- Why do plants need iron?
- Does iron fertilizer help directly against weeds?
- How dangerous is iron fertilizer?
You can recognize iron deficiency in the garden by the changing leaf color of ornamental plants and lawns. This is no longer bright, rich green, but rather yellowish. If plants suffer from iron deficiency, weeds and moss can spread more widely. However, iron fertilizer is only suitable for direct weed control to a limited extent. You can find out why in the following article.
Iron fertilizer provides plants with iron
Why do plants need iron?
Although plants only need iron in very small amounts, a deficiency quickly becomes noticeable. If there is too little of the trace element, the leaves turn yellow, while the leaf veins remain bright green. This is known in technical jargon as chlorosis.
The following are particularly susceptible to iron deficiency:
- citrus
- magnolias
- hydrangeas
- roses
- Rhododendron.
Does iron fertilizer help directly against weeds?
Iron fertilizer is not suitable for weed killing. Although this is often recommended by the trade for exactly this purpose, it is unsuitable as a pure weed killer or lawn fertilizer against weeds.
If an iron(II) sulfate deficiency is detected by a soil sample, which causes weeds and mosses to thrive excessively, you should only use the preparation with great caution. The highly corrosive agent can be harmful to humans and animals. In addition, iron fertilizer further acidifies the soil, so that unwanted plants that have specialized in these conditions find continuously improving conditions. Moss, which loves acidic soils in particular, quickly spreads again despite use.
How dangerous is iron fertilizer?
Even if the name suggests otherwise: iron fertilizer is not a fertilizer. This is a chemical preparation with toxic ingredients. When ferrous sulfate comes into contact with water or liquids, it reacts with other gases to form corrosive sulfuric acid.
Iron fertilizer is often recommended by specialist retailers to combat moss and weeds, but it is just as harmful to other plants. Please keep this in mind when applying. Strictly follow the instructions printed on the packaging. Protective clothing must also be worn when deploying, even if this is not always explicitly stated. Contact with the preparation can cause painful and dangerous irritation of the eyes and skin.
tips
Under no circumstances should you use iron fertilizer to combat weeds that have spread in the cracks of paving stones. The ferrous sulphate can cause ugly stains on the plates that can no longer be removed.