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Ironing Your Turf Grass
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Howdy Gardening Enthusiasts!
If you look at my fertilization schedule on-line by Clicking Here -- it mentions that if the yard is looking NECROTIC (a yellowing tinge) that it might need a bit of an iron supplement.
More times than not, this iron chlorosis/iron deficiency starts to rear its head at the end of August, and becomes very evident in September. However, this need for iron on Houston area lawns has become very evident to me in the past week. Thus, even though many GardenLine devotees have always waited until September to do an iron supplement, I say it can be done right now.
Many of you may be thinking that the excessive June rains may be to blame for this earlier-than-normal need for iron. While that may be a bit true, to me, the main reason that the lawns need a bit more iron earlier-than-normal is because we haven't received that much rain since the end of June. That means our sprinkler systems have been responsible for most of our moisture, and that means the pH in the water that is more alkaline than acidic.
Are you confused yet?
Don't be! We need a slightly acidic water to help the iron get picked up by the grasses to turn them green. Mother Nature's moisture is usually that perfect pH of 6.7-6.8 (just slightly acidic). So, with some showers and tropical developments on the horizon, put out some iron and watch it green up your grass. By the way, the pH of most irrigation systems is 7.2-7.4 (or slightly alkaline).
If for any reason you aren't getting any natural rains in the next few weeks, then it might behoove you to look for the irons that have a soil acidifier built in. In other words, they will say Iron & Soil Acidifier.
Also for those of you who hate the probability of iron stains on the sidewalk, look for newer iron-sucrate products like IRON SAFE. This is just one of a few new non-staining varieties available today.
Lastly, if you have just specific areas of iron chlorosis, one of the quickest ways to green them up is with the liquid versions of iron supplements, and most of them have an acidifier built in as well. That way you don't have to put out iron over the entire lawn.
Some of the more recognized names:
IRONITE
RUFFIN CHELATED IRON
SPRINT CHELATED POWDER
NITRO PHOS IRON & SOIL ACIDIFIER
FERTILOME/HI-YIELD IONATE PLUS
IRON SAFE FROM LILY MILLER
Until next issue, here's to
Great Gardening from the GardenLine, heard
exclusively weekend mornings from 8 to noon
on Talkradio 950 KPRC.
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