# Feature / Main Event vs. 2.5 gal. Turf Fuel Blade Iron 15-0-0 with 6% iron



## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

I'm using Main Event as my iron supplement (adding 2 oz per k with my PGR apps) and also applied 3 oz per k with 5oz per k 20-20-20 with very nice green up.

I will need to more iron this growing season and plan to buy some for next season as well, so naturally I'm looking at FEature & Main Event, but I came across this Turf Fuel Blade Iron 15-0-0 with 6% iron and it comes in 2.5 gal.

Running the math I can apply Turf Fuel at the highest label rate of 5 oz per k at about half the price of applying FEature at 3 oz per k (if I buy FEature in TLF marketplace).

- Anybody have experience with this product?
- Is 5 oz per k going to give me the results I'm used to?
- Any reason I should stick with FEature / Main Event?


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## CarolinaCuttin (Sep 6, 2019)

@Awar The standard rate for a 6% iron nutrient is 3 oz/M, if you use the max rate of 5 oz/M I have no doubt that you'll see incredible results. Turf Fuel makes a bunch of high quality technical products for golf course superintendents, and I haven't heard anything negative about them yet!


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

CarolinaCuttin said:


> @Awar The standard rate for a 6% iron nutrient is 3 oz/M, if you use the max rate of 5 oz/M I have no doubt that you'll see incredible results. Turf Fuel makes a bunch of high quality technical products for golf course superintendents, and I haven't heard anything negative about them yet!


Thanks @CarolinaCuttin!

What do you think of applying this using a hose end sprayer?

When I do my PGR apps I use my calibrated Ryobi sprayer but in between PGR apps I like to apply iron with some water soluble fertilizer so I find the hose end sprayer more convenient. I think my apps have been pretty consistent as I split the amounts into 1 bottle per 1000.


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## CenlaLowell (Apr 21, 2017)

What do you think of applying this using a hose end sprayer?

I don't think you will find anyone that will recommend a hose end sprayer when applying these products.

I use main event/feature in my trailer sprayer because it's easy to store and does a good job overall. I use a liquid iron product prosolutions for my 2 gallon sprayers for touch ups and trims..

@Awar


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## CarolinaCuttin (Sep 6, 2019)

@Awar I'm fine with a hose end sprayer for soil applied materials, but like PGRs this needs to be sprayed on the leaf and stay there, not fall to the ground. That doesn't mean you can't see results with a hose end approach, but I think your best option is going to be going out with the backpack every two weeks since you'll be out there anyway applying the PGR.

Mix up 5 oz/M of Turf Fuel Iron, 0.2 oz/M Podium, and 0.25 lbs N/M from urea melted down. This is a great biweekly maintenance mix since the Podium and iron typically last about two weeks. I'm just giving you a good place to start with the Podium, you can adjust up or down if you're not getting the right amount of regulation. All of these are true foliar products and they work great together.


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

@CenlaLowell & @CarolinaCuttin I was asking about hose-end sprayer because I had good success earlier this week using it to apply Main Event + 20-20-20 + kelp4less extreme blend. And I'm also not very happy with the my Ryobi 2 gal. sprayer even with the TeeJet mod and using the right foliar spray tip It's not putting down as much water per 1000 as most products recommend. I need perpendicular passes to put down 0.5 gal. per 1000! That's how I'm doing my PGR apps and it's working fine but I'm not sure if I can mix & effectively apply PGR + Iron + liquid fert and put them down successfully at 0.5 gal. per 1000.


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## MatthewinGA (May 21, 2018)

I tried both sprayer methods for Fe+. I did the backyard with my Ortho Dial sprayer and I did the front with My Chapin 20V backpack sprayer. The backyard is mostly grass, the front has so much concrete (driveway/sidewalks) and didn't want Fe+ stains.

I liked the results of the backpack. Calibrated control is the way to go-


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## CarolinaCuttin (Sep 6, 2019)

@Awar What spray tip are you using? XR 110-04 (red) is what has worked for me to get 50 gallons per acre, but if you can't get that volume out of it I'd move up to the XR 110-08 (white). I think they even make an XR 110-10 which could be an option for you.

0.5 gallons per thousand is about 22 gallons per acre, which is definitely on the lower side, but still enough for a foliar application. 20-50 GPA is the acceptable range.

For reference, 35 GPA will give you 90% of maximum theoretical foliar uptake, while both 20 GPA and 50 GPA will give you 85% of maximum. It drops off pretty steeply above 50 GPA and anything below 20 GPA is going to be highly prone to drift loss and exacerbation of applicator error.


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## CenlaLowell (Apr 21, 2017)

If it's working for you keep on keeping on. I don't see how water coming out the hose end is sitting on the leaf surface though.


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

@CenlaLowell I hear what you're saying. The hose-end sprayer I use is not going to be a full foliar application, but it definitely leaves droplets on the leaf surface. I'm sure more is going into the thatch/soil than sticking to the leaves but it worked surprisingly well this week which is why I thought it may work for me until I figure out the right setup with my Ryobi sprayer.

@MatthewinGA I appreciate your input :thumbup: and I'd like to get my Ryobi sprayer to work for me like it should!

@CarolinaCuttin I appreciate the info! Yes I use the TeeJet XR11004-VS (RED) tip and while the pattern looks great it's not pumping out enough water. Do you think bumping up to the equivalent XR11008-VS WHITE tip will do the trick? I don't know the pressure range of my Ryobi sprayer and it appears I need to know that first before I can select the right tip color. I tried to read a lot on TeeJet nozzles (Ware's thread) but not sure I have things figured out yet :?

Here's the sprayer I use for reference: https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-O...-Ah-Battery-Charger-Included-P28320/312791084


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## CenlaLowell (Apr 21, 2017)

I've never seen a sprayer quite like that.. you need between 30-40 psi for good coverage I believe. Most here are have Chapin, sprayer plus, or 4mysons


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## CarolinaCuttin (Sep 6, 2019)

@Awar I read the manual for your sprayer and it says 45 PSI is the spraying pressure but surely this is adjustable?

In any case I would consider getting a few 110-08 nozzles because that is for sure going to help your volume output.

You may already know this, but the first number of the nozzle code is the fan angle (110° in this case) and the second number is the output per minute at 40 PSI in tenths of a gallon. So in theory the output of the 110-08 is double the output of the 110-04 all other things equal. At 40 PSI one sprays 0.4 gal/min and the other 0.8 gal/min. If you were able to double your spray volume that would put you in a great spot for foliar applications, roughly 44 GPA (~1 gal/M).


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

CarolinaCuttin said:


> @Awar I read the manual for your sprayer and it says 45 PSI is the spraying pressure but surely this is adjustable?
> 
> In any case I would consider getting a few 110-08 nozzles because that is for sure going to help your volume output.
> 
> You may already know this, but the first number of the nozzle code is the fan angle (110° in this case) and the second number is the output per minute at 40 PSI in tenths of a gallon. So in theory the output of the 110-08 is double the output of the 110-04 all other things equal. At 40 PSI one sprays 0.4 gal/min and the other 0.8 gal/min. If you were able to double your spray volume that would put you in a great spot for foliar applications, roughly 44 GPA (~1 gal/M).


Thanks @CarolinaCuttin this is all great and that's what I understood from my research, but for some reason I was stuck thinking that my sprayer wouldn't push out more gpm... I'll get me a couple of WHITE tips and test it out!

I have no idea how the psi on my sprayer would be adjustable :?


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## CarolinaCuttin (Sep 6, 2019)

@Awar Good luck and let us know how it turns out for you!


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

I just ordered two white tips to replace my red tips. I'll obviously use the first for foliar apps and keep the second for fungicides/pesticides/pre-em:


TeeJet XR11008VS

TeeJet AI11008-VS

Back on the main comparison topic, I calculated the below for Turf Fuel Blade Iron 15-0-0 with 6% iron:


2.5 gal x 10.9 lbs/gal = 27.25 lbs total weight

This means at the 5 fl oz/k rate we're getting 0.425 lbs/k which is 6.8 dry oz/k

At 6% iron content this means just over 0.4 oz/k Fe

This is the equivalent iron content as 4 oz/k of Feature or Main Event (which are 10% iron)
At $42 for 2.5 gal shipped, Turf Blade gives me 12 treatments at 5 oz/k on my 5,200 sq-ft lawn. This is $3.5 per app. Feature or Main Event are more than double that price for the equivalent app, granted they contain some other nutrients but it's still not justified in my opinion.

I'll go ahead and order this weekend unless someone recommends some other iron that's superior or more cost effective :mrgreen:


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## SC Grass Loon (Jun 7, 2019)

Is that a pressure regulating nozzle body or a no drip nozzle? If it is a pressure regulating nozzle that could be an issue. If it is a no drip then I think I remember them saying that would reduce pressure to some degree. @Ware could speak to that better than I could.

I have not used that particular product but I do use their TGP Micro 6-0-0 and have had a good experience with it.


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## uts (Jul 8, 2019)

From my limited knowledge about foliar iron, the type of chelation, EDTA, DPTA, EDDHA vs sugar based also matters. I would really like to get peoples take on this and if anybody has compared the different types for their effectiveness, stability, longevity etc.


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## CarolinaCuttin (Sep 6, 2019)

uts said:


> From my limited knowledge about foliar iron, the type of chelation, EDTA, DPTA, EDDHA vs sugar based also matters. I would really like to get peoples take on this and if anybody has compared the different types for their effectiveness, stability, longevity etc.


Chelation is most useful for soil applications, foliar applications don't require chelation. Citric acid is a great option for chelation because it increases soil availability as well as lowering pH (increasing foliar uptake). Citric acid doesn't inhibit foliar uptake like EDTA and other synthetic chelates.

Bottom line: you're probably going to get a response from any time of iron product but if you have the choice between organic vs synthetic chelates, go with organic for foliar apps and synthetic for soil apps.


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## uts (Jul 8, 2019)

CarolinaCuttin said:


> uts said:
> 
> 
> > From my limited knowledge about foliar iron, the type of chelation, EDTA, DPTA, EDDHA vs sugar based also matters. I would really like to get peoples take on this and if anybody has compared the different types for their effectiveness, stability, longevity etc.
> ...


Thank you for this. So for foliar application does a chelated product like Feature/mainevent require citric acid if mixing in well water/alkaline water?


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## ZachUA (Dec 28, 2018)

Awar said:


> I'm using Main Event as my iron supplement (adding 2 oz per k with my PGR apps) and also applied 3 oz per k with 5oz per k 20-20-20 with very nice green up.
> 
> I will need to more iron this growing season and plan to buy some for next season as well, so naturally I'm looking at FEature & Main Event, but I came across this Turf Fuel Blade Iron 15-0-0 with 6% iron and it comes in 2.5 gal.
> 
> ...


Where to order for this deal? I just bought 2 bags of feature off the marketplace but if this is cheaper I'd like to take a look.

Thanks!


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## CarolinaCuttin (Sep 6, 2019)

@uts It might. The ideal pH range for a foliar micronutrient spray is 4.0-6.0 so if you have water that's extremely alkaline it would help to add some citric acid to get it into the ideal range.


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

ZachUA said:


> Awar said:
> 
> 
> > I'm using Main Event as my iron supplement (adding 2 oz per k with my PGR apps) and also applied 3 oz per k with 5oz per k 20-20-20 with very nice green up.
> ...


@ZachUA seedworldusa: $22.14 + $19.66 (shipping) = $41.80

https://www.seedworldusa.com/products/turf-fuel-blade-iron-6-liquid-turf-fertilizer-2-5-gallons


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## rjjrmiller (Jun 4, 2020)

Awar said:


> CarolinaCuttin said:
> 
> 
> > @Awar The standard rate for a 6% iron nutrient is 3 oz/M, if you use the max rate of 5 oz/M I have no doubt that you'll see incredible results. Turf Fuel makes a bunch of high quality technical products for golf course superintendents, and I haven't heard anything negative about them yet!
> ...


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## ZachUA (Dec 28, 2018)

Awar said:


> ZachUA said:
> 
> 
> > Awar said:
> ...


Thank you good sir!


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## Gilley11 (Nov 3, 2019)

@rjjrmiller m or k refers to 1000 sq ft.
Ex: 
3oz/k = 3oz/1000sq ft
3oz/m = 3oz/1000 sq ft


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

I received my Blade Iron 15-0-0 (6% Fe) today and noticed that (1) they have re-branded this product from Turf Fuel to Turf Grass Pro (TGP), and (2) they changed the label rates from 1-5 oz/k to 2-8 oz/k. Everything else is exactly the same.

@CarolinaCuttin I am going to put this down tomorrow morning with my PGR app so should I still go with 5 oz/k or higher? I'm looking for the deepest green I can get but I'm not sure I trust with the 8 oz/k max label rate. Thoughts?


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## CarolinaCuttin (Sep 6, 2019)

@Awar If you are used to Main Event/FEature I would start with 3 oz/M and see how far that gets you, I use a 12-0-0 with 6% Fe, 1.5% Mn and 1% Zn and I get a fantastic color response with 3 oz/M.

At the end of your spray you can find an area that is kind of out of sight that you already sprayed and go over it again as a test to see what 6 oz/M looks like. Be sure to give us an update :thumbup:


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

@CarolinaCuttin I'll experiment in one area like you're saying :thumbup:

Cannot just double spray that area because I'm doing PGR too, but I'll re-spray with a second dose separately when I spray my plugged area that does not get PGR.


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## lawndog (May 12, 2018)

How did that Turf Fuel iron product work out?


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

lawndog said:


> How did that Turf Fuel iron product work out?


@lawndog I used it for the second half of last season and applied a couple of apps this season. I got good results at the 6 oz/k rate but nothing crazy to brag about. My next PGR app is this weekend so I'll go with some leftover FeATURE that I have to compare the results.


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