Every October the same thing happens. Half of Buffalo puts the mower away after Halloween, and every May half of Buffalo wonders where the gray, matted patches in the lawn came from. The two are connected.
Grass keeps growing until the soil hits 50 degrees
Cool season grasses, the Kentucky bluegrass and fescue that make up nearly every WNY lawn, keep growing until soil temperature drops to about 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Around here that is usually mid November, sometimes later if you are close to the lake. Stop cutting three weeks before the grass actually stops growing, and you head into winter with long blades that trap moisture under the first snow.
Long grass plus lake effect snow equals snow mold
That trapped moisture is exactly what snow mold needs. The gray and pink circles you see at melt were not caused by winter. They were decided back in November. The fix costs nothing: keep mowing, then step the deck down to about 2 inches for the last two cuts of the season.
The last cut of the year matters more than the first one.
The simple rule
Mow for as long as the grass grows. Make the final two cuts shorter. Mulch the leaves instead of letting them mat down. That is the whole recipe. If your lawn is on one of our weekly routes, it happens automatically. We track soil temperatures around Buffalo and schedule your final cut for you.