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By and large, grass rather enjoyed the insulation that snow provided. That’s why lawns are now looking better than expected. Grass has not been victimized by excessive winter burn this year, with the result that lawns are already somewhat green as opposed to the usual brown. But take a close look at your grass and there’s a good chance you’ll see grayish-white areas on the lawn that look peculiar against the normal turf. The problem is called gray snow mold or Typhula Blight. Symptoms are first noticed as soon as spring thaw gets rid of snow cover. Irregularly shaped spots, most about 2 feet in diameter, appear throughout areas of otherwise healthy turf. At the outer edges of the diseased spots is a white sticky looking substance that looks like sprinkled flour that has been allowed to become soaked with water. The white substance causes grass blades to become matted, stick together, and break when hardened. The life cycle of snow mold fungus begins in fall. In late fall, snow mold fungus spores germinate to form small, club shaped fruiting bodies, which go largely unnoticed. The problem is more prevalent if autumn conditions are wetter than average. Fungal spores continue to germinate, grow and expand as long as temperature and moisture is favorable. Grass is not yet adversely affected. But the problem begins when prolonged snow cover prevents the grass from deep freeze. Eventually grass is killed because the fungus produces harmful cyanide gas, which cannot escape due to the snow’s protective insulation. The good news is that only the grass blades suffer from snow mold. Grass roots remain healthy throughout the ordeal. As soon as we get a few weeks of warm weather, the fungus problem will be history. The affected grass will deteriorate and will be replaced by new grass shoots that have sprung from healthy roots below. A number of additional factors may have contributed to excessive snow mold this year. If your lawn has too much thatch build-up, snow mold will be more prevalent. Thatch causes fungus to thrive, and extra thatch only serves to retain moisture and provide extra insulation. If you have applied a healthy dose of lawn fertilizer in fall, the threat of fungus is increased. Nitrogen fertilizers promote lush growth which might not harden properly in time for winter. Excess grass or leaves built up over healthy grass may also lead to increased fungus. The obvious solution to snow mold problems is removal of snow. Periodic dumpings of snow will not lead to snow mold unless the snow remains for extended periods. In areas along sidewalks and driveways, where snow is shoveled up high, level off the heaps to encourage rapid melting. |
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