Snow Mold Could A Problem In New York

Now that Spring is here and hopefully, we are done with the snow, the white stuff could still be a problem for your lawn.

The biggest issue most lawns have in early Spring is "Snow Mold" and it is back here in New York. Snow Mold is a fungal disease that appears on lawns at the beginning stages of Spring as the snow melts.

Usually, it is the first lawn disease most people see after Winter and causes your lawn to look weird.

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Snow Mold becomes active when it is overcast, cool, and can happen after the last of the snow melts from your lawn. Snow Mold is caused by several factors including if snow falls on the ground before the ground is frozen and moisture is trapped between the snow and grass.

Snow Mold also forms in long grass, unraked leaves, and late fall fertilization of your lawn that leads to trapping moisture and warmth under snow, which also has the same effect as the ground not being frozen.

So what do you do if you see Snow Mold on your lawn? The good news is that your lawn will recover in time but if you want to help speed up the process you can lightly rake the area to encourage drying. You can also apply fertilizer to your lawn to help dry out.

In some cases, overseeding may be necessary and if it is really bad, a topdressing can be applied.