# Liquid iron application for my lawn



## wchang23 (Apr 9, 2020)

Hi all,

According to my recent soil test report, my soil has high zinc. Should I go with the 1st liquid fertilizer iron instead of the 2nd choice?

1. 12-0-0 (Sunniland) - https://yardmastery.com/products/12-0-0-blend-sunniland?_pos=3&_sid=0537c88c9&_ss=r
12% nitrogen, 6% chealated iron, 2% Magnesium

2. 6-0-0 (Sunniland) - https://yardmastery.com/products/6-0-0-blend-sunniland?_pos=4&_sid=0537c88c9&_ss=r
6% nitrogen, 5% chealated iron, .75% magnesium, .10% Zinc, 3.5% Sulfar

My goal is to get that dark green look for my Bermuda lawn on 4th July weekend. Thank you!


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## CarolinaCuttin (Sep 6, 2019)

I like the 12-0-0 because of the extra magnesium. They are both great products. I love glucoheptonates, and it's great that it doesn't have synthetic chelates!


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## wchang23 (Apr 9, 2020)

CarolinaCuttin said:


> I like the 12-0-0 because of the extra magnesium. They are both great products. I love glucoheptonates, and it's great that it doesn't have synthetic chelates!


Great to know thanks!

What does extra magnesium do? What is glucoheptonates for?


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## CarolinaCuttin (Sep 6, 2019)

@wchang23 Glucpheptonates are organic sugar chelating agents. They are ideal for foliar feeding as they keep the nutrient in solution and available to the plant through the leaves. Contrast this with EDTA and HEDTA which are synthetic chelates. They are great for soil applications, but they are too big and too strong of a chelating agent to be a good choice for foliar feeding. Foliar is the only way to go for iron supplements in my opinion.

Magnesium is the central element of the chlorophyll molecule. Extra magnesium should tend to give you a slightly better color response versus iron alone.


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## wchang23 (Apr 9, 2020)

CarolinaCuttin said:


> @wchang23 Glucpheptonates are organic sugar chelating agents. They are ideal for foliar feeding as they keep the nutrient in solution and available to the plant through the leaves. Contrast this with EDTA and HEDTA which are synthetic chelates. They are great for soil applications, but they are too big and too strong of a chelating agent to be a good choice for foliar feeding. Foliar is the only way to go for iron supplements in my opinion.
> 
> Magnesium is the central element of the chlorophyll molecule. Extra magnesium should tend to give you a slightly better color response versus iron alone.


Thank you for this information.


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## Tide (Aug 6, 2019)

I'm reading that the 12-0-0 blend actually contains 2% manganese. How do manganese and magnesium compare and contrast with each other?


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## CarolinaCuttin (Sep 6, 2019)

Tide said:


> I'm reading that the 12-0-0 blend actually contains 2% manganese. How do manganese and magnesium compare and contrast with each other?


Good catch, I was reading the description in the OP and I didn't check the label closely enough. Iron, magnesium, and manganese are all going to provide greening. Ideally you would have all of these nutrients in a color spray.


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## Tide (Aug 6, 2019)

CarolinaCuttin said:


> Good catch, I was reading the description in the OP and I didn't check the label closely enough. Iron, magnesium, and manganese are all going to provide greening. Ideally you would have all of these nutrients in a color spray.


I'm intrigued by glucoheptonates. However, it's difficult to find a lot of options out there that use them as chelating agents. Do you know of something that compares well to Feature or Main Event in terms of cost effectiveness, but that also uses glucoheptonates?

Micrel Total is a cool product, but it uses citric acid to chelate the nutrients. How does citric acid compare to glucoheptonates?


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## CarolinaCuttin (Sep 6, 2019)

@Tide Citric acid is fantastic as well. Any organic acid or sugar chelation is fantastic. Some golf course quality products have glucoheptonates and citric acid for double the punch. Citric acid, amino acids, glucoheptonate, sorbitol (I've seen calcium product chelated with sorbitol) are all great things to see on a label. Look into Turf Fuel products too. Micros Fuel Kelp is a great product that is more in the ~$60 range


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## Jimefam (Jun 22, 2018)

CarolinaCuttin said:


> @Tide Citric acid is fantastic as well. Any organic acid or sugar chelation is fantastic. Some golf course quality products have glucoheptonates and citric acid for double the punch. Citric acid, amino acids, glucoheptonate, sorbitol (I've seen calcium product chelated with sorbitol) are all great things to see on a label. Look into Turf Fuel products too. Micros Fuel Kelp is a great product that is more in the ~$60 range


Hmmm tried reaching out to their rep when you recommended it in another thread. Was curious on the price but havent gotten a call back. $60 range for how much product? Do you know how much is applied per 1k sqft? Trying to do cost benefit vs something like Feature.


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## CarolinaCuttin (Sep 6, 2019)

@Jimefam Label says 2-6 ounces but I wouldn't do less than 4 ounces or else you might not get the pop you're looking for. 5 ounces would be the ideal rate if you ask me for a residential lawn. At 5 oz/M that treats 64,000 square feet. That would be 5 applications to your 12k yard. I can definitely understand if that seems a little steep.

Turf Fuel products are going to give you more than nutrition, they have biostimulants and plant hormones designed for all around health and plant vigor. If you just want the iron, I would go with Ferromec AC. $30/jug, 3 oz/M will be equivalent amount of iron to 5 oz/M of Turf Fuel product. It lacks all the other micronutrients and isn't chelated, but the formula is 15-0-0 so you get some urea nitrogen at the same time. It will give you the color pop but nothing else.

As a disclaimer, I've never worked for or sold products by Turf Fuel. I don't even use them myself (what I use is even more expensive than the Turf Fuel so it's likely not of interest). I have seen dozens and dozens of superintendents that are incredibly satisfied with the Turf Fuel line of products, and it's affordable stuff that I figured some people here would be interested in it, that's the only reason I bring it up. It's upscale foliar fertility, so it's not for everyone.


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## Jimefam (Jun 22, 2018)

CarolinaCuttin said:


> @Jimefam Label says 2-6 ounces but I wouldn't do less than 4 ounces or else you might not get the pop you're looking for. 5 ounces would be the ideal rate if you ask me for a residential lawn. At 5 oz/M that treats 64,000 square feet. That would be 5 applications to your 12k yard. I can definitely understand if that seems a little steep.
> 
> Turf Fuel products are going to give you more than nutrition, they have biostimulants and plant hormones designed for all around health and plant vigor. If you just want the iron, I would go with Ferromec AC. $30/jug, 3 oz/M will be equivalent amount of iron to 5 oz/M of Turf Fuel product. It lacks all the other micronutrients and isn't chelated, but the formula is 15-0-0 so you get some urea nitrogen at the same time. It will give you the color pop but nothing else.
> 
> As a disclaimer, I've never worked for or sold products by Turf Fuel. I don't even use them myself (what I use is even more expensive than the Turf Fuel so it's likely not of interest). I have seen dozens and dozens of superintendents that are incredibly satisfied with the Turf Fuel line of products, and it's affordable stuff that I figured some people here would be interested in it, that's the only reason I bring it up. It's upscale foliar fertility, so it's not for everyone.


Thank you for the super detailed reply. What are your thoughts on that vs 3lbs of feature @lets say $20 a bag. Considering its 2oz per 1k I'm right around $10 an application which is about what your saying the cost of this turf fuel product would be for me. I can live with that cost if its good for say being sprayed at the same time I do PGR which is 2-3 weeks depending on the time of year.


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## CarolinaCuttin (Sep 6, 2019)

@Jimefam If you can do the Turf Fuel for about the same price as the Feature I would definitely go with Turf Fuel. You're going to get a better product that has a bunch of other goodies for the plant.

Get in touch with the rep and see what the stuff is going for these days, I don't think you'll be disappointed.


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## Tide (Aug 6, 2019)

CarolinaCuttin said:


> @Jimefam If you can do the Turf Fuel for about the same price as the Feature I would definitely go with Turf Fuel. You're going to get a better product that has a bunch of other goodies for the plant.
> 
> Get in touch with the rep and see what the stuff is going for these days, I don't think you'll be disappointed.


I was able to find Minors Fuel here, but this doesn't appear to be the current offering shown on Turf Fuel's website. Any thoughts on this?

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


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## CenlaLowell (Apr 21, 2017)

Question, spraying main event in the heat is it ok??? Just read the label and it doesn't say nothing about a temperature restrictions...


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## corneliani (Apr 2, 2019)

CenlaLowell said:


> Question, spraying main event in the heat is it ok??? Just read the label and it doesn't say nothing about a temperature restrictions...


I had heard, and it's stuck with me since it makes lots of sense, that in the heat of the day the turf itself goes in a bit of shutdown mode. Plant uptake becomes minimal, while burning due to product drying on leaves is maximized. Hence early morning and late afternoon are the way to go, even with something as benign as Sea Kelp. Micros are no exception, since you are hoping for efficient foliar translocation. That won't happen in the heat of the day.


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## CenlaLowell (Apr 21, 2017)

corneliani said:


> CenlaLowell said:
> 
> 
> > Question, spraying main event in the heat is it ok??? Just read the label and it doesn't say nothing about a temperature restrictions...
> ...


Thanks for explaining that.


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## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

What kind of iron is Southern Ag Liquid? Couldn't figure it out looking at the label.

I just ordered the Lawnstar product to try something different.


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## corneliani (Apr 2, 2019)

ionicatoms said:


> What kind of iron is Southern Ag Liquid? Couldn't figure it out looking at the label.
> 
> I just ordered the Lawnstar product to try something different.


Under the Guaranteed Analysis you'll see a Derived From line. That's where the sources are listed. I think in this case it's Iron Sulfate. Double check.


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## Saints (May 5, 2019)

Also check out iron blade from turf fuel. This is a 2.5 gallon jug that I got for $42 delivered.
https://www.seedworldusa.com/products/turf-fuel-blade-iron-6-liquid-turf-fertilizer-2-5-gallons


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## PGunn (May 17, 2020)

Saints said:


> Also check out iron blade from turf fuel. This is a 2.5 gallon jug that I got for $42 delivered.
> https://www.seedworldusa.com/products/turf-fuel-blade-iron-6-liquid-turf-fertilizer-2-5-gallons


Post some before/afters. I spoke to the rep last week and this is what he recommended to me for green up.


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

PGunn said:


> Saints said:
> 
> 
> > Also check out iron blade from turf fuel. This is a 2.5 gallon jug that I got for $42 delivered.
> ...


I ordered the same last weekend and should receive it next week. I'll post my experience using this vs. Main Event.


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## NWGALawn706 (May 19, 2020)

How'd your lawn turn out for July 4th?


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## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

Sprayed 35oz of Southern Ag chelated liquid iron supplement over 2200 sq.ft of the side yard using a hose-end sprayer. 2oz per gallon.

No color results as far as I can tell. Maybe it was too hot. Maybe I shouldn't have done it after mowing. I don't know. Details are in my journal. Next time I'll try using my pump sprayer and see if it makes a difference.

Left side, 1 day post application.
Right side, 4 days post application.


I ordered LawnStar Liquid Iron to try a competing product.


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## Hollandbt (Jun 12, 2019)

I had better results using the pump sprayer vs the hose end sprayer. After I used the pump sprayer and then ran the sprinkler. I have a strip on the other side of the driveway that didn't get watered until the next day and I had a little browning/blackening on the blades.


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## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

This morning I applied 4oz LawnStar Liquid Iron in 1 gallon of water over 1k sq.ft. I applied to half the side yard, so will be able to see if there is a visual difference. I saw some people recommend 5oz, others got good results at 3oz. Label says 3oz for maintenance dose.


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## ChessCharlie (Jul 5, 2020)

Dang yall are some lawn care ninja wizards lol

I googled the Turf Fuel products.. only see it on a website and not link to buy, just contact button. They've got enough products out there to make your head spin. So much information to learn for lawn care. Guess I'll keep plodding along doing my newb research!


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## CarolinaCuttin (Sep 6, 2019)

ChessCharlie said:


> Dang yall are some lawn care ninja wizards lol
> 
> I googled the Turf Fuel products.. only see it on a website and not link to buy, just contact button. They've got enough products out there to make your head spin. So much information to learn for lawn care. Guess I'll keep plodding along doing my newb research!


The amount of products out there are endless, I haven't worked with Turf Fuel but I've found a lot of these golf and sports turf companies are willing to work with homeowners when it comes to getting and trying these professional products.


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## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

ionicatoms said:


> This morning I applied 4oz LawnStar Liquid Iron in 1 gallon of water over 1k sq.ft. I applied to half the side yard, so will be able to see if there is a visual difference. I saw some people recommend 5oz, others got good results at 3oz. Label says 3oz for maintenance dose.


No response at all. Left side was treated with LawnStar. Right side was not treated. Top photo is from Saturday, bottom photo is from this morning

Still don't know what I'm doing wrong. Any suggestions?


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## ChessCharlie (Jul 5, 2020)

2nd picture looks darker green to me?


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## CenlaLowell (Apr 21, 2017)

ionicatoms said:


> ionicatoms said:
> 
> 
> > This morning I applied 4oz LawnStar Liquid Iron in 1 gallon of water over 1k sq.ft. I applied to half the side yard, so will be able to see if there is a visual difference. I saw some people recommend 5oz, others got good results at 3oz. Label says 3oz for maintenance dose.
> ...


Looks darker in the second pic. I really wonder how much darker are you expecting it to get??


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## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

I only put the liquid iron on the left side of that picture, the difference in shade between top and bottom is only due to lighting conditions.

I know it can go darker because I've got some streaks in my front yard where the fertilizer went down heavier. But our county doesn't allow nitrogen this time of year, so trying to figure out what could help even out the color.


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## ABC123 (Jul 14, 2017)

Try some ph down?


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## rjw0283 (May 11, 2020)

I do a combination of ironite granular 1x a month and spray main event every 2 weeks with PGR... 
Not sure if it'll go any greener.


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