# How do I prevent this over winter this year? Snow Mold.



## MarkAguglia (Jul 13, 2017)

So, I believe it's slow mold, correct me if Im wrong.

We get tons of snow in Buffalo, NY-that's no secret. It's inevitable that we'll get hammered! When I snow blow the driveway, there's only 1 place to put it, the lawn!  Some houses on the street look similar but none worse than mine last year. Funny, because I have the nicest lawn the rest of the year.

What can I do to prevent it? My lawn looked terrible last year. I mow pretty low at the end of the year (middle setting on my Toro) and use fungicides throughout the year as needed. Is there really anything else I can do? Why did my lawn get it so bad?

Lawn after winter last year:


Current status/height:


Thanks for the advice my friends.


----------



## Suburban Jungle Life (Mar 1, 2018)

Maybe a longer lasting fungicide app right before a big snowfall? Perhaps a curative app of azoxy? You could place a heating coils in the lawn to melt any snow.


----------



## NewLawnJon (Aug 3, 2018)

Are you putting any fertilizer down with K at the end of the year? Recent studies have shown later fertilizer apps with K will increase the chances of snow mold.


----------



## MarkAguglia (Jul 13, 2017)

Suburban Jungle Life said:


> Maybe a longer lasting fungicide app right before a big snowfall? Perhaps a curative app of azoxy? You could place a heating coils in the lawn to melt any snow.


I do have azoxy, maybe I'll try this. Would it really last through winter though..?


----------



## MarkAguglia (Jul 13, 2017)

NewLawnJon said:


> Are you putting any fertilizer down with K at the end of the year? Recent studies have shown later fertilizer apps with K will increase the chances of snow mold.


My final fert app was on 10/3 and was Screamin Green which is a 16-2-3 I believe, so not much K. Prior to that I had used Milo on 8/1 ans 9/1, which has 0% K.


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

What is your current hoc? I think you had a high hoc for the density in your front lawn.


----------



## Suburban Jungle Life (Mar 1, 2018)

MarkAguglia said:


> Suburban Jungle Life said:
> 
> 
> > Maybe a longer lasting fungicide app right before a big snowfall? Perhaps a curative app of azoxy? You could place a heating coils in the lawn to melt any snow.
> ...


I'm thinking by using more, curative rate, and with the colder temps so microbes won't break it down as fast as well as it being covered in snow so less uv hits it including frozen ground so less leaching. It might last longer than the month on the label. If you have some and don't mind using it, I would try it. Gotta time it when the ground is just about frozen and before big snow fall which stays on the soil.


----------



## MarkAguglia (Jul 13, 2017)

g-man said:


> What is your current hoc? I think you had a high hoc for the density in your front lawn.


I'll have to measure. I'm not sure of the height in inches when using my newer Toro mower. I mow tall all summer and have been bumping it down gradually. I'm down to the middle setting, i'm guessing 2.25-2.5"?


----------



## MarkAguglia (Jul 13, 2017)

Suburban Jungle Life said:


> MarkAguglia said:
> 
> 
> > Suburban Jungle Life said:
> ...


Interesting thought, and I think i'll give it a shot. I picked up some discounted bags of the Scotts Disease Ex, so sure I'll throw one down at the curative rate. Neighbors will look at me like i'm insane, fertlilizing before a snow storm! 😂


----------



## ken-n-nancy (Jul 25, 2017)

I, too, tend to have snow mold problems in the spring, particularly in places where the snow piles up many feet high along the driveway and street and doesn't melt until the end of March or even early April. (See photo below of my house in winter...)

Accordingly, I've read up on the topic quite a bit and have the following plan for next year:

 Mow shorter than I usually do going into winter. This year, I'm targeting 2.25" for a lawn that I usually maintain at 3.75"
 No potassium (K) fertilization after September 1.
 Skip late fall fertilization in the areas that typically have snow mold.
 A fungicide application as late as possible, but before the ground freezes, and at least 48 hours before a snowfall that I think has a chance of sticking around all winter. (In my area, this could be as early as late November, but generally not until mid-December.) From reading on this topic, it sounds like one of the best options is a combination of propiconazole and chlorothalonil. Instructions for that combination are included on the label for most propiconazole products.

Below is a link to an article comparing various fungicides for efficacy on snow molds.

https://www.gcsaa.org/uploadedfiles/course/pests-and-diseases/diseases/snow-mold/a-fresh-look-at-fungicides-for-snow-mold-control.pdf

Since it's what you're thinking of using, I should mention that azoxystrobin, which is usually just about the best in efficacy against fungal diseases in the summer, isn't one of the top performers against snow mold.

I should also note that chlorothalonil is no longer labeled for use on residential lawns, although it is still labeled for golf course turf and residential gardens.


----------



## MarkAguglia (Jul 13, 2017)

I have Propiconazole but not the chloro.... would I be better off using just Propiconazole rather than Azoxy?

Nice to see someone gets winters like me...🤣


----------



## rob13psu (May 20, 2018)

MarkAguglia said:


> I have Propiconazole but not the chloro.... would I be better off using just Propiconazole rather than Azoxy?
> 
> Nice to see someone gets winters like me...🤣


There's plenty of room up in the Northtowns!


----------



## Suburban Jungle Life (Mar 1, 2018)

Check out this trial.


----------



## ken-n-nancy (Jul 25, 2017)

Suburban Jungle Life said:


> Check out this trial.


Nice reference. Thanks. From my quick perusal, it looked like the common elements in some of the top-performing concoctions were Oreon and Turfcide.

Alas, Oreon appears to be *only* labeled for golf course greens, tees, and fairways (no roughs, no athletic fields, no lawns, no ornamentals, no gardens, etc.) https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/ppls/005481-00585-20151022.pdf

Turfcide isn't much better from an availability to residential lawn owners, also being prohibited on golf course roughs, athletic fields, lawns, residential ornamentals, residential gardens, etc. https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/ppls/005481-08992-20150312.pdf

I think that row 72 - QP PPZ/Fludi is a combination propiconazole and fludioxonil (Medallion) product, but I haven't found details on it anywhere and don't know if it is available for consumer use. Medallion is also crazy expensive.

The combination of chlorothalonil and propiconazole was one of the better ones (row 75) with 74% control, and much better than either of these AIs applied separately (row 70 - propiconazole alone at 45% control; row 71 - chlorothalonil alone at only 5% control.)

A different recent study had excellent snow mold control with the chlorothalonil + propiconazole combination. https://quali-pro.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Laval-University-Results.pdf


----------



## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

MarkAguglia said:


> I have Propiconazole but not the chloro.... would I be better off using just Propiconazole rather than Azoxy?
> 
> Nice to see someone gets winters like me...🤣


How do you remove that much snow!


----------



## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Anyone come across any information on biofungicides for prevention of snow mold?


----------



## ken-n-nancy (Jul 25, 2017)

MarkAguglia said:


> Nice to see someone gets winters like me...🤣


Wow, that's more in a single snowfall than I've ever seen in New Hampshire! Maybe back when I was a kid in Sault Ste. Marie, but it takes lake effect snow to dump that much snow at one time!



pennstater2005 said:


> How do you remove that much snow!


The same as anywhere else -- one shovel-full at a time...


----------



## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

ken-n-nancy said:


> The same as anywhere else -- one shovel-full at a time...


I don't think so :lol: I was thinking more along the lines of what snowblower could touch that! I haven't shoveled snow, aside from sidewalks, in years. And I'm hoping to get a power snow shovel soon to clear the walks and deck. I don't exercise much but I definitely don't need heart attack inducing exercise


----------



## MarkAguglia (Jul 13, 2017)

Haha that photo was in 2014, before I had a snowblower. I literally shoveled it all, including the roof, by hand!


----------



## Delmarva Keith (May 12, 2018)

I'm terrible at trying to see what's going on from a photo but is it possible that some of the symptoms you are seeing are just freeze burn and winter dessication? My sense is that lush, growing grass right into the deep freeze is going to get some frost burn in a place that cold all Winter.

I'll keep the brown patch we have down here in Summer - you can keep the snow mold. At least I can deal with the problems here when it's still warm out


----------



## MarkAguglia (Jul 13, 2017)

Delmarva Keith said:


> I'm terrible at trying to see what's going on from a photo but is it possible that some of the symptoms you are seeing are just freeze burn and winter dessication? My sense is that lush, growing grass right into the deep freeze is going to get some frost burn in a place that cold all Winter.
> 
> I'll keep the brown patch we have down here in Summer - you can keep the snow mold. At least I can deal with the problems here when it's still warm out


Luckily it grew out of it and the lawn recovered and looked great all year. But sure was ugly for a while..

Going to try a late fungicide app and see how it works out.


----------



## Suburban Jungle Life (Mar 1, 2018)

Delmarva Keith said:


> I'm terrible at trying to see what's going on from a photo but is it possible that some of the symptoms you are seeing are just freeze burn and winter dessication? My sense is that lush, growing grass right into the deep freeze is going to get some frost burn in a place that cold all Winter.
> 
> I'll keep the brown patch we have down here in Summer - you can keep the snow mold. At least I can deal with the problems here when it's still warm out


I thought desiccation occurred when the wind blew across the grass in winter and drew out the water from the plant. Doesn't snow cover prevent that? I figured snow mold occurred when the grass was covered for months and the fungus enjoyed a moist and nutrient rich environment under all that snow.


----------



## 440mag (Jan 29, 2018)

MarkAguglia said:


> . . . What can I do to prevent it?
> . . . Lawn after winter last year:


OUCH!

This is a fascinatingly informative thread and up to this point I've been bookmarking some of the awesome studies and references being shared, OUTSTANDING! :thumbup:

I will tell you what has worked for me: armada, Armada, ARMADA!!!

At least for whatever snaw molds it is we occasionally (not regularly) see in just some of our winters where I am at, that is.

The challenge lay in the fact there are NUMEROUS TYPES OF SNOW MOLD :| Now, being raised in the camp of "_don't try to treat it til I know what is_" I am also faced with the reality that few of us have the wherewithal to identify between the various types of snow mold. I most certainly do not.

So, in selecting Armada for my last (late, late) fungicide app. I relied upon several criteria:

First, *Armada contains BOTH trifloxystrobin AND triadamefon!* (*See main paragraph in right hand column of page 3 of https://www.gcsaa.org/uploadedfiles/course/pests-and-diseases/diseases/snow-mold/a-fresh-look-at-fungicides-for-snow-mold-control.pdf* - the awesome study posted previously (above) in this thread by (iirc) ken-n-nancy.

Secondly, among my battery of fungicides, Armada is pretty much hands down the longest acting

Third, I absolutely positively rely upon Armada during the fungi-filled sticky yucky warm soggy humid jungle like months my region experiences, in between winters (so, it's not like I am buying it "just for" snow mold)

Fourth, given its app. rates and longevity, Armada (for me) is cost effective; and last but certainly not least;

Finally (for now, my java cup runneth empty :lol: ) I still have not had time to identify just what the heck it is in Armada that not only prevents fungal diseases but actually "flourishes" my TTTF. At one point, about a week after I'd made a summer app in the dog days heat a neighbor confronted me and made me check the label to be certain there is no nitrogen in Armada.

The contrast between those two pics you posted in your post starting this thread tell me your lawn is at way too awesome a stage and condition to have it go through such stress after each years snow melt and personally, I'd be running not walking to get some Armada delivered ASAP (you're gonna be able to use it in alternating your already on hand fungicide app.s next year and I am almost certain the Armada will "outlast" the Azoxy, etc.)

By the way, did I mention / suggest Armada? :lol:

Best o' Success - that pic of your lawns current status is beautiful!


----------



## Suburban Jungle Life (Mar 1, 2018)

@440mag Seems you love your armada! Though, I would say you can swap armada for a combo of azoxy and propi. Both trifloxystrobin and azoxystrobin are Qol fungicides which target respiration at target site complex III: cytochrome bc1 (ubiquinol oxidase) at Qo site (cyt b gene). Yes, technically, the chemical groups are different, azoxy is methoxy-acrylates and trifloxy is oximino-acetates. But both have resistance known in various fungal species. Target site mutations in cyt b gene (G143A, F129L) and additional mechanisms. Cross resistance has been shown between all members of the QoI group which is why armada, being a combo of 2 MOA's helps to reduce this risk. Propi and triadimefon are both DMI fungicides which target site C14-demethylase in sterol biosynthesis (erg11/cyp51). You can interchange them. So, yes, mixing a group 3 and 11 is common practice and a popular mix regardless of which DMI or Qol you choose. If you look at the combo products in the fungicide guide, they are all 3 and 11.


----------



## Delmarva Keith (May 12, 2018)

Suburban Jungle Life said:


> Delmarva Keith said:
> 
> 
> > I'm terrible at trying to see what's going on from a photo but is it possible that some of the symptoms you are seeing are just freeze burn and winter dessication? My sense is that lush, growing grass right into the deep freeze is going to get some frost burn in a place that cold all Winter.
> ...


Makes sense but I think everyone always wants to jump to disease and spray fungicides when it might be something simpler. Winter dessication is just not enough water for the plant. Yes, snow cover tends to reduce dessication. Is the snow cover really all Winter? What happens to turf in the Winter has been studied a lat. interesting paper (one of many): https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1120&context=agronhortdiss

Without a pathology report, we're all just guessing. Can't hurt to spray expensive fungicides all over it I suppose but my recollection is the OP says it recovers and grows fine. If it recovers and grows fine, my guess is could be dormant from not enough water. Could be a non-lethal fungus too but that's not my guess.


----------



## 440mag (Jan 29, 2018)

Suburban Jungle Life said:


> @440mag Seems you love your armada!


Well, I DIDN'T throw it out when I posted in the "DIY Auto Detailing" thread :lol: (https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=569&start=20) but, yeah, I'm quite enamored with it, fer sure!


----------



## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Delmarva Keith said:


> Without a pathology report, we're all just guessing. Can't hurt to spray expensive fungicides all over it I suppose but my recollection is the OP says it recovers and grows fine. If it recovers and grows fine, my guess is could be dormant from not enough water. Could be a non-lethal fungus too but that's not my guess.


Snow mold is easy to spot. After snow melts, the grass is matted down, appears melted together, and there is white or pink fuzzy stuff on top. Late Winter is when you see this.

If anyone has this happening, it's snow mold. Typically a month or more under snow makes it worse.

My advice is to wait for it to dry out completely, and then rake using a metal tine, spring-type leaf rake.


----------



## MarkAguglia (Jul 13, 2017)

Green said:


> Delmarva Keith said:
> 
> 
> > Without a pathology report, we're all just guessing. Can't hurt to spray expensive fungicides all over it I suppose but my recollection is the OP says it recovers and grows fine. If it recovers and grows fine, my guess is could be dormant from not enough water. Could be a non-lethal fungus too but that's not my guess.
> ...


That's what I did last year. Raked multiple times with a metal rake. Unfortunately, it pulled out a lot of grass. But again, ultimately the lawn recovered just fine in time.

This thread got a little too in depth for my skill level 😆. I'll likely try using the Azoxy as late as possible and see if it helps. Then after melt, rake again.


----------

