Re: Iron
In a message dated 8/27/00 11:44:48 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
Pumkinguy@aol.com writes:
<< Subj: Re: Hot air?
Date: 8/27/00 11:44:48 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: Pumkinguy@aol.com
Sender: owner-pumpkins@mallorn.com
Reply-to: pumpkins@mallorn.com
To: pumpkins@mallorn.com
In a message dated 8/27/00 12:06:28 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
rocky.r@cyber-quest.com writes:
<< Subj: Re: Hot air?
Date: 8/27/00 12:06:28 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: rocky.r@cyber-quest.com (Lyle Rockwell)
Sender: owner-pumpkins@mallorn.com
Reply-to: pumpkins@mallorn.com
To: pumpkins@mallorn.com
Where did the qualified diagnosis of Overdose due to Ironite come from?
Just curious..
Rocky Rockwell
Pumkinguy@aol.com wrote:
>
> Lub,
> Did you use high levels of ironite? Check your soil pH. Jim Kuhn had
some
> messed up plants and a soil pH of 5.0 as a result of an ironite O.D. Plants
> suffered some other interesting side effects.
> pumkinguy
> >>
Rock,
Actually this was info I received directly from Jim Kuhn at the NEPGA
picnic. He did bring a sample piece of vine from the affected plant showing
the shortened internodal spacing of the leaves and that the pH had gone to
the 5's after an inadvertent overdose of ironite. In hind sight, being a
scientist myself, I may have shot from the hip....echoing Jims conclusions.
This is something that we will have to keep in the back of our minds and
investigate a little more. I was running about 6.5 to 7.0 in my patch and did
give the ground a good dose of ironite........not as the magic bullet, but I
was low on iron in my micronutrient analysis . I saw some ironite in Home
Depot and put some on. I'll check my pH of my soil again to see if the pH has
plumeted and report back. pH of soil does not normally change drastically
without outside forces affecting it.I believe that there may be an iron
sulfide component in ironite, if so, iron sulifde combines with water to
produce sulfuric acid. Which would lower the pH. This is not the end of the
world, for many fertilizers have a slight acidifying effect on the soil. If
we find that ironite does acidify the soil, you must keep that in mind and
not overdose the plants. Follow the label. We'll see how this shakes out over
time.
Pumkinguy
>>
I used Iron sulfate this year for the first time. This was based on
comparing my Iron levels with other growers on the list over the winter. I
also used a small amount of liquid Ironite during the season. Results:
deeper green leaves and they held the deep green all season even when they
were several months old. The Iron Sulfate was tilled into the soil in the
Spring and I was told would only lower the pH slightly. I've also been told
that high Iron levels can lock up nutrients. Can't explain how some growers
with very high Iron have grown huge ones though. Even with what I would call
a very limited sunshine year I'm hopping to pass my personal best. It is one
the best looking AG's I've ever seen, (so far). I would say the Iron and
other micro nutrients & beneficial bacteria boosters I've been adding over
the last three years made the difference. Those were, Iron Sulfate,
Bradfield Plus, & Ironite (very limited). I believe long term growing of AG's
depletes Micro nutrients including Iron.
George Brooks
North Tewksbury, MA USA
Approximately 25 miles Northwest of Boston
in the Merrimack River Valley
Zone 5N
Personal Bests
617.6 1991
641 1993
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