Iron stains from fertilizer in concrete - Ask Extension
I have some small areas of iron stain on my driveway and walk from the iron that was in the fertilizer application. I have tried hydrogen peroxide mix...
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Iron stains from fertilizer in concrete #457146
Asked May 26, 2018, 6:24 PM EDT
I have some small areas of iron stain on my driveway and walk from the iron that was in the fertilizer application. I have tried hydrogen peroxide mixed with baking soda as well with no results.... also tried white vinegar.... no results. Someone told me that the sun would eventually bleach them out.... I would love to believe that! If not true, what can I use that is a proven product used at their home by anyone at the CSU Extension? Thank you.
Arapahoe County Colorado
Expert Response
Apparently, this is a common issue with applying fertilizers with iron. No research based information is on the web but there are iron removal products at the large hardware stores. Please be sure to read the instructions so no ill affects are caused by the chemicals to your adjacent lawn or gardens. (On a personal note - I too had this happen to me and yes, in time, the iron stains fad away. Not this week or this month, but maybe by late summer.) In the future, sweep the fertilizer pellets off the concrete after applying the fertilizer. If more information is needed please reply back.
Thank you for your reply..... I did go back and use baking soda and hydrogen peroxide and scrubbed with a steel brush... a lot of elbow grease and work but it did the job... however, I kept washing each area on completion down the street not knowing if it would damage the lawn... it didn't. After applying the fertilizer initially, I did sweep the walk and driveway, but the sprinkler system must have washed some of the fertilizer back onto the walk and driveway.... lesson learned... next time I will hose away the pellets not only from the concrete but also along the lawn edges where the fertilizer could seep back out. I would not use any commercial remover though as I think a lot of the hype is worthless and a waste of money.
