Taking care of the lawn can be a bit tedious, but it pays off in the long run with excellent results. However, there are some gardeners who experience the pesky lawn rust disease, which destroys the garden and its look! Fortunately, it’s treatable and you can bring back the beautiful greenery of your lawn when you use the right remedies.
So if you’re wondering, “how do I get rid of rust in my lawn?” then read on as I show you the steps to take in doing so!
For those who have lawns which begin to develop reddish-brown hues, as well as your grass leaves having orange dust, then this is rust disease. This is actually quite a common problem caused by various organisms and fungus which attacks your lawn.
Rust disease is common in grass types like tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, Zoysia, as well as perennial ryegrass. It usually appears during spring to fall during the wet weather, though it also develops during hot weather followed with humid days. Stressed and malnourished grass is also susceptible to rust.
Fortunately, there are ways you can treat and prevent it, such as:
One of the common causes of rust disease is from exposure to moisture ranks. Because of this, it’s best to reduce regular irrigation to only when it’s needed, rather than to rely on your automatic sprinklers.
Only apply irrigation when the grass begins to show signs of drought, such as your grass leaves slightly folding. Water your lawn with enough water which moistens the soil, up to six to eight inches.
Rust disease would rarely appear in lawns which are fast-growing and fertilized properly. It’s highly recommended to fertilize the lawn regularly, according to the type of grass you grow, as well as the yard’s soil conditions. Through maintaining recommended soil fertility, your grass health gets better and it resists development and potential growth of rust, as well as any other issues.
When your grass is exposed to moist and humid air, the more likely it is to develop the rust disease. Your grass should be dry and without any humidity, which is why air circulation in and around the grass is a must.
You can reduce air circulation by cutting overhanging tree branches, or thinking out shrubs and hedges that surround the grass. That way, more light gets in and the sunlight dries out your grass, reducing humidity and killing the rust.
Mowing can help reduce and remove rust since it thins out grass, increasing air circulation and penetration of sunlight. Furthermore, it improves grass health and removes any infected grass tissue, lowering spores around the lawn. I recommend that you trim your grass regularly and have it maintain a height between one to three inches. Make sure you rake and throw all grass clippings after you mow!
If none of the above works because of the intensity of the rust, then you can control it by placing lawn fungus control or fungicide, which kills outbreaks and prevents new ones from happening. I recommend that you use this as a last result to prevent too much chemical exposure to your grass.
I hope that this article answered your question, “how do I get rid of rust in my lawn?” Now that you know what to do, begin taking note of these steps to follow if lawn rust disease ever comes to your lawn!
If you have any questions or want to share your tips and experiences in curing lawn rust disease, then comment below. Your thoughts are much appreciated.