Atwood LawnCare

What you’ll see is that your lawn has turned orange. If you look closer at the blades of grass, however, you’ll notice that there are small rust pustules on the blade. When you walk on the grass the Rust fungus will fall right off and cover your shoes, turning them orange.

The reason for the problem is caused by the fungus Puccinia spp. Infection of leaf blades is favored by moderate temperatures (68 and 85 degrees) and extended wet periods. Once infection occurs, slightly higher temperatures favor disease development. Turfgrass under stress (drought, shading, mowing too close and higher temperatures) is most likely to be seriously damaged by the disease. Not usually a problem on home lawns, every once and a while this fungus rears up and demands attention.

To control this fungus you should keep the grass growing and healthy by:
Water the lawn regularly to keep the grass growing, however do not over water.
Water in the morning or midday so the leaf blades dry as quickly as possible.
Mow the grass to a height of 3 to 3 ½ inches. Make sure the mower blades are sharp. Never remove more than 1/3 of the grass at a time.
Wash the mower after each use to prevent disease spores from spreading.
Bag clippings when possible when the disease is active.

We can help by:
Continuing to provide a sound fertilization program.
If diagnosed early chemical control can be helpful. This requires 2 visits performed 21-30 days apart.
Core aerate the lawn once a year (spring or fall) to help reduce thatch buildup and improve soil conditions.