Rust Disease making its way through the area!

[mac1911]

SE Massachusetts
My lawn had a rough year with construction , weeds and rain/wet/humid
Finally my lawn is recovering nice and just starting to really fill in and green up....and I see it. Rust , yellowing leaves spotty with "red" several neighbors have full on out breaks which is why I started looking closer.
I just applied lesco 24-0-8 OPTI45 mid sept and applied lime through out the past week.

Not sure what to do with the fungi. ?

Another application of N ? Like starter fertilizer? Some sort of Fungi control?

 

[Marck]

You just fed your lawn with a high Nitrogen fertilizer, and that is the best thing you can do. Outgrowing the rust is a more reasonable strategy than trying to eliminate it, especially since it is common in your area. I would not use lawn fungicides.

Over-seeding with a rust-resistant strain of grass seed is something to consider down the road, though evolution happens, and rust resistance may not be a permanent trait.

Encouraging a multi-species lawn is almost a different topic, but increased resilience to disease is one of the benefits.

By the way, the fertilizer product you used also contains an insecticide. One should avoid using mixed products (weed-n-feed, seed-n-feed, kill-n-feed, etc) unless all functions are truly needed at the time.

 

[mac1911]

You just fed your lawn with a high Nitrogen fertilizer, and that is the best thing you can do. Outgrowing the rust is a more reasonable strategy than trying to eliminate it, especially since it is common in your area. I would not use lawn fungicides.

Over-seeding with a rust-resistant strain of grass seed is something to consider down the road, though evolution happens, and rust resistance may not be a permanent trait.

Encouraging a multi-species lawn is almost a different topic, but increased resilience to disease is one of the benefits.

By the way, the fertilizer product you used also contained an insecticide. One should avoid using mixed products (weed-n-eed, kill-n-feed, etc) unless all functions are truly needed at the time.

did not notice anything on the label about insecticide? That was applied previously.
This is what I put down mid sept

 

[Marck]

I'm sorry, I stand corrected. I did a quick search of the product name and formula, and the first item that came up was the product in the red bag, that contains fertilizer and Merit insectide. I should have looked more thoroughly.

 

[mac1911]

I'm sorry, I stand corrected. I did a quick search of the product name and formula, and the first item that came up was the product in the red bag, that contains fertilizer and Merit insectide. I should have looked more thoroughly.

View attachment 85413

all good, and thats what I put down "Step 3" . Well I hope the Nitrogen will be enough to fight off whats starting. Theres no end in sight to these damp days.

 

[Marck]

I would think that soon your lawn rust will experience a seasonal slowdown. Do you expect it to continue through the Winter?

 

[mac1911]

I would think that soon your lawn rust will experience a seasonal slowdown. Do you expect it to continue through the Winter?

I have no idea how long it will go.
FWIW talked to neighbor who has the best lawn on the street. He says hes not seen it this bad in 8 years or so.
His advice was Do your fall feeding if you have not. No watering or mowing .
No fungicide- it kills beneficial fungi also.
So I will let the recent N feeding do its thing and hope to see some dry days soon. Today was the first “dry” day. In almost 2 weeks