Snow moldis a common lawn disease. It occurs mainly in the spring period (especially if the lawn was covered with snow for a long time in winter), although it can also appear in summer. This lawn disease manifests as a white or pink bloom on the grass, and if left untreated it leads to the death of the grass. Seehow to recognize snow moldand how to prevent andfight snow mold on your lawn
Snow mold on the lawn
Snow mold on the lawnappears most often in spring.It is caused by the fungus Fusarium nivale. This pathogen especially likes moisture and heat, and is especially favored by a thick layer of snow on the lawn during winter. As a result of its activity,white bloom covering the blades of grassappears on the lawn, which later becomes slightly brown. This brown bloom is formed by fungus spores.
Characteristicsymptoms of snow moldare observed in spring. When the snow melts, we see the enormity of the damage on the lawn. These are brown spots in the turf with a diameter of 15-20 cm. Over time, the stains can coalesce and form larger squares of frozen grass. The disease progresses rapidly and can spread over the entire lawn in a short time.
Symptoms of snow mold on the lawn
Fig. I. Sáček, senior, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Snow mold on the lawndevelops particularly intensively after winter with heavy snowfall, when the snow cover is thick and stays long in the early spring.Then the temperature rises and under the snow there are ideal conditions for the growth of the fungus causing snow mold. This fungus causes the grass to die off, and in extreme cases it can completely destroy it.
The problem is that all these processes take place under the cover of snow, so we do not see them and cannot react quickly. Only when the snow has melted does it turn out that our lawn still has a white coating.The intense appearance of snow mold is mainly due to the weather conditions , which we have no influence on. Therefore, you should protect yourself against snow mold on your lawn in other ways.
The grass died as a result of an attack of snow mold
Fig. I. Sáček, senior, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Snow mold - autumn control
Particular attention should be paid to the autumn lawn care.In the fall, fertilizers with a high nitrogen content should not be used.It is best to apply a specialized autumn fertilizer for a lawn with a reduced amount of nitrogen and a higher dose of phosphorus and potassium. Another good autumn fertilizer for a lawn that does not contain nitrogen will also be natural bas alt flour (the flour, by the way, has a slightly deacidifying effect and reduces the occurrence of moss on the grass).
Also remember totrim the lawn shortly for the last mowing before winter. You should also very carefullyrake all leavesthat may mold and rot under the snow.
Snow mold - winter control
During winter,when snow falls, do not walk on the lawnas this can break frozen blades of grass. Such damage is an open gate for mold fungi during spring thaw. In addition, trampled and compacted snow easily lumps together and suchsnow crust promotes the development of gray moldTherefore, it is best not to enter a snow-covered lawn.
Snow mold - spring control
In combating snow mold , proper lawn care in spring is also extremely important. If in spring, after the snow melts, white snow mold bloom or brown spots of dead grass appear on our lawn, appropriate measures should be taken:
- First of all,rake the entire lawn thoroughly , aeration and scarification of the lawn also helps. During these treatments, we will thoroughly remove all infected stalks.
- In areas where infection is extremely high,remove the entire diseased lawn , also removing the soil from underneath it to a depth of about 4 - 6 cm. In these places, new soil should be fertilized and a mixture of regenerative grasses should be sown.
- Spray the entire lawn withPolyversum WP, dissolving 2 g of this preparation in about 5 liters of water. This amount of solution is sufficient for approximately 100 m² of lawn. Polywersum WP can also be used preventively in the fall.
It should be emphasized here thatPolyversum WP is a natural biological preparationSpraying with this preparation is safe and does not cause any damage to the environment. Polyversum WP, apart from snow mold, also combats many other fungal diseases of grasses. Therefore,spring spraying with this preparation should be done every year , regardless of the condition of the lawn. This will prevent many problems on the lawn later on.
In the fight against snow mold on the lawn , prevention and proper care are the most important things. If we properly apply ourselves to all care treatments throughout the year and we spray with Polyversum WPsnow mold on the lawnshould not appear. And even if it occurs, it will not do much damage.
More Lawn Care Secrets
"If you need more information onhow to properly care for your lawn , we recommend the fantastic book Beautiful Trawnik.Valued specialists in beautiful turf reveal in itall the secrets of setting up and caring for lawnsFrom proper soil preparation for sowing grass, through choosing the right lawn mixture, to step-by-step instructions on how to set up and care for a lawn.
After reading this book, you will find thatthere is a solution to every problem with your lawnYou just need to learn about it. And everything you need to know is in this book: -) "
