Plan Now to Maximize Snow Mold Control

It’s time to start planning your snow mold control system. Snow mold is difficult to manage because you only have one opportunity to insure control through next spring. Here are quick points on maximizing control of snow mold:

• Maximize turf health going into winter
• Avoid excessive potassium going into late fall/winter
  • University of Wisconsin research indicates >1.5% K in tissue tests favors snow mold in creeping bentgrass
  • Cornell research indicates >2.0% K in tissue favors snow mold in annual bluegrass
• Check calibration and spray coverage – A full season of applications may wear out or plug nozzles and the impact won’t be visible until next season
• Consider an early (primer) application – While snow mold symptoms typically appear in the spring following snow melt, sclerotia begin to germinate in the fall at air temperatures of 50-65°F. Controlling the first stages of disease development with a DMI fungicide application will help limit snow mold severity in the spring. Envu’s newest DMI, Densicor^®, is highly effective for this application
• Protect compromised turf – Newly established turf, shaded areas, compacted clean-up and traffic areas, under-fertilized, and otherwise compromised areas may be more susceptible to snow molds (photo)
• Use multiple active ingredients – Two or more active ingredients in a fungicide application consistently provide better snow mold control than applications with only a single active ingredient
• Consider reapplying after heavy rain – If two or more inches of rain falls between the final fungicide application and snow cover, consider making an additional application to maximize disease control and ensure a successful start to the 2024 season
• 2024 Envu solutions – Use combinations of Interface^® Stressgard^®, Mirage^® Stressgard and/or Tartan^® Stressgard, which provide effective and consistent control of snow molds as well as improved turf quality in the spring (Figures). Adding Densicor, Turfcide^® (AmVac) and/or Daconil^® Weatherstik^® (Syngenta) adds another mode of action and further improves consistency of control in particular y challenging environments.

¹ Do not exceed Mirage 1 oz/1000 sq feet/application or 3 oz/1000 sq ft/year in New York state
² In areas that tend to experience significant rainfall in the late-fall like in the northwest states, consider using PCNB (Turfcide^® 400 5 fl oz/1000 sq ft f.

• Need more info? – Read and follow all label directions. Contact your Envu Area Sales Manager if you need assistance

Compacted soils, shaded areas, and other environmental stresses make cool-season turf more susceptible to all diseases, including snow mold (Envu).