From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Santa Cruz, CA

Where can I find some good info on Ironite and giant pumpkins. Do growers use it? Where do you buy it? What is it? How does it help the pumpkin?

12/1/2005 3:04:42 AM

ENGLAND

Kristine
Go to www.ironite.com All the info you need is on there.

Regards
Mike

12/1/2005 5:39:39 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

I bet it is not available in CA....

12/1/2005 9:10:46 AM

Omaha, NE (N41-15-42 )

I'm not saying anything.

12/1/2005 9:36:23 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

lol

12/1/2005 11:15:53 AM

SF Bay Area, California

Go ahead poison your patch with industrial waste.... Good marketing can sell just about anything to somebody.

Try thinking like a plant and you will soon realize that purely organic solutions will lead to better results....

vince

12/1/2005 11:22:09 AM

Long Island,New York

Diana.... and here I thought I was being put down when people told me I had the brains of a fern.....

12/1/2005 12:04:52 PM

Mocksville, NC

I'm not going to judge Ironite I have used it, you might be able to find it at home depot or what is it 84 lumber in CA, now. I have more lead, and poisons in my county water, and I still drink out of the garden hose too! I would be more worried about new growers that dont have a current tetanus shot it thrives in damp soil, its rare but you don't have to have a deep punchure wound just a scatch on your hand will do. Just a thought Rog

12/1/2005 1:39:52 PM

Omaha, NE (N41-15-42 )

Okay, I am going to say something. Roger is right on the tetanus shot. It is easy for a new grower to overlook that, but it really is something that everyone needs to do.

12/1/2005 2:08:49 PM

SF Bay Area, California

Well, I don't know LI... the fern is rather far down the family tree.... Most the plants I know would figger that was an insult....

12/1/2005 3:40:43 PM

Garden

Its available at any home/garden center in California. Tastes great on ice cream

12/1/2005 4:17:24 PM

SF Bay Area, California

I actually threw Ironite on my patch a few years back with no noticeable results other than the earthworms started glowing in the dark a bit. After a few long discussions with my plants I found out that the hungry bastards really thrived on the decomposing bodies of their brethren.... better yet, run some of their neighbors through the intestinal track of some stupid ruminant - even better

Seems a bit unappetizing to me, but to each his own...

The point is there are lots of products you can throw on your patch - some the plants prefer more than others. Just don't get caught throwing a bag of ironite into the municipal water supply.

12/1/2005 5:09:00 PM

SF Bay Area, California

Actually, I would prefer ironite on my ice cream over what my plants like to eat with their milk...

12/1/2005 5:13:15 PM

Springfield, VT

Do a web search and you will find more info than you ever wanted to know. It is basically mining tailings which contain high levels of arsenic in a mineral form. It is possible in the soil to release the arsenic, but it hasn't been tested by anyone. There are others sources of trace elements out there which do not have the same issue such as green sand.

12/1/2005 5:26:03 PM

Norton, MA

I used it last year. Alll I noticed was that it got on some patch boards and after weeks and rain left rust. AleX Noel.

12/1/2005 7:38:04 PM

Sheridan . NY

im not saying any thing either------i dont even what to get started----

12/1/2005 10:17:37 PM

Santa Cruz, CA

Is there something else that works like ironite that isn't so contraversial?

12/1/2005 11:43:26 PM

Santa Cruz, CA

I see green sand might fit the bill. What is that made of or from?

12/1/2005 11:50:22 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

Glauconite
Texas Greensand (Glauconite): Texas greensand is an iron potassium, silicate that is green in color due to the minerals it contains. Greensand is a marine deposit that contains traces of many if not all of the elements which are in seawater. It has been used successfully for enriching soils for over 100 years. Approximate analysis is 0-2-5. This is a natural source of phosphorous, potash, and trace minerals. Texas greensand is different than the glauconite from the New Jersey area. The natural Texas product contains about 19 percent iron and about 2 percent magnesium. Its pH is 8.3, but don’t let that fool you. Use it on all plants for an effective green-up. Research at Garden-Ville farm proved green sand to be better than most iron products in helping plants overcome chlorosis in high pH soils, slightly better than granite sand. The iron supplement that we recommend the least is Ironite because tests have shown that it has high levels of lead and arsenic. The company agrees with the existence of the heavy metals but argues that the risk is slight since the product is in the gallena form and not quickly available. As a soil conditioner Texas greensand can be used at 10-50 pounds per 1000 square feet on lawns or tilled into the soil. It is also an excellent amendment for golf greens and tees. In potting soils it can be used at a rate of 5-20 pounds per cubic yard. In a Garden-Ville research project demonstration an eroded field that was low in organic matter with a pH of 8.3 was tested 66 test plots of peas, peppers and okra grown in each plot. All were fertilized equally with organic fertilizer and then each plot got an additional product. Many of them were iron products. Texas Greensand plot at 150 pounds per 1,000 square feet outperformed all other iron test products in the plants green color and growth. It even beat the iron sulfate plot. The only plots that did as good or even better were the compost plots.

Copied from "The Dirt Docto

12/2/2005 9:12:42 AM

SF Bay Area, California

The best source of greensand I know of in California is www.groworganic.com. See the following link:

http://groworganic.com/item_F1120_Greensand50Lb.html

provides slow release potassium, iron plus trace....

vince

12/2/2005 11:21:08 AM

Santa Cruz, CA

Thanks everyone for the info. I looked at my soils test and it shows very high levels of phosphorus already. Maybe this product isn't for our patch. Is this a critical piece in growing big pumpkins?

So far we have amended our soil with 600lbs of gypsum and 4 truck loads of manure.(@ 3,000 square foot patch) In the spring we are planning on doing another soils test.

12/2/2005 12:00:10 PM

Montoursville, PA

Fertrell's Azomite has not been mentioned. AGRO K has a liquid Micro Mineral in their line. There are other sources if you but take the time, to investigate.

The problem here is that no one....repeated...no one knows where or if there are upper limits for use, of the contents, of these products.

In some cases you might be surprised, to discover that Ironite is, on one side, of the mountain working the mine trailings while the so call good guys are, on the other side digging, for their product.

Right or wrong I have suggested, when ask, a small application of Ironite, Azomite and Jersey Green Sand (that's what we have available), in rotation.

Now, to make you think even further into this...it is true these same products, or particles, of the products, are nearly always fed through, in modern dairy diet controll. Therefore some, of all, is going, to pass through into the manures.

Modern dairys are indeed an industrial undertaking. Therefore the manure must be industrial waste. You all be carefull now not, to get any, of that, on your patches.

12/2/2005 12:08:54 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

Buy Organic Doc...

12/2/2005 12:24:24 PM

Puyallup, WA

As with all issue of life, the "bottom line" is: Who are you going to believe?

This is from the Ironite company....

· The results of a health risk assessment, conducted using EPA exposure assumptions, indicate that arsenic non-cancer risks for children and adults are 10 to 100 times safer than recommended regulatory health standards.

· The results of a health risk assessment, conducted using EPA exposure assumptions, indicate that arsenic cancer risks for children and adults are within the normal range of safety established by regulatory health agencies.

· The results of a health risk assessment, conducted using EPA exposure assumptions for lead, indicate that risks to children from lead are 15 times safer than the established EPA health standard.

· Comparison of risk from Ironite to allowable daily arsenic exposures from drinking water, indicate that Ironite is 100 to 1,000 times safer than drinking water at the federal arsenic drinking water standard.

· Use of Ironite in the United States over the past 42 years has not resulted in a single reported illness.

Now, do you believe it? In our "whacky society", we have folk who believe that we decended from the apes. We have folk who believe that Saddam never coveted the "yellow cake" in Africa. In America, you can believe anything you want! But "believing" doesn't make it so!

12/2/2005 3:23:17 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

You coule believe that George was telling the truth about WMD in Iraq????? Peace, Wayne

12/3/2005 12:46:29 AM

Puyallup, WA

Only God knows who had what and when in Iraq!!!!!!!!!

12/3/2005 6:55:57 PM

Follansbee, Wv

For Pete's sake, the asbestos in Ironite is in a non- inhalable form so is no danger. The arsenic levels are so low that the only danger is from eating large quantities of it. Worried about your kids? Don't let them eat your patch soil. Come on people, are we really having this discussion?

12/4/2005 9:31:23 PM

Greencastle, PA

we have people who think that we were created by something that cannot be proven to exist....

12/5/2005 3:33:39 PM

Mocksville, NC

The Government faked the moon landing, but that wrestling is REAL. Sorry I'm off, and its raining

12/5/2005 4:26:30 PM

Puyallup, WA

Anybody watch The Matrix? That movie was hard on my reality for awhile!

12/5/2005 4:56:02 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

BigPumpkins winter message board chaos like a patch bound train downhill off the tracks......boom.

12/5/2005 5:08:18 PM

Ontario, Canada.

I'm trying to refrain from getting on this train. LOL

12/5/2005 7:53:51 PM

Greencastle, PA

reality's something you shouldn't think about too much, because when you do you find that nothing's really for sure... and where do you go from there? Hey, kahuna, winters here are great, we should pitch it to a tv company and get a "reality" show about it.

12/6/2005 8:20:56 PM

Ontario, Canada.

Reality is perception. It is what you think it is and nothing more. This train of thought often leads to nowhere on such controversial topics. We have to agree to disagree.

I think the TV show idea is certainly worth a look. With any luck some guy might come along some day and make this hobby the focus of such an adventure. Stay tuned, it could happen.

12/7/2005 12:06:35 AM

Deer Park WA

All Chemicals used in excess on patches can be harsh year after year, rotate and be happy! Go Sea Hawks!

12/7/2005 1:28:21 AM

Indiana

Reality is for people that cant handle drugs or alcohol. hehe

12/7/2005 9:26:24 AM

Puyallup, WA

These are the best responses to a topic in a long time!

12/7/2005 7:18:42 PM

Montoursville, PA

I don't know if we evolved, from the apes, but fish developed legs, lungs plus other needs, for life, in a new environment and crawled ashore. This took place, in North Central Pennsylvania. They were'nt suckers and neither are the scholars who dig the fossels, of them, from our roadway cut North, of Lock Haven, Pa.

Gads.........maybe we are somehow related, to Tarson. Surely two secretly married priests must have observed this evolution and swore, on a bible, while secretly holding hands that it was only comic book dreaming. They likely screwed up the proof, of evolution, for all time, while clinging, to the story, about a virgin Mary.

12/8/2005 10:50:48 PM

Omaha, NE (N41-15-42 )

Doc, what are you growing in your garden? I want some. LOL!

12/8/2005 10:58:01 PM

Montoursville, PA

Yea.......Gad's has it! Rotate! If you use harsh chemicals change patches. Works every time.

12/8/2005 11:22:27 PM