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Have you ever thought about amending your soil? Like garden plants, the soil itself also needs utmost care. Failing to do so will make it hard for the soil to support optimal plant growth. If you need to learn how to add iron to soil naturally, read on.
To understand the importance of iron to plants means knowing what chlorophyll is — the pigment that makes your the leaves and stems of your plants green. Also, chlorophyll is essential in providing nutrients to plants as they take in sunlight.
Without enough iron in soil, a plant cannot produce enough chlorophyll. It will look discolored as it goes through chlorosis. Instead of green leaves, you will see a dull shade of yellow in your garden.
Plants also won’t grow to their full potential. Receiving all the sunlight and water they need won’t do any good without iron transporting oxygen through its system.
Soil generally has a good amount of iron, which plants only really need a small amount of. It’s not impossible for your soil to simply not have enough of it, but there are several other reasons why your plants are suffering from iron deficiency.
Certain soil conditions prevent your plants from absorbing the iron even if it’s in the soil. For one, your garden soil might be alkaline. This means that it has a high pH. Get a soil test kit or send a soil sample to local extension service if you don’t know the soil pH.
Second, there are plants that are more prone to iron chlorosis than others. What plants need iron the most? Those that thrive in acidic soil. So if you have hollies, azaleas, and rhododendrons, you should pay close attention to their color and overall growth.
Soil that isn’t well-draining can lead to iron deficiency. It’s important to prevent yourself from overwatering your garden. Similarly, dry and compacted soil isn’t good. And lastly, soil that has an excessive amount of clay and phosphorous won’t do well.
Many homeowners have to deal with fixing the health of their garden, but not everyone wants to do it with the use of chemical or synthetic products. The following are natural solutions for how to add iron to soil.
An easy and effective answer to iron deficiency in soil is natural foliar spray. This is a method that relies on spraying liquid fertilizer right on the leaves instead of applying fertilizer to the soil. Think of it as an iron supplement for plants and not necessarily for the soil.
One specific product is the 13Essentials foliar spray fertilizer, which is completely safe as it only uses natural ingredients. Regardless of the brand, a typical foliar spray is used every 10 days or two weeks.
But while this quickly provides nutrients to plants suffering from iron chlorosis, you shouldn’t stop amending the soil itself.
This method is essential to ensure that the soil restores its nutrients. If you’ve already conducted a soil test and confirmed that your soil has a high pH, you can begin to apply compost — a combination of pine needles, dried leaves, and grass clippings, among others.
Amending the soil helps a lot, but do note that this takes years to fully take effect. This is why we still recommend looking for products containing organic iron for plants in the market to tackle immediate and individual cases of iron chlorosis.
In conclusion, iron is important to your garden soil. Iron not only gives your plants their green color but it also keeps them well-fed. And if you need to tackle iron deficiency, know that there are both short and long-term natural solutions.
We hope our guide helped you understand the value of iron. If you have any questions about this topic, feel free to send us a comment.
