When it comes to taking care of your lawn, you’ll mostly look at the color to determine if it’s healthy or not.
Generally, green lawns look healthier than those with a lighter color, but water and sunshine aren’t enough to keep your lawn healthy. The Ironite and Milorganite are products that will help your lawn achieve that healthy green look.
While both products will provide your lawn with a sufficient amount of iron without burning it to keep it looking green, they work in different ways, serve different purposes, and made with different formulas.
Milorganite is a nitrogen fertilizer that contains iron and some micronutrients to nourish the soil and the nitrogen is organic and won’t burn your lawn. Ironite isn’t a fertilizer but it contains lots of nutrients like iron that will help promote healthy grass growth.
Ironite
- The nation's leading mineral supplement
- Greening up America's lawns for over 50 years
- This product is made in United States
This is a lawn supplement that you can add to your lawn fertilizer to provide your lawn with iron, nitrogen, potassium, zinc, and phosphorous.
However, there’s a variation in the micro-nutrients present depending on the specific Ironite product you’re using.
The main purpose of Ironite is to re-green your grass once it starts yellowing which means your grass is lacking iron.
Apart from the different micro-nutrients, Ironite has a formula that specializes in iron that helps to boost and synthesize proteins more efficiently to help in photosynthesis and the production of chlorophyll.
When to use Ironite
It’s best to use Ironite when your grass is yellowing and looking unhealthy than it should. You can also apply it as a combination of your fertilizer when fertilizing your lawn.
However, you don’t need to use it all the time, just when you need to get your lawn in shape, especially during drought, heatwaves, or when the weather is tough on your lawn.
Your lawn will need some extra nourishment to keep it looking healthy. Whether you choose to use the liquid or granule form, the quality is the same it all depends on your preference.
Pros
- Used for lawns, vegetables, flowers, shrubs, trees, etc.
- Uses less water
- Works with all soil types
- Doesn’t burn or stain your grass
- Improves soil quality
- Contains lots of micro-nutrients
Cons
- Can stain concrete permanently
Milorganite
- Milorganite farminf plant
This is an organic fertilizer that doesn’t contain any salts so it doesn’t burn your lawn grass even when it’s dry or hot. It has a slow-release formula that provides nitrogen and other nutrients for up to 10 weeks after application.
It also contains iron that will help give your grass that beautiful dark green color. This fertilizer comes with specific application rates and schedules that the manufacturer recommends if you want to achieve the best results.
Before application, you need to consider your grass type and the weather where you live. A 32-pound bag should be used on a lawn that is 2500 sq. feet.
If you live in a ½ acre of land, you’ll need 9 bags.
Generally, you should fertilize 4 times annually, but if you prefer once a year, early fall is the best time to provide your lawn with lots of nutrients so it will still be strong even after the winter.
When to use Milorganite
If your lawn has warm-season grass, you should fertilize your lawn 4 times with Milorganite every year to achieve the best results.
This includes during Easter when your turf is from dormancy, Memorial Day or end of May, Labor Day, and early October.
When it comes to the cool-season grasses, the best times to fertilize would be on Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving or mid-November.
Pros
- It’s an organic fertilizer
- Contains lots of iron for grass nourishment
- Doesn’t burn your lawn grass
- Slow-release nitrogen for gradual and even plant feeding
- Doesn’t affect other surrounding plants
- Encourages root development
Cons
- Should follow specific application rates and schedules
Differences Between Ironite And Milorganite
Improved soil quality
Milorganite is the best option and a more natural way of feeding your grass and keeping it green because it doesn’t contain harsh concentrated metals as Ironite does.
Its main goal is to improve your soil quality with the help of its slow-release organic nitrogen formula while Ironite is more of a quick fix if you want quick results but may not be a sustainable solution to keep your lawn green.
Milorganite slowly releases the nutrients needed by the soil and the roots and you can use it more frequently and for longer than Ironite.
Greener lawns
When your lawn starts yellowing, Ironite is the best solution to help it regain its dark green color quickly. It has a fast-acting formula that will give you visible results in a few days or weeks.
Its concentrated nutrients apart from the iron will give you a greener lawn faster and for best results, you should apply it with fertilizer 4-10 times a year.
The liquid form penetrates the grass blades and the granulated form works on the soil quality so your soil uses less water.
Shortage of nutrients
Different Ironite formulas can provide your soil with the nutrients it needs and give you the results you need, but generally, Ironite focuses on improving the quality of your lawn if it has iron deficiencies.
It’s also rich in different micro-nutrients and in the correct amounts like soluble nitrogen which has a slow-release effect just like Milorganite.
Eco-friendly ad sustainable lawn solution
Although both Ironite and Milorganite contain supplementary nutrients that are useful in the growth and health of your lawn, Milorganite is more eco-friendly. It contains microbes of recycles nutrients from wastewater which means its production and effects are eco-friendly.
Both are safe to use on your lawn, around your kids and pets, and they won’t burn your grass.
However, don’t over-apply Ironite or your grass ill start to have a gray-green color. Mix the granules and the fertilizer in the right proportions.
Milorganite vs Ironite – What should you Choose?
Both Ironite and Milorganite serve very different purposes to help keep your lawn healthy and green. While Ironite gives you rapid results, Milorganite is more sustainable over time.
When it comes to lawn care, there’s no one size fits all, you’ll need to consider many factors before choosing the right products for your lawn.
However, you can use Milorganite 4 times a year and supplement it with Ironite to achieve a dark green color quickly.
Types of lawn fertilizers
Fertilizer | Nutrients | uses |
Scotts turf builder lawn food | Nitrogen and potassium | Strengthen the roots and protect your lawn |
Simple lawn solution advanced lawn fertilizer | 4 times more nitrogen and some phosphorous | Nourish your lawn and make it healthier |
Scotts natural lawn food | 11% nitrogen, 2% potassium and phosphorous | Build a thicker greener lawn naturally |
FAQ
Will Milorganite hurt new grass?
Milorganite is a slow-release fertilizer and using it regularly will improve the health and vigor of your new, existing, and stressed lawn.
How long does it take to see results in Ironite?
If your grass is yellow, you’ll see results within a couple of weeks, but if your grass is already green, you might not notice your grass getting greener.
Also read
