We are well into the Holiday season, with Thanksgiving now behind us. I hope each and every one of you were able to take some time away from the everyday hustle and bustle to spend time with friends and family. My family is in the midst of our annual early December tradition of doing our best Griswold family impersonation to prepare for Christmas.

"We're gonna have the best looking house in town, Russ. I've always wanted to do this. [It's a lot of lights, dad]. Yeah well, I'm sure it's a lot of work too, but if I'm out in the cold and I'm committed to decorating the house, we're gonna do it right and we're gonna do it big. You want something you can be proud of don't you. [Yeah I guess so]. Sure you do. [Think you might be overdoing it, dad]. Russ, when was the last time I overdid anything?"

For most, the mowers either have or are about to be shut down for a long winter's nap. Most of the leaves from the trees have fallen and, as Dr. Goatley discussed last month, were mulched into the turf canopy. Many may still be preparing to make one last late fall fertilization to help with overwintering and early spring green-up, but hopefully the blood pressure is slowly dropping. In other words, hopefully many have set the cruise control for the next few months to recharge the batteries before a busy 2012.

For most of my professional career, I have thought that Virginians don't have to think much about turf diseases after the last leftover turkey sandwich is consumed. That was, until the winter of 2009-2010. As many of you may remember, most of the state was blanketed with 2+ feet of snow beginning on December 18 (much more in many areas). This melted away just enough for us to all convene in Fredericksburg for the annual VTC conference, only to have many leave early to get back to their facilities to begin more snow removal. Finally in the first week of March, most of us could finally see green grass again...or what was supposed to be green grass. With this long snow cover (for Virginia standards, at least) came unprecedented snow mold. Being in the mountains, I am used to seeing a little bit here or there each year. However, in March 2011, my phone was ringing off the hook with inquiries about what had happened and what was next. Is it all dead? Do I reseed now? Should I make a fungicide application? Honestly, I didn't really know what to say since I hadn't really experienced this kind of snow mold pressure.

I learned a lot over the next couple of weeks about dealing with this much snow mold. I visited golf courses, cool-season and warm-season athletic fields, sod farms, and even a number of home lawns. I relied on the expertise of several of my colleagues to the north who deal with similar scenarios each year. On my quest to assess the damage, I began looking down into the canopy for signs of life. Often with a number of diseases, the damage is limited to just the foliage and healthy crowns usually mean a full recovery in time. With most of the snow molds, I was able to find healthy bases and most of the plants survived and quickly grew new leaves. All in all, there were plenty of areas that required some pampering, but in most cases, the turf recovered within just a few stress-filled weeks.

So what were some of the catalysts for all of the snow molds? Well, the obvious in 2009-2010 was the extended snow cover. But there were other factors that also contributed to the severity. While I do not have replicated scientific studies to back my observations, I did notice that most areas that had grown a bit shaggy had the worst damage. This was not limited to a particular grass...creeping bentgrass greens and fairways, Kentucky bluegrass athletic fields, or tall fescue lawns that had not been mowed late in the season typically had more disease than adjacent turf with a cleaner cut. This leads to the next contributing factor to increased disease. Late fall fertility has numerous advantages that far outweigh the disadvantages, but one setback is over fertilization can lead to more disease. In the most severe case I saw on a golf course, the maintenance crew fertilized two days before the first snowfall. When the snow melted in March, roughly forty percent of the greens were covered with disease. Fortunately, the fertilization feed the plants as well and allowed for a very rapid recovery.

Lastly, areas that stay under snow cover the longest are going to have a greater chance at increased disease. While this is common sense, it may be important to consider before the snow hits if you are considering a fungicide application in select areas.

It is important to note that snow cover is not a necessity for these diseases, especially pink snow mold. In fact, some of the more serious outbreaks develop when conditions remain above freezing with continuous cloud cover and drizzle.

Nobody knows what is in store for the winter of 2011-2012. There may be 70 inches of snowfall in January or it may be 70 degrees in January. Chances are it will be somewhere in between, but stranger things have happened. If you are on the fence about whether or not to make a fungicide application, pay close attention to extended forecasts and projected snowfall accumulation. Based on the weather patterns we have seen over the last few years, it is becoming a pretty safe bet to do the opposite of what is predicted.

Happy Holidays to each of you and I hope to see many of you in Fredericksburg at the VTC annual conference.

David McCall is a plant pathologist, working with Virginia Tech as a research Specialist. David also writes columns for your monthly "LSI Connections"