Ironite - Iron: It is What's for Dessert for My Citrus Trees
Written: Apr 22 '08 (Updated Apr 30 '08)
Product Rating:
Pros: Wonderful supplement to your regular fertilization routine for most plants and lawns.
Cons: Spilling can stain concrete, wood, clothes and pool-decks. No issue if proper care is taken.
The Bottom Line: Works very well and is proven by Ironite's addition to my normal routine as I continue trying bringing back a grapefruit tree from the brink. Results improved with its use.
mongomad1's Full Review: Lilly Miller Fertlizer Ironite 40#
First off, I must say I am no more than a casual gardener and inherited a formerly gorgeous grapefruit tree and a navel orange and tangelo trees. I have learned a ton after darn near killing all three.
You could not imagine the beauty of the grapefruit tree as my neighbors said that the gentleman that owned my house took better care of it than he did his family: a small boy, younger girl and wife. In fact, look at the picture links near the end of this review under the Photos section by copying and pasting into your browser and then it is apparent how it has morphed from healthy when I took pictures pre-home purchase in 9/2004 to the comeback trail in 2007 (no Ironite) and 2008 (after Ironite applied twice).
.................................................Background of My Errant Ways
..........................Skip to the “Enter a Fertilization Regimen” if you could
..........................care less about my silly shortcomings as far as a green thumb.
Why was I such a Slacker?
Truth be known, I do not particularly care for grapefruits, although this one is of the Ruby Red variety. It gets its name based on the color of the "meat" inside. It is far from yellow and is, well, ruby red... They actually are not bad since they lack the bitter taste I find with the typical grapefruit. We were forced to eat the regular ones as kids and the sugar industry boomed on these, particular days. 1 teaspoon, 2 teaspoons, 3. Whatever it took to kill the taste!
My mother and sister, along with many former co-workers, loved them and I let them take as many as they wanted. I figured, "Heck, it is doing great on its own. No sense me messing it up." I had two uses for them. The main one was a game, invented for my then 3 year-old son, called Grapefruit on a String. I found an odd string contraption in a tree that had screw-in hooks and a bungee cord tied to either end left by the former owner of my home.
Placed in said tree by the bungee hook and with a grapefruit fastened to one of the three screws, I would push it in a pendulum motion and have my child catch it/watch it into his hands. A huge Major League sign on bonus for him is my retirement plan since he has particularly keen hand-eye coordination. The fruit was at a height it could not hit him but for on out-stretched hands. The other use was hitting them with the lawn mower to smell the fine citrus scent that permeated the air afterward.
Why the Sudden Passion for Her?
Well, I found out the previous owner visits one of my neighbors, so embarrassment is part of the answer. Also, it was turning yellow, the leaves that is, barren of fruit and this made for an unsightly 12' tall fixture in my yard. Also, the leaves became sparse, so it resembled one Charlie Brown might select. The combination of humiliation and an "unsat" eyesore on my lawn demanded action. Paddles, clear!
Enter a Fertilization Regimen
At first, I just went to the hardware store - large chain with the color orange everywhere - and picked up some 6-4-6 Sunniland Avocado and Mango growth serum. I also thought that lime would help. OK, the guy that was assisting me up-sold the limestone powder.
This was the summer of 2007, the year of our Lord. I applied as directed through 2007 and there was a slight improvement, but just more yellow leaves. Well, now I had invested far too much time watering, pruning the dead wood away, feeding and observing her by taking a picture each week to look for improvements. So, I was bound and determined to restore her at least somewhat near her former glory.
“How?” I thought. Always ask mommy/grandma. My mother grew up on a farm until she was a teenager and when I came along, we always had a large garden at our homestead, along with several citrus trees including the puzzling kumquat. Not good to eat, but darn good for throwing at siblings and cousins – we learned dad hated this game after one time trying to include him. We had 2.75 acres on the river with tons of room for all sorts of plants.
She suggested that a major iron deficiency was the culprit of my sad-looking, grapefruit tree’s yellow leaves. I picked up a two pound container of a different brand than reviewed here, IronSafe 4-0-0, and it made no real difference. It said to use a much smaller amount and my yard slopes at the spot of said grapefruit tree.
I think this less volume required was washed away passed the tree. It had 10% iron and this Ironite has only 5% and is 1-0-1. Ironite's added benefit is it has solid pellets that are less prone to floating downstream in my terribly graded yard (dude must have been on something the day our yard was done, way back in the late 80’s) versus the more powdery IronSafe.
I have only applied it twice this year and the results are striking. While I do not have the dark green color leaves yet that the previous caretaker did, they are by far much closer to green than yellow. Also, I love my family and spend time with them, unlike Mr. Neglect My Brood Grapefruit Expert.
How to Apply and Frequency
Unlike IronSafe’s three, Ironite can be applied up to four times a year. You merely sprinkle one pound for every one hundred square feet and only along the drip-line. What happens if you put it closer to the tree? I did since I only half read the instructions on my first application and no major damage was done. I did get better and faster results from the second application, following the directions to a “T”.
Once the recommended amount is spread on the ground, water it in thoroughly. I suggest using a sprinkler head that lofts water in the air and most resembles natural rain versus traditional sprinklers that may jet your application all over the place or hosing it down that may result in the same.
That ground needs to be soaked, so let ‘er rip. Though watering bans may exist in your city for lawns and landscaping plants/flowers, check to see if the restriction is lifted for those that bear food, be it fruit or vegetable. I water mine about once a week to ten days, depending if we get any rain here in sunny Florida. If we get a soaking rain regularly, I water less often because I am ever the environmentalist and really do not want root rot from keeping it flooded.
Other Uses
This stuff is great for potted plants/flowers as well as your lawn and garden. As far as your prized sod, I can attest by the ring of dark green on my St. Augustine lawn just passed the drip line of my tree that it will greenify your grass much to the envy of your neighbors. This is another symptom that came after switching to Ironite. You could spell out, “Fertilize your yard,” on the neighbor’s lawn with the seemingly pinpoint accuracy this magical panacea affords since it will not bleed all over the yard like the powders.
I would REALLY advise using a QUALITY spreader based on this observation. If it is not even, you will certainly know which areas took on more and those that were short changed!
Be Careful!!!!
Ironite will stain your clothes, concrete, pool surfaces and wood, like a nice deck. As you fill your spreader, do so over the lawn and not in the driveway. If it hits the driveway and said concrete structure is wet, you will always know where that accident took place by the permanent stain it will leave behind.
I did spill a bunch on our dry driveway and after the wife cleaned it up, no stain was left behind. What? I was laying some sod over a bare patch in the yard! She did not even complain. Well, she did a little about the blouse she was wearing since it will never be the same. What? She could have read the bag!
Final Thoughts
While I mentioned the term panacea about this product, that was in jest. Ironite is meant to supplement your normal fertilization routine and not used exclusively. Based on my use, it is very clear that it is very effective since I used a normal plant food diet and then added this to the mix. The stuff will not burn your plants and has a 100% money back guarantee right on the bag. You send your receipt, proof of purchase to an address and they mail you a check. I like companies that stand behind what they sell!
I truly believe in this product as a supplement for plants and lawns based on using a sound strategy prior to employing Ironite and seeing the wonderful results after making it part of the regimen. Though my grapefruit tree has not 100% forgiven me, I can tell she appreciates me a little more and I will actually have a crop in the fall “if nothing don’t happen”. The 40 lb bag means she will live high on the hog. I do not show it to her, I make her lick up every bit so she is healthy and not knowing when another treat may come, if at all.
Ironite 1-0-1 Percentage of Chemicals of Note
Total Nitrogen..................................................1%
…………..1.0% Urea Nitrogen
Soluble Potash................................................1% (not that kind of pot ash)
Calcium..........................................................12%
Sulfur..............................................................10%
Boron..........................................................0.02%
Total Iron.......................................................4.5%
...........2.25% Water Soluble Iron
Total Manganese......................................0.10%
...........0.03% Water Soluble Manganese
Molybdneum..........................................0.0005%
Total Zinc...................................................0.10%
...........0.02% Water Soluble Zinc
Photos
A Picture is worth a thousand words so here are three thousand, and I am sure many of the four letter variety are uttered by the former owner each time he sees it (copy and paste to browser):
Under Previous Management from 9/2004 - Breathtaking!:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a24/elizclayton/2004PreviousownerGFTree.jpg
Under Current Management (Me) - Pre-Ironite - 9/11/07 - Knocks the Wind Out of You:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a24/elizclayton/200709-11GFTree2.jpg
Under Current Management After Two Applications of Ironite - 04/27/08:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a24/elizclayton/20080423GFTree2.jpg
Note the green ring of grass around the tree in the last photo!
Future Updates
As stated, I did use some of this for sod I planted and I will provide the results of that after we see if we have life or death in the twenty one square feet covered.
40 lb 1-0-1 Covers 4,000 sq. ft. Granule fertilizer supplement Replaces micro nutrients and trace elements back into the soilMore at Amazon Marketplace
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