Preparing for Snow Mold Season
With the change of the season and the trees glowing in golds, reds, and yellows, we are entering the next season of turfgrass diseases: snow mold.
There are two types of snow mold: gray (Typhula incarnata) and pink (Microdochium nivale). While pink snow mold can develop any time of the year with cool, damp conditions, gray snow mold needs extended snow cover to develop.
To ensure a successful snow mold treatment this winter, be sure your turf enters the winter clean and disease-free. A pre-spray should be applied two to four weeks before your final spray. This spray will not only clean up any pink snow mold that might be developing but also clean up any lingering dollar spot or other diseases you might have.
Some good snow mold practices would include one or two active ingredients on fairways, two or three active ingredients on tees, and three or four active ingredients on greens. In the northern snow area of the country, additional active ingredients may be necessary. Incorporate a combination of contact and systemic active ingredients into your sprays.
Advanced Turf Solutions has a wide selection of fungicides from ArmorTech that cover both types of snow mold. Ask your sales representative for help in selecting the best product to use.
Additional items to use in your spray solution would be ArmorTech Optimizer Green Shade. The green color will help warm up the turf in the spring and give it a nice dark green color.
If you are already using a plant growth regulator in the spring for seedhead suppression, an application of ethephon (Proxy) with your snow mold fungicide will help widen your window for next spring’s first application and improve your seedhead suppression results.
The final option would be an application of a surfactant. Hydro-Pak Percolate or Infiltrip with your snow mold fungicide will help with desiccation in the event of an open winter and no snow cover.
We at Advanced Turf Solutions are here to help guide you through your snow mold application choices as you put your golf course to bed for the winter.
Dan Shemon
Sales Representative
