Our Blog

Snow Mold in Detroit Lakes: What It Is, What Causes It, and How to Help Your Lawn Recover This Spring

As the snow melts across Becker County, many homeowners are stepping outside to find circular, straw-colored patches of matted, crusty grass spread across their lawn. Some patches are a few inches across. Others span several feet.

What you are looking at is almost certainly snow mold. The good news is that in most cases your lawn will recover. What you do in the next few weeks — and what you did last fall with fertilizer — will determine how fast.

What Is Snow Mold?

Snow mold is a general term for cold-weather fungi that thrive when snow sits on top of unfrozen ground for an extended period. In Becker County, our early-season snowfalls frequently arrive before the ground has fully frozen, creating an insulated, humid environment right against your turf — exactly what these fungi need to establish and spread.

There are two types, and it is worth knowing which one you have because they behave very differently.

Gray Snow Mold (Typhula Blight) is the more common type in northwest Minnesota. It appears as bleached, grayish-tan circular patches with grass that looks matted and water-soaked. The encouraging news is that Gray Snow Mold typically damages only the grass blades, not the crown of the plant. If the crown is alive, the grass will recover on its own.

Pink Snow Mold (Microdochium Patch) is less common but more serious. It carries a ...