What is this?

[JacobMHD]

Can you tell me what is causing this discoloration to my shoes? It is also all over my lawn mower. It is coming from my lawn. I think it is rust and it is probably coming from the nearby wheatfield but I want to confirm. Also, should I be concerned? How do I get rid of it? The grass is only 1 year old.

[Ralph Wiggum]

You haven't sprayed anything, have you? My shoes and mower get covered like that for a couple weeks after I spray Trimec.

[almberg]

It looks like pollen to me.

[Dotch]

It's possible there could be some rust spores blowing off of the wheat into your grass, and I'm assuming it's bluegrass here. As far as I know though the leaf & stem rust that infects wheat does not infect bluegrass. Most rusts are fairly species specific. This has been a particulary bad year for leaf rust in wheat and it triggered many fungicide applications prior to infection. Wheat leaf rust blows up here every year from down south. There are some rusts that infect bluegrass or can because I've seen it here occasionally but not on a widespread basis. The rust in turfgrass topic is best left to the turf experts here.

[reinhard1]

that's what i thought too. i get a little on my shoes and i got a lot of goldenrod here and there on my property. good luck.

[leech~~]

Any pine trees near by? looks like pine pollen to me!

[JacobMHD]

It's a new costruction area in south east Moorhead. No trees and I have not sprayed anything this year. For the most part, The grass has definitely slowed down in terms of growth. I'll take some pictures tonight and show you what it looks like.

[kg2]

It is rust fungi in your lawn.

[JacobMHD]

Anybody know how to get rid of it before winter?

I did do a little web research on it and it appears that I just need to water more in the morning and make sure to take up the lawn clippings when I mow. With time the fungus will go away.

[lawdog]

I was getting a lot of that same thing last year on my new grass. Seed guy told me to just put a starter fertilizer down and it would go away. He was right. I haven't had it this year and it went away shortly after I put the fertilizer down last year.

[setterguy]

kg2 is right, and so is lawdog. Water and fert should help. I had a customer almost drop 2000 bucks on an rust rid system till we figured it out. It was the first time I'd ever seen it.

[LwnmwnMan2]

Yes, rust is caused by the lawn being stressed. Fert and water, or just wait, it doesn't really affect the lawn.

[JacobMHD]

Update.....With all the rain we have been getting it appears to have subsided quite a bit. I mowed with the bagger on to collect as much of the fungus as possible. This and the percipitation seems to have done the trick. Thanks for the help.