About Snow Mold Treatment

Snow mold is a fungal grass disease that appears after the snow has melted, usually in the early spring. Many times this occurs when the ground has not had time to freeze before the snow covers it. Lightly raking the affected areas will increase air circulation and aid in the recovery of the grass.

Cold, damp winter weather provides the ideal conditions for the gray and pink fungi known as snow mold. All of the grass will not necessarily die because it has snow mold. Infected grass areas will take longer to turn green because they will most likely lay dormant longer.

The grass plant is not totally affected, just the blades. This is why simple methods are all that are needed for treatment. An effective and easy method of treatment for snow mold is to lightly rake the damaged patches of grass once the lawn has started to dry. Increasing the airflow to the infected areas aids in recovery. To help stimulate new growth, it is beneficial to use regular grass fertilizer.

Preventative treatment is always beneficial. The tasks for this are:

• Keep mowing your lawn until the grass stops growing. 


• Do not fertilize your lawn from the middle of September through the middle of November.


• Remove all debris from the lawn, such as twigs and leaves, before the first snowfall.


• Manage thatch by employing core aeration. This will aid drying of the lawn when it gets wet. It also encourages the decomposition of thatch. Thatch can provide a home for dormant spores of the snow mold fungi, allowing them to remain.


• Spread out piles of snow so that they melt quicker.