Sulphate of Iron Versus Chelated Iron

摘要

Iron has long been applied to turf for its numerous beneficial effects. These beneficial effects include a disease, weed and earthworm casting suppressant, a colour enhancer and treatment of moss and algae. Iron sulphate (FeSO_4), otherwise known as ferrous sulphate or sulphate of iron, is a major component of traditional lawnsand. Applied as such, it would be in powder form mixed with ammonium sulphate and bulked up with a sand carrier to aid even application and to avoid scorching. In recent times,liquid 'spoon' feeding has become popular for its speed and even application of nutrient, sometimes at very low concentrations. To this end, there has been a desire by greenkeepers and groundsmen to apply iron via a boom sprayer. However, it is not always easy to apply calcined iron sulphate in this way. Dissolving ferrous sulphate can be difficult and in some circumstances, without filtering, spray nozzles may block up resulting in uneven application and making cleaning of sprayers difficult. In recent years, chelated iron products have come to the fore. As will become apparent later in this article, chelated iron is held in solution very easily rendering it ideal for application with a boom sprayer. Despite this ease of application, are the effectsof chelated iron products the same as those of sulphate of iron?