This stuff is everywhere! It's covering my edging, mulch, and the poor grass.
In some spots it looks grayish...
...and elsewhere it looks white. Cheesehead and I are stumped. What is it and what do I do to get rid of it? Can I just rake it out? I know I can probably find it online somewhere or in a book, but you all are such wonderful resources I thought I'd see what you know about it.
Thank you for stopping by. Please leave me a message and a backlink. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Cindy
11 comments:
I think that could be "snow mold". We will get that where we had big piles of snow. I'm not sure about treatment or if it's necessary. We usually wait for everything to dry up and then rake the yard as normal.
Hope this gives you some idea.
Hi Cindy. I agree with Chris about it being mold. We had it last spring after an unusually cold & snowy winter. It went away by itself once everything dried out. I bet yours will too.
Whew! That's one possibility that I was thinking of (well, not the particular name but that it may be mold). It was pretty dry so we did start raking it today, but decided to wait for all of the snow to melt before I did too much work. I suppose the grass would probably just grow around it if it's not harmful though.
Thanks! It has been very cold and snowy this year, so it makes a lot of sense.
Yep, it's snow mold. I had it for the first time this winter too. It doesn't do any damage and will go away on it's own. When I saw it this spring I was also wondering what in the world was on my lawn!
Wow! That is really nasty! I agree that it's snow mold, maybe as it dries out it will go away. Hope that's the last of your snow.
Don't bring it with you when you come visit--I'm allergic to mold. It looks creepy. We get mulch scum that looks awful too and we just turn it under. Decomposing of life is pretty grundgy looking.
I'd never seen anything like that so had to look it up...found this:
"Gray snow mold (also called Typhula blight) is caused by Typhula spp" according to
http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/p320snowmolds.html
(Did you know there's also a pink version?)
"Gray snow mold survives hot summer temperatures in the soil or in infected plant debris as sclerotia, resistant fungal structures, while pink snow mold survives as mycelium or spores in infected plant debris. Fungal growth begins in the winter, beneath a cover of snow on unfrozen ground. Growth can take place at temperatures slightly below freezing and may continue after snow melt, as long as the grass remains cool and wet. Gray snow mold activity stops when the temperature exceeds 45° F or the surface dries. Pink snow mold activity may continue during wet weather in the fall and spring, as long as the temperature is between 32° F and 60° F."
"...The damage caused by snow molds is seldom serious. Generally, infected areas are just a little slower to green up. Gently rake affected areas of the lawn to promote drying and prevent further fungal growth."
Eeeewww, Cinj! What a spectacle! Thank heavens for fellow garden bloggers to tell you what it is and that it's not as bad as it looks, eh? Really shows that we're a community, even if it's a virtual community. And at least it wasn't pink!
Amy- At least I know I'm not alone in my puzzlement! It's really weird, it kind of reminds me of spider webs a little bit, but hard.
Vonlafin- Almost there. I hope to be snow free by tomorrow, the layer is pretty thin in most places. If it stays as nice as it has been the last couple of days it just might happen.
Anna- I promise I won't. I think I'm allergic to it too, but I've never been tested to know for sure.
Lin- I never had either, but I never got around to looking it up. Good thing you did it for me! :) THANKS. At least I know I'm not alone, I've seen it on other grass in the neighborhood too. At first I was worried that I brought it in when I bought my dirt last summer.
Ellen- That's for sure! I'm so glad I met you all. It is a relief to know that it should go away rather quickly.
Amy- At least I know I'm not alone in my puzzlement! It's really weird, it kind of reminds me of spider webs a little bit, but hard.
Vonlafin- Almost there. I hope to be snow free by tomorrow, the layer is pretty thin in most places. If it stays as nice as it has been the last couple of days it just might happen.
Anna- I promise I won't. I think I'm allergic to it too, but I've never been tested to know for sure.
Lin- I never had either, but I never got around to looking it up. Good thing you did it for me! :) THANKS. At least I know I'm not alone, I've seen it on other grass in the neighborhood too. At first I was worried that I brought it in when I bought my dirt last summer.
Ellen- That's for sure! I'm so glad I met you all. It is a relief to know that it should go away rather quickly.
It's terrible snow mold....it's extremely bad this year for some reason. We just need more sun now.
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