Conditions are favorable for pink snow mold development

Joe Vargas, Jr., Michigan State University, Department of Plants, Soil and Microbial Sciences -

Microdochium patch, or pink snow mold, is active on golf courses and may require treatment.

Recent rainfall and temperatures have combined to produce ideal conditions for the development of Microdochium patch, also known as pink snow mold. If you haven’t already applied a fungicide to prevent the disease from occurring, you may want to consider it.

This time of year when the disease occurs, new infections appear as small, copper-colored spots, usually 1 to 3 inches in diameter. You may also see it developing on the outer edges of old Microdochium patches still evident from the winter infection.

This disease is sometimes mistakenly referred to as copper spot, which is a disease of velvet bentgrass that occurs when the temperatures are in the 80s. Microdochium patch can also be spread by mowers, which results in streaking much like what occurs with Pythium blight.

The Qo inhibitor fungicides and iprodione are excellent fungicides for controlling this disease. Chlorothalonil and mancozeb are also excellent choices if applied before the disease is evident. For further information on pink snow mold and other diseases, please visit MSU Turf Diseases.

Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by Michigan State University Extension or bias against those not mentioned.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

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