Mold Preventative (PCNB) application in
the early winter. As an experiment, we decided not to do it this year.
