Dutch Growers owner warns about snow mold problems

The warmer temperatures have made their mark on Saskatchewan this week as the snow begins to melt away for the season.

Those with allergies are noticing especially.

As the snow begins to melt, a layer of snow mold is starting to come into play which can cause sneezing and itchy eyes for allergy sufferers.

Rick Van Duyvendyk of Dutch Growers says there’s a simple way to safely deal with the snow mold causing these health problems.

“All you need to do is basically spread your snow out and let it melt evenly,” Van Duyvendyk said. “We had a lot of snow in the province and a lot of the cities piled it up and that snow sits there and it gets warmer and you get the mold underneath.”

Once everything becomes evenly layered, the Dutch Growers owner says the next step is super important.

“Once you’ve got exposed grass, then just take a leaf rake and just fluff up your grass that’s been pounded down,” he said.

This will allow for air to flow into the grass and make the snow mold disappear, according to Van Duyvendyk.

While the temperatures have been steady as of late, Van Duyvendyk says it’s still too early to be thinking about additional lawn care.

“The ground is still frozen so you’re not looking until usually around the 15th of April,” he said. “Then you start to look at what you want to do for your lawn, but right now it’s much too early.”

While allergies can be the most common problem from snow mold, Van Duyvendyk warns certain areas of your lawn could be damaged if not careful.

“The snow mold also can have brown patches in your lawn,” he said. “If you don’t take care of it the right way, it will actually kill some of your lawn.

“Even for your allergies, you might have to put a mask on and just fluff it up and get air into your grass. The snow mold will disappear very quickly and you won’t have that issue.”