Prevent Rust in the Lawn

For the last couple of years, I’ve had problems with rust in my lawn. Summers are very dry here and there are periods when it’s just too expensive to water the grass. Is there anything I can do to prevent it from happening next summer?

Rust and other diseases occur when the disease organism is present, the growing conditions are right for infection, and you are growing a susceptible plant. Eliminate one of these factors and you can prevent disease. Lawns of ryegrass, bluegrass and zoysia are susceptible to rust. New lawns with a high percent of ryegrass and limited root system are even more likely to develop the disease. And any lawn that is drought stressed and under or over fertilized is more susceptible. Since we can't change the weather and you are not going to dig up the lawn let's look at what you can do. Start by improving your lawn fertilization. A slow release nitrogen fertilizer in the fall will improve the grass growth making it better able to fight off the disease. Proper care is usually sufficient for keeping this disease under control and your lawn looking good.

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