AAA Lawn Care technicians are seeing some lawns with signs of snow mold. Snow mold diseases are caused by cold-tolerant fungi that grow at near freezing temperatures. Wet, heavy snow on top of unfrozen ground provides good conditions for snow mold development. It can also be active in the spring during cold, wet days (even after the snow has melted). Snow mold symptoms appear in circular, grayish or pinkish spots in lawns as the snow melts in the spring.
Light raking of affected areas in the spring will speed up the drying. This also reduces further injury and stimulates new spring growth. In most cases, our early spring application will stimulate enough new growth for good recovery in these areas. Any areas that have not recovered by late April should be reseeded. Lastly, mowing your lawn shorter (around 1 ½”) in the late fall will reduce the matting down that occurs over the winter and will help your lawn dry faster in the spring.
If you are concerned about possible snow mold in your Grand Rapids lawn, please do not hesitate to call AAA Lawn Care at (888) 374-7336 and we will be happy to have your technician take a look!