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Mold Diseases

Common Mold Diseases:
Gray Snow MoldPink Snow MoldSlime MoldFairy Rings

Gray Snow Mold

Pink Snow Mold

Slime Mold

 Fairy Rings

 

Mold Diseases

 As snow melts each spring, lawns often show damage from the winter. Mold Damage can be very destructive to lawns. There are preventative measures to take to minimize the damage.

Snow mold damage appears in the spring when the snow melts creating visually unattractive matted, crusty looking areas on your lawn. As they dry out throughout the season, the infected areas may remain in the form of weak or even dead turf. If your grass is dead then you will have to reseed, which can become costly if it is an annual problem. Severity of the mold may vary yearly, but the areas that are infected may weaken and spread. Fertilization programs are offered to lessen the risk of snow mold. A simple solution to prevent mold is removing dense vegetation bordering the problem area of the lawn and mowing until the lawn is dormant in the fall.

Slime molds are different from most other turfgrass pathogens in that they do not directly infect the plant. Instead, this group of organisms feeds on microorganisms and decaying organic debris. During periods of warm, wet weather, slime molds migrate onto the surfaces of turfgrass leaves where they produce massive amounts of their reproductive structures, thus producing a white, blue, or gray patch. Slime molds do not damage turf (apart from shading) and can be removed by sprinkling the leaves with water after the onset of dry weather. Removal of the dry spore masses by mowing, raking, brushing, or sweeping with a pole will aid in returning the grass to normal appearance. Chemical control is not necessary.
 

Fairy rings typically appear as rings of dark green and fast-growing turf. They may also appear as rings of slow-growing or killed turf. The bands of affected turf are from 4 inches to a foot in width, forming more or less continuous rings ranging from 3 to 200 feet across. In some instances, the center of a stimulated band may contain weakened or dead grass, or bands may have an inner zone of stimulated grass edged with dead or stunted turf on either side. Fairy rings are produced by colonies of mushroom fungi that live in soil and thatch. These colonies obtain food from decaying organic matter and grow outward radially, increasing in size year after year. The ring of stimulated grass is thought to be caused by nitrogen substances produced by the breakdown of organic matter by the fungi. The fungi usually do not attack grass, but sometimes they repel water, resulting in death of the turf due to drought. The causal fungi are spread when fungal threads, bits of mushrooms, or spores from the mushrooms are introduced into soil under a turf area.


Lawn King, LLC performs turf disease scouting when we perform each fertilizer application. If there is a problem, we will inform you as to the type of disease, the severity and if treatment is required. Of course, as a team, (you and I) if you notice a problem, you should contact us immediately.

 

 

(860) 347-0397
 

Fully Insured

E-mail :  mike@lawnkingllc.com

CT DEP LIC. #

PMBR.05060

CT CONTRACTORS LIC #

HIC.0663190