Well water high in iron and sulfur

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kbgfarmer
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Well water high in iron and sulfur

Post by kbgfarmer » October 22nd, 2018, 11:28 am

Though I haven't had our well tested some of our neighbors have noted that their wells have high levels of iron and sulfur. This makes sense as the unfiltered water has a rusty tinge and rotten egg smell at times. My question is that since my irrigation water is unfiltered from my well is this actually a good thing for my soil chemistry with the benefit of greening potential of iron and sulfur acidification/amendment? My soil pH is pushing alkaline though barely and this is where iron becomes unavailable in the soil.

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andy10917
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Re: Well water high in iron and sulfur

Post by andy10917 » October 22nd, 2018, 5:13 pm

It's unlikely to do anything significant - the Iron is in a mineral form, and unlikely to be of much benefit to the lawn. Ditto for the Sulfur - the rotten egg smell is right on-the-money for Sulfur Dioxide.

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HoosierLawnGnome
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Re: Well water high in iron and sulfur

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » October 23rd, 2018, 8:48 am

I have a very high iron content. I can't say I've noticed anything weird or beneficial. If anything it is detrimental as the iron stains my concrete. So, it's either adjust to steer clear of the sidewalk and underwater areas, or stain it....

Now, if you want to treat the well water for iron, my friend is a soil and water engineer - and if you have enough area for a big pond - he can engineer a natural filter....

kbgfarmer
Posts: 485
Joined: July 21st, 2016, 10:35 am
Location: Verona, WI
Grass Type: Bewitched Kentucky bluegrass
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: Well water high in iron and sulfur

Post by kbgfarmer » October 23rd, 2018, 11:04 am

HoosierLawnGnome wrote:
October 23rd, 2018, 8:48 am
I have a very high iron content. I can't say I've noticed anything weird or beneficial. If anything it is detrimental as the iron stains my concrete. So, it's either adjust to steer clear of the sidewalk and underwater areas, or stain it....

Now, if you want to treat the well water for iron, my friend is a soil and water engineer - and if you have enough area for a big pond - he can engineer a natural filter....
Thanks. We have a big blue filter for the well water that enters the home which treats for sediment and other things down to 5 microns. I think to add an iron and sulfur filter I need to add another big blue filter made for those things specifically? I think lay people call it an iron curtain. They are KDF 55 filters I believe. In terms of treating irrigation water I think I'm SOL at this point and haven't noticed any staining yet!

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