Snow and Lawn Diseases

01 February 2023 (Last updated: 17 Jul 2023 14:47)

Watch out for Disease in your lawn when the snow melts !!

Fusarium Patch

This is a cool weather disease and enjoys persistent drizzle, foggy, misty and damp conditions.

Symptoms appear as small, circular, yellow patches often with a white mould around the outside, which spread up to about 30cm in diameter.  Once established, the patches turn a yellow/brown colour and in severe cases can kill the grass.  After the disease becomes inactive, the area appears pale and straw-like.

Lawns that have a high thatch layer and poor drainage, as well as enclosed lawns with little air movement, are the most susceptible to Fusarium.It is a common problem if the lawn has been covered in snow for a while.

Snow Mould

Closely related to Fusarium is Snow Mould, another cold weather disease that thrives in lawns with poor air circulation. This fungal disease spreads rapidly during cold weather, especially under a blanket of snow, when air circulation is impossible.  When snow settles on a lawn for any length of time, it incubates the disease which can only be seen once the snow has melted away.

The fungus produces white patches which, in severe cases, can turn pink; unfortunately the only way to avoid these diseases is to try and keep snow off the lawn which frankly is difficult.

Both these diseases can be treated with a special fungicide but we do recommend you have professional advice for this treatment.

View other News