Orange dust?

dlin – posted 20 August 2004 09:47

I live in the Ne in Mass. I have a new lawn that was planted in May. The lawn came up fairly well with just the usual crab grass which I plan to take care of in the spring. I water regularly, and have put starter fertilizer down once a month plus one dose of lime. Over the last month the grass has developed orange yellow spots which lead to dust residue that will deposite on shoes and mowers. I thought it was a fungas and treated it. The problem has not gotten better but seams to have spread over me whole lawn giving it a yellow/orange look with some pathches of green that are not affected.

what is it and what can I do. My neihbor has the same problem and he hasn’t put any chemicals down at all. We live in a new developement. I also have not done a soil test.

Help!!

jdluther – posted 25 August 2004 18:11

I have the same problem with a 3 month old zoysia sod application. I have found no definitive answers but I have been told and read a little about inactive growth (lack of fertilizer) and fertilizing these areas in moderation will help over time. A treatment with a fungicide like Daconil should help also. I don’t know what the results will be as I am in the fertilizing process but hope it works.

Dchall_San_Antonio – posted 03 September 2004 10:38

The fungus is commonly called ‘rust.’ You can look for something to treat that specifically.

The organic way is to pretreat with ordinary corn meal at 10-20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Once you get it to the point you already have it (like everywhere), a sort of organic treatment is 3 ounces of baking soda per gallon of water. Spray that and the baking soda will prevent the orange spores from forming. Essentially this kills the fungus.