I told this to someone and all he said, very quickly, was, "...put down pelletized lime in the spring."

Okay. What is pelletized lime? Why might that help? How much do I put down?

Only apply lime if required by soil test results. (you do not add oil to your car without first checking the dip-stick)

>"he said, very quickly, was, "...put down pelletized lime in the spring."

Purdue University does not make the same recommendation, nor do they indicate anywhere that rust is pH related - see link below.

On the flip side, if your soil isn't acidic, then adding lime would actually make the problem worse.

The only way to know which category you will fall in is to test the soil ph.

Yes and no. Actually rust is more a 'temporary condition' - a result due from overly damp conditions and having turf cultivars which are suspect to rust. This is why a fungicide really does no good as a preventative or remedy solution, but as Bill states, better and proper fertilization and cultural practices will.