Proper lawn care is a kind of a balancing act. You need to know what nutrients your lawn is lacking, or which ones you could do less with. Iron, is one such nutrient which tends to be on the lesser side. Your lawn needs iron for vital functions like healthy growth, enzyme and chlorophyll synthesis, nitrogen optimization, metabolism etcetera. However, iron is mostly used up by the other nutrients and hence it is difficult to maintain its optimum level. Here are a few pointers to help you determine if your lawn needs a dose of iron and how:
- Iron Chlorosis is a problem that plagues many lawn care enthusiasts. It occurs throughout the year but gets more severe as the temperatures begin to increase. As the condition worsens, the veins turn yellow and the leaves turn brown, dropping off eventually. To begin with, check your plants carefully. Check for yellowing leaves, or dark green veins on your grass. These are mostly iron deficit signs.
- Iron deficiency signs are similar to nitrogen, manganese and zinc deficiencies. Nitrogen lacking conditions appear on aged leaves, while zinc deficit appears on smaller leaves. Therefore, it is important to get your soil tested in order to determine exactly which nutrient is lacking in your lawn grass. Things will worsen if you treat your plants for the wrong nutrient.
- To increase iron levels in your lawn, you need to increase the oxygen levels in the soil. You can do this by giving the soil time to dry out between watering in your lawn care schedule. Also, if your soil is acidic, it will use up all the iron available in the soil. For this, fix your soil’s pH levels by adopting methods to reduce the acidity. Or else, you can add a dose of iron to your soil by using iron rich food for your lawn.
- The best time to add a dose of iron on your lawn grass is late spring, when the temperatures are between 60-70 degrees. Do not treat your grass with iron at higher temperatures as it can be detrimental to your plants.
As said above, lawn care is a job that requires patience, and love for your plants. There are a number of things that could go wrong, you need to stay on track and get professional help whenever possible. Once you have done your part, sit back and watch Mother Nature transform that barren piece of land into the beautiful, lush green lawn you have always wanted. Before you take any action, make sure to consult a lawn care specialist.