To Use or Not to Use!

[pinto n mwr]

Topic is iron for turf grass-

Use it, or don't use it. Based on Lesco fert I have used the following:

32-0-10 2%fe outstanding product
30-0-10 good product
18-0-18 4%fe would never recommend this to anyone.

My question is this-Isn't Iron suppose to give you a better color than no iron?
If I used the 30-0-10 product it is 10 times better than the 18-0-18/4% fe.
Why is that?

[MN Lawn Guy]

That all depends on the rate you put it down, Slow release, N source.
It is not the iron alone that gives color Nitrogen does as well. You need to compare apples to apples.

[mngrassguy]

Iron is only effective during the hot summer months. It won't cause excessive growth like N does but will give a nice dark green effect for 2-3 weeks. 18-0-18 is way to much K during the summer. It can burn a lawn much like N does.

My fert supplier tells me K is in very short supply this year and accounts for much of the huge price increase we are seeing now. Anyone else hearing this?

[tremor]

To get a benefit from granular iron the N:Fe ratio needs to be 4:1 or better. The only item mentioned that even comes close to a correct N:Fe ratio is the 18-0-18 4% Fe but even that is a little weak.

You got great color from the 32-0-10 either due to the Nitrogen, the timing or the lawns. It wasn't the iron.

[FdLLawnMan]

Iron is one of the only micronutrients that you can over apply and not kill the turf. All the iron does is stain the grass, either externally or internally. I have seen microscopic pictures of this effect in several seminars I have attended. One thing about applying iron, if the PH level is 7.5 or higher the effects are minimized as the iron gets bound up in the soil. Chelated iron is better when applying to these high PH soils.
I would not apply the 18-0-18 as you are probably applying excess K. I wouldn't do it unless a soil sample called for it.

[RigglePLC]

If a soil test shows no need for iron--why would it have any effect at all? Also I have heard that below pH 7 there is usually plenty of iron naturally available--but above pH 7 it may not be available in the soil solution. No one I know worries at all about iron. (Except on pin oak).

[Mscotrid]

Pinto, why would you never recommend the 18% blend? I have used that product exclusively as one of my apps for years and very satisifed with the results. K source derived from SOP/MOP, N source 50ppscu. I like the iron which is "Sucrate" low stain potential to enhance the color in combination with the N which is applied and .75n for the cost and coverage this is a very attractive product.. I differ on Mike statement on too much K, recent university data supports the use of K in equal amounts to N. I still reserve the right to base nutritional needs based on a soil test, unfortunately many properties never get a soil tested. I think many us would like to do complete soil testing but the cost prohibits us from doing so. I also know that carrying multiple products on the truck for selective lawn treatments can get expensive.

jmo

[pinto n mwr]

Originally Posted by Mscotrid

Pinto, why would you never recommend the 18% blend? I have used that product exclusively as one of my apps for years and very satisifed with the results. K source derived from SOP/MOP, N source 50ppscu. I like the iron which is "Sucrate" low stain potential to enhance the color in combination with the N which is applied and .75n for the cost and coverage this is a very attractive product.. I differ on Mike statement on too much K, recent university data supports the use of K in equal amounts to N. I still reserve the right to base nutritional needs based on a soil test, unfortunately many properties never get a soil tested. I think many us would like to do complete soil testing but the cost prohibits us from doing so. I also know that carrying multiple products on the truck for selective lawn treatments can get expensive.

jmo

never saw good results from it. Heard all the hype from it, but it never produced.

[whoopassonthebluegrass]

This is also, to a degree, a regional thing. Out here our alkaline soils hold the surplus of Fe and won't release it to the plants, so chlorosis is a big problem - especially with having to water multiple times per week to keep the grass alive.

For me, having NOT used Fe at first, and then applying it consistently - I'll never NOT use it again.

The visual difference is amazing. And that visual is likely a HUGE factor in pleasing my customers.

[greendoctor]

Originally Posted by whoopassonthebluegrass

This is also, to a degree, a regional thing. Out here our alkaline soils hold the surplus of Fe and won't release it to the plants, so chlorosis is a big problem - especially with having to water multiple times per week to keep the grass alive.

For me, having NOT used Fe at first, and then applying it consistently - I'll never NOT use it again.

The visual difference is amazing. And that visual is likely a HUGE factor in pleasing my customers.

It is the same case here. I can tell when a lawn has been fed granules or a fertilizer without enough micronutrients. On rare occasions, my lawns are up to the property line of the neighbor using a "landscaper" to maintain their lawn, same grass, adequate irrigation, etc. The color and growth of the neighbor's lawn is very different.