Iron is used on lawns to improve a lawns overall colour and presentation. When used on your lawn particularly in conjunction with nitrogen, iron can increase the depth of green in your lawn significantly. Iron is often used in professional turf situations such as sportsfields and golf courses to improve the way the turf will present. This often done leading up to big events that will be shown live on TV.
If you want your lawn to look amazing, consider applying iron to it as the icing on the cake!
Other than improving colour, what else can iron do for my lawn?
- The application of iron plays a role in reducing leaf diseases in your lawn.
- Iron can reduce and in certain situations control moss.
- When your lawn has adequate levels of iron it adds strength to your lawn increasing its ability to deal with wear and tear.
- As iron improves your lawns colour it can stretch out the time between other fertiliser applications.
What should I remember when applying iron?
- The most common and successful way to apply iron to your lawn is to spray it on using a knap sack. The iron needs to be diluted in the knap sack and sprayed across your lawn evenly at least in two different directions. The watering in of the iron after application is optional, it doesn’t have to be watered into the turf to be effective. The uptake of the iron by your lawn will be instant, meaning you will see your lawn progressively darken in colour straight away if applied correctly at the right application rate.
- Iron is most effective when your lawn is strong and healthy as the uptake of the iron by your lawn will be much better if your lawn is in a healthy state at the time of applying it.
- In order to get the best out of your iron application to achieve a deep dark green colour; its best to apply iron about 10 days after an application of granular NPK fertiliser has been applied as your lawn will be actively growing after the application of this fertiliser and the iron uptake will be most effective.
- When applying iron, it is best to avoid it in the heat of the day. Generally there will be a little bit of leaf burn when iron is applied, and this can be worse if sprayed in the heat of the day.
- There are many different products on the market that contain iron. Some are fancy branded liquid products with chelated formations, and some are more basic powdered products such as Ferous sulphate which are much cheaper to purchase. Generally speaking, most forms are effective and will get the job done in a lawn situation. It is always best to ensure you follow the label application instructions and application rates.
- A word of warning when applying iron is it can stain your hard surfaces such as concrete, pavers and timber. If there is overspray onto these surfaces it is best to wash it off immediately using a hose to avoid staining.
