**Reviving a Lawn Ravaged by Snow Mold**
A newly seated lawn that was rich in nutrients caused an outbreak of snow mold, leaving it struggling to recover. However, with proper care and attention, the lawn can be restored to its former glory. The first step is to address the underlying issue that led to the snow mold outbreak. In this case, the soil was overly fertile, which created an ideal environment for the fungus to thrive.
To fix the lawn, a solution was devised involving a combination of soil preparation and seeding. Instead of using rototilling, which can damage the delicate roots of newly seeded grass, an iron rake was used to loosen the top layer of soil. This method proved to be more effective in loosening the soil without causing damage.
The next step was to apply a fertilizer that contained phosphorus, as this nutrient promotes root growth and is essential for establishing a healthy lawn. The fertilizer also had a crab grass inhibitor, which helped prevent the spread of unwanted weeds. A specialized seed blend was chosen, taking into account the shade provided by surrounding trees. The seed was broadcasted evenly across the lawn using a hand disperser, ensuring good coverage.
To ensure the seed came into contact with the soil, compost was used to create a layer that would protect it from washing away in heavy rain and keep it moist. It's essential to avoid overwatering, as this can cause runoff and prevent the seed from germinating. By following these steps, the lawn began to flourish, with new growth emerging just weeks after seeding.
**Six Months Later: A Success Story**
Fast-forward six months, and the results are nothing short of remarkable. The lawn has regrown, and it's now stronger than ever. Mowing is a breeze, with the grass thriving under the care of its owner. However, there's still one issue to address – the area where the snow mold outbreak occurred.
To prevent further damage from this fungus disease, a few adjustments need to be made to lawn maintenance. When cutting the lawn, it's essential to cut it as short as possible to remove any remaining blades that might harbor the fungus. Additionally, fertilizer should not be applied during the fall season, as this can promote growth and create an ideal environment for the fungus to grow in.
By taking these precautions, the owner of the lawn can prevent further damage and ensure a healthy, thriving grass. With proper care and attention, even the most challenging lawn conditions can be overcome, leaving a lush, green oasis that brings joy to all who behold it.
**Expert Tips for Lawn Care**
For those looking to avoid snow mold outbreaks in the future, there are a few expert tips worth considering. When cutting the lawn during the fall season, aim to cut as short as possible to remove any remaining blades that might harbor the fungus. This simple step can go a long way in preventing further damage.
Another crucial aspect of lawn care is avoiding fertilizer application during the fall season. While phosphorus is essential for root growth, promoting excessive growth during this time can create an ideal environment for the fungus to grow. By withholding fertilizer until next spring, the owner can prevent further damage and ensure a healthy, thriving grass.
By following these expert tips and taking proactive steps to address underlying issues, anyone can overcome even the most challenging lawn conditions and enjoy a lush, green oasis that brings joy to all who behold it.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enI just put this lawn in uh late last summer early fall it was uh nice green grass and um when the snow melted uh this is what I ended up getting this was all green grass right here and I don't have a clue what this is except for the fact that it's not green it doesn't look like grass so I don't really know what to do about this lawn so I'm hoping Roger can help me out well what you have is snow mold it's a fungus disease and it was a combination of a number of things we had snow early in December and the ground wasn't Frozen before the snow came so the snow ended up sitting on the ground and in between the two there was a little layer of moisture that in combination with a newly seated lawn that was really rich in nutrients cause an outbreak of snow mold can we fix this lawn Rod get it back we can we're going to do a little soil prep and then we're going to seed it excellent Drew normally when I redo a lawn I would Rota till to loosen it all up but because you did all that great work with the airation and new loom last year we just want to take and come in with our iron rakes and loosen up the top so that those little Roots can grab in there so just start raking the whole thing out see how that's loosening it up yep taking out some of the dead grass this saves a lot of work sure does lot better than Roa tilling absolutely Rog is this a good time with the year to see the lawn it is early spring is a great time to see the lawn how long will it be before I see the seed start to pop up well if you water it properly a week or 10 days excellent drew the next step is to put down a sta fertilizer now the STA fertilizer also has crab grass inhibitor in it our stat fertilizer here has a formula of 12 241 the 12 represents nitrogen the 24 is phosphorus and the 11 is poach the important one to us is the 24 that large amount of phosphorus that promotes root growth and that's what we really want to get going in our new lawn seed so we want that number to be the highest right excellent so I'm just GNA pour some into the spreader and then have you put it out all right that should be enough to do this small area now with this spreader it'll just take one pass and we'll have just the right amount of fertilizer on the lawn now we're ready to seed and we're using a seed that's Blended for a sun shade area and that's what we have shade so I'm just going to take and broadcast it out by hand until I get really good coverage now you can help me all right Drew grab a handful and spread it out I like to be real generous with the seed to ensure we're going to get good germination good coverage now the next step is to get this seed in contact with that soil that we loosened up okay so what I want you to do is just take the back of the rake and go back and forth across you can you can see how some of that seed's disappearing that's what we need good contact with the soil what we have here Drew is compost and we're just going to take it on our shovel and flick it onto the top of the seed and get about a/4 of an inch coverage okay that's going to do two things it's going to keep the seed moist and it's also going to protect it from washing away in a heavy rain now Drew's important to cut this seed because any seed that's not covered the stuff that we can see will dry out and it won't germinate okay now you don't want to add too much water you just want to keep the top half an inch moist if you put too much water on there you can cause runoff and the seed will go with it okay if you keep this watered in just a few weeks you'll have a new stand of grass and a healthy lawn sounds great Roger looking forward to to it well Drew it's been 6 months since we were here in April and we worked on your lawn and I love the fact that I can get back and take a look at the results and look at this it looks great I'll tell you Roger I can't be happier two weeks after we put the seed down I was mowing this thing 6 months later look how strong this thing is I followed the steps that you told me to do I aired I seated I fertilized and I composted the whole entire alwn and look how it came out R it looks great but we got to think about our problem area remember on this side of the house the lawn was killed by the snow mold that's fungus disease y well right now it's late October fall going into winter you're going to cut the lawn a few more times well there's a couple of tips I want to do out here the first is when you cut that lawn the last time cut it as short as possible well won't that kill the lawn lawn's going to be dormant what it does it removes a blade so there'll be nothing there for that fungus disease to feed on okay the second thing is no more fertilizer this season no more this year no because that would promote growth and that would be a lush envir for that fungus to grow in okay take and fertilize it again next spring awesome Rog I'll tell you I'll listen to your tips because my family and I really enjoy this beautiful lawn now thanks RajI just put this lawn in uh late last summer early fall it was uh nice green grass and um when the snow melted uh this is what I ended up getting this was all green grass right here and I don't have a clue what this is except for the fact that it's not green it doesn't look like grass so I don't really know what to do about this lawn so I'm hoping Roger can help me out well what you have is snow mold it's a fungus disease and it was a combination of a number of things we had snow early in December and the ground wasn't Frozen before the snow came so the snow ended up sitting on the ground and in between the two there was a little layer of moisture that in combination with a newly seated lawn that was really rich in nutrients cause an outbreak of snow mold can we fix this lawn Rod get it back we can we're going to do a little soil prep and then we're going to seed it excellent Drew normally when I redo a lawn I would Rota till to loosen it all up but because you did all that great work with the airation and new loom last year we just want to take and come in with our iron rakes and loosen up the top so that those little Roots can grab in there so just start raking the whole thing out see how that's loosening it up yep taking out some of the dead grass this saves a lot of work sure does lot better than Roa tilling absolutely Rog is this a good time with the year to see the lawn it is early spring is a great time to see the lawn how long will it be before I see the seed start to pop up well if you water it properly a week or 10 days excellent drew the next step is to put down a sta fertilizer now the STA fertilizer also has crab grass inhibitor in it our stat fertilizer here has a formula of 12 241 the 12 represents nitrogen the 24 is phosphorus and the 11 is poach the important one to us is the 24 that large amount of phosphorus that promotes root growth and that's what we really want to get going in our new lawn seed so we want that number to be the highest right excellent so I'm just GNA pour some into the spreader and then have you put it out all right that should be enough to do this small area now with this spreader it'll just take one pass and we'll have just the right amount of fertilizer on the lawn now we're ready to seed and we're using a seed that's Blended for a sun shade area and that's what we have shade so I'm just going to take and broadcast it out by hand until I get really good coverage now you can help me all right Drew grab a handful and spread it out I like to be real generous with the seed to ensure we're going to get good germination good coverage now the next step is to get this seed in contact with that soil that we loosened up okay so what I want you to do is just take the back of the rake and go back and forth across you can you can see how some of that seed's disappearing that's what we need good contact with the soil what we have here Drew is compost and we're just going to take it on our shovel and flick it onto the top of the seed and get about a/4 of an inch coverage okay that's going to do two things it's going to keep the seed moist and it's also going to protect it from washing away in a heavy rain now Drew's important to cut this seed because any seed that's not covered the stuff that we can see will dry out and it won't germinate okay now you don't want to add too much water you just want to keep the top half an inch moist if you put too much water on there you can cause runoff and the seed will go with it okay if you keep this watered in just a few weeks you'll have a new stand of grass and a healthy lawn sounds great Roger looking forward to to it well Drew it's been 6 months since we were here in April and we worked on your lawn and I love the fact that I can get back and take a look at the results and look at this it looks great I'll tell you Roger I can't be happier two weeks after we put the seed down I was mowing this thing 6 months later look how strong this thing is I followed the steps that you told me to do I aired I seated I fertilized and I composted the whole entire alwn and look how it came out R it looks great but we got to think about our problem area remember on this side of the house the lawn was killed by the snow mold that's fungus disease y well right now it's late October fall going into winter you're going to cut the lawn a few more times well there's a couple of tips I want to do out here the first is when you cut that lawn the last time cut it as short as possible well won't that kill the lawn lawn's going to be dormant what it does it removes a blade so there'll be nothing there for that fungus disease to feed on okay the second thing is no more fertilizer this season no more this year no because that would promote growth and that would be a lush envir for that fungus to grow in okay take and fertilize it again next spring awesome Rog I'll tell you I'll listen to your tips because my family and I really enjoy this beautiful lawn now thanks Raj\n"
