I have an orange powder on my lawn. When I walked across my lawn it got all over my shoes. What is it?

Your lawn is infected with a disease called “Rust”. Rust usually develops very slowly, over several weeks. It is fairly rare in Manitoba although there are a few severe cases each year. The disease strikes lawns that are excessively dry and nitrogen deficient. The orange powder is actually microscopic spores that spread quite easily in the wind. The disease is contagious. In one instance, an entire street in Whyte Ridge was infected by someone delivering flyers who walked across the lawns all the way down the street. Their orange footprints were dramatically visible leading from the infected lawn to all of the others. To treat the disease, begin watering the lawn daily with up to half an inch each day for one week, then every other day until the disease dissipates. Begin fertilizing with a high nitrogen fertilizer to correct the nitrogen deficiency. Perform one application every seven days until the disease dissipates. Keep traffic away from the infected area. When mowing, cut the infected areas last. Bag and dispose of the clipping. Wash your shoes and the mower deck with the garden hose after cutting.