I wanted to try Dr. Iron for a long time but I won't pay $16 to ship a $25 item. Every week I have been checking HomeDepot.com after seeing an ad on this site, hoping for free shipping. Today is my day. I ordered 2 bags.


Monterey Dr. Iron 21 lb. Lawn Pellets with free shipping

Information about the product from the manufacture

Great deal ! Is the product not stocked at the local Depot ?

It is not. I even asked if they could special order it. They can't do that either, it's online or not at all. I have also looked at several garden centers and specialty shops. HomeDepot.com is the only place I have found it.

I hate that policy, in todays competitive marketplace, it makes no sense not to accept peoples money when they are trying to hand it to you! Keep us updated on your experience with the product!

Great... Ordered 4 bags. My soil is high in PH and iron deficient so hopefully this will help with both. Thanks.

I've found it locally for $13-$30. (Rual King has the cheapest price here) I use it in early spring when I don't want to apply fertilizer. YMMV but I think Milorganite gives a deeper green that last longer. Keep us posted. I hope it works for ya.

Espoma Greensand is also another option,contains similar amounts of iron and natural potash along with a truckload of various micronutrients- a 36 pound bag is $21 at my local garden centers.

Does this stuff really lower the Ph?

napper wrote:Does this stuff really lower the Ph?

Yes. It's not that severe, but I've drifted downward 0.3 points over the last year. About 0.1-0.2 of that is natural. The rest is the ferrous sulfate I'm copiously spraying.

With a heavier soil application, the drift will be higher in many soils. It's not going to abolish a Limestone Quarry Club's calcium or anything, and it's not going to have a major effect on severely alkaline soils at all, but for one like mine, it would knock the pH downward faster.

I'd be inclined to be a touch cautious on a sandy soil with an already lower-end-perfect pH.

The product is 22% Iron Oxide and 55% Elemental Sulfur. No magic there. That means that there is about 11 lbs of Sulfur in the bag. At the stated appication rate of 6000 sq ft, that's less than 2 lbs of elemental Sulfur per 1000 sq ft. Surface-applied, that isn't going to make a material change in a lawn with a high pH. Sure, it's pH-lowering --- but 11 lbs of Sulfur when you have thousands of pounds of Calcium and Magnesium to offset it. And Elemental Sulfur MUST go through a sulfuric acid conversion to lower pH and that can take years when surface-applied.

On top of that, Iron Oxide is not a great source of Iron to the soil, especially in a high pH soil. Iron Oxide has another name: Rust.

Update:

I applied the Dr. Iron on 08/06. The turfgrass is a darker green than it was before.

The granule size is much smaller than expected. It is about the size of mini chocolate chips. Unlike other products, there are no spreader settings. They recommend 3½ pounds per 1000 SF. Where do they come up with that? I can’t find any reason fit it. I recently applied 30 pounds of grubex, it covered the lawn perfectly. I used the same setting thinking I would need to make a few extra passes, The 42 pounds of Dr. Iron came out of the spreader much faster than I thought and I ran out before I could do all of the yard.

I am not sure I would purchase the product again. There are easier and more friendly ways to get iron and sulfur.

It all seems to come full circle back to Milor. And spray iron.

Usually. Some other iron sources may be cheaper for people depending on your location, though. I have no objection to Lilly Miller's Moss Out for iron, for example.

Sorry for the bump.

Given the hubbub over the new Milorganite formulation, is this a good option for iron for those who will no longer use Milorganite?

Yes, I think so, in concert with an organic fertilizer.