If you thought you didn’t have to worry about lawn disease during the dormant winter period, think again. Snow mold is such a prevalent problem that there are two different types to be aware of. Learn how to spot the difference between gray and pink snow mold and how you can help protect and treat your grass.

What is Snow Mold

In general, snow mold is a fungal disease triggered by cool, wet conditions. It can happen year-round, but it’s more active when compacted grass is covered with heavy snow. Once the weather warms, the disease may go dormant, but it’s likely to return the following winter if left untreated.

For both types of snow mold, you’ll notice irregularly shaped patches of matted grass in the spring as the snow starts to melt. There will also be a web-like fungus growing over the blades, but it may be a different color depending on what type of snow mold you’re dealing with. Here are some other differences between the two types of lawn disease:

Gray Snow Mold

• Also known as Typhula blight since it’s caused by two types of fungi: Typhula incarnata and Typhula ishikariensis.
• Usually affects the grass blades, which take on a white or gray color.
• More common in cool-season grass.
• Matted patches of grass appears crusty.

Pink Snow Mold

• Also known as Microdochium patch or Fusarium patch since it’s caused by the fungus Microdochium nivale.
• Grass blades take on a white or pink hue when wet.
• More common in creeping bentgrass and annual bluegrass.
• More severe than gray snow mold as it can kill the crown and roots of grass plants.

Under the right conditions, your lawn may be affected by both types of snow mold simultaneously. Since treatment options vary for each type, preventative methods are more effective in controlling the disease.

Preventing and Treating Lawn Disease

One of the best ways to prevent any type of lawn disease is to properly maintain your lawn. Practicing the right methods of mowing, reseeding, fertilizing, and aerating will help keep soil from compacting and longer grass blades from matting. You’ll also help strengthen grass roots to fight back against disease, making it easier for your lawn to recover.

If you’ve dealt with snow mold in the past, you can apply a fungicide in the fall before any snow arrives. However, this is more effective in preventing gray snow mold. You can also treat gray mold by boosting lawn health by fertilizing in the spring. But if your grass has pink snow mold, it’s best to contact a lawn care professional like Cardinal Lawns to help bring your lawn back to life.