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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 ...

At Miller Yard Care, we're here to help you understand what snow mold is, why it happens, and most importantly, how to prevent it, drawing on the expert insights from leading universities in our region like the University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin, University of Iowa, and North Dakota State University.

What Exactly is Snow Mold?

Snow mold isn't a single culprit, but rather a general term for several types of fungi that thrive in cool, moist conditions, particularly under a blanket of snow. The two most common types we encounter in our climate are:

• Gray Snow Mold (Typhula blight): This typically appears as circular patches of bleached or straw-colored turf, often matted down. You might see a grayish-white fungal growth (mycelium) at the edges of the patches, and in some cases, tiny, hard, reddish-brown or black survival structures called sclerotia. Gray snow mold usually only damages the grass blades, meaning the plant crown is often still healthy and can recover.

• Pink Snow Mold (Microdochium patch): As the name suggests, this type can have a pinkish tint, especially at the edges of the affected areas. Unlike gray snow mold, pink snow mold can damage the grass crowns, potentially leading to more significant turf loss. It can also develop without snow cover, thriving in cool, wet conditions.

Both types flourish when snow falls on unfrozen ground, creating an insulated, humid environment perfect for fungal growth....