Minnesotans Are Complaining About Lawn Rust, What is Lawn Rust?
I'm a dad, and I enjoy doing all of the stereotypical dad things like hanging out in the garage with friends, having a beer, going outside to watch storms roll in, and working on the yard. I love being outside in the summer, mowing the lawn, edging, trimming bushes, and just taking care of the yard. My lawn might not be the best in the Minnesota, but it looks good, and I take pride in knowing that I made it look that way.
Today, I was scrolling through social media and came across a post about lawn rust with a lot of comments. I hadn’t heard of it before, but it triggered my dad brain so I decided to look into what it is and whether it’s a threat to my lawn.
How Much Time Do People Spend Caring For Their Lawn
On average, Americans spend about 70 hours a year on lawn and garden care, including mowing.
This estimate comes from Integrated Pest Management, which says that 54 million Americans mow their lawns every weekend during the summer.
The next time you mow, take a close look at your grass. If it looks unusual, you might be dealing with lawn rust.
What Is Lawn Rust?
Lawn Doctor explains that it's easy to notice early signs: "You might see patches of the lawn turning a light yellow color. The grass blades in those areas will have yellow or orange spots that can be easily brushed off."
Scotts says “rust diseases on grasses are caused by various species of common lawn fungus and are most likely to appear from spring through fall during mild (68 to 86 degrees F), wet weather.”
Those conditions are exactly what most of Minnesota has experience this summer.
How to Treat Lawn Rust:
The good news is that this disease won’t kill your lawn. According to USA Today, you can get rid of grass rust by cutting down on moisture, mowing your lawn regularly, bagging the grass clippings, and fertilizing properly. If you prefer, you can also wait for the winter cold to take care of it.
If it really bothers you, you could contact a lawn care professional to have it treated with a fungicide.
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Gallery Credit: Troy Dunken
