Snow Mould

Snow Mould is capable of attacking your grass when the air and soil temperatures are too cold for the grass leaves to grow, and is therefore most prevalent in autumn and spring.

It is identified as orange - brown patches which can be pink in the centre after periods of snow cover. The snow cover makes the infection worse as it provides the fungus with the relatively mild, close conditions which it needs to grow.

The disease can be treated with fungicide. The fungus can grow quickly, so early treatment is recommended.

After treatment the orange - brown patches will gradually fill in. However, because it tends to be found when grass growth is slow, recovery can take some months.

Beware of broad-leaved weeds or weed grasses becoming established in any of the old patches, and remove any that appear.

To avoid infection do not use a nitrogen rich fertiliser in autumn or winter. If a feed is needed, use a traditional autumn fertiliser with a low nitrogen content.

Keep your turf mown properly, never let it get too long before you stop mowing it in the autumn of the year.

Never fertilise your turf too close to the time when the grass stops growing in the autumn.

Do not walk or play on frozen turf, or turf that is covered on snow. This damages the leaves and attracts snow mould fungi.