Iron sulfate can make very good-looking planters - and yours would certainly look very nice in the right surroundings.

On the other hand I'd be very cautious about using iron sulfate on a path. I tried it once & it didn't suit the garden at all. It might have looked better if the path had been somewhere with a desert environment.

Wow! I think the colour is beautiful! But I really love colour! What IS the ferrous sulphate stain? How do you apply it?

Thanks,
MM

Wow! Lovely colours! What product did you use? Concentration? I have a weak concentration of ferrous sulphate, but haven't used it on grey concrete yet.

Melissamary -

Ferrous sulfate/sulphate (iron sulphate) (FeSO4 I think) is a substance that dissolves in water. In gardening it's sometimes used as a fertiliser for plants that are short of iron. It also kills moss, so it's sometimes used as a moss killer.

If you dissolve it in water and pour it on concrete (or even if you throw crystals of it on concrete & then spray the concrete with water - not recommended - it reacts with something in the concrete and stains it with (I think) iron oxide - i.e. rust. The stronger the solution, the more intensely it stains - hence, if you throw crystals of it on, & then spray with water, you get spots that are very strongly stained. So far as I know, it's impossible, once concrete's been stained with it, to remove it the stain: that's certainly my experience!

So, if you have any concrete surface that you don't want to be very noticeably stained, be very careful not to spill any of this stuff on it.

Coloring with ferrous sulphate is environmentally friendly and inexpensive. Colors ranging from fairly soft yellows to deep rust are possible with a little practice. High concentrations and longer exposure yield stronger coloration. Lower concentrations and quick washes produce very little color. Either way, you must wait until the work is dry to really see what you have and remember that sealing will enhance & intensify whatever is there. For planters & such, keep in mind that one of the commercial uses for ferrous sulphate is as a moss inhibitor, so if you want moss, you'll have to seal it thoroughly and then encourage it to grow with yogurt & such. It can also be rough on any iron sensitive plants unless well sealed.

Great color and info!!! Anyone know of a good cheap source of FeSO4? Herb, were the crystals you used specifically made for staining concrete or did you find it for use as something else?

If you have a well stocked "Feed Store" anywhere in your area, nearly all of them stock ferrous sulphate for agicultural use and sell it really cheap. Most professional concrete floor finishers buy theirs that way as it is the same product and much cheaper when not bagged as a fancy cement finishing color. You can often find other oxides & useful chemicals there as well. Copperas and sometimes zinc sulphate for example. Usually the deeper you are in "Farm Country", the more they carry.

rustinj - as best I recall, I got my FeSO4 from one of the local farmers' supplies stores. I don't think its use for staining concrete was even mentioned on the bag. Herb

If anybody is thinking of staining, you will only need a few ounces. That trough would take less than an ounce for several coats. You can also use the powder as part of the mix and then you might want to buy a few pounds. Should be available for less than a dollar a pound, but I know you can pay a lot more for it in nice packages.

I found this album, not mine, of concrete floor staining with both iron and copper.

Here is a link that might be useful: Concrete floor stain pictures

The smallest quantities I can find of any of these are 50 and 80 pound bags at roughly a buck a pound. What I would do with an 80 pound bag of Copper I have no idea.:)

OUCH!!! I buy my ferrous sulphate in 40# bags at the local feed store for about $10 bucks! Maybe I should come up your way with a trailer load!

Wow, this is great info! I've only been in Birmingham a few months, but surely there's some better sources for supplies. I'll have to do some exploring. Tango, I'll take a few pounds...stop by on your way up to Canada.

I REALLY like this trough!

I got ferrous sulphate 18.6% solution at Walmart, around $5 for 2.5 kg, it's liquid and is about 2 litres. The copper sulphate I bought at a feed store, 400gm bottle of crystals about $10. I think I have a lifetime supply of both :)

I could give you the name of my supplier at a buck a pound in two pound (1 kilo) bags, but that might not be helpful :)

Rustinj: Welcome to Dixieland! I work in B'ham and live just north of here, in a more rural area. I'll look in the co-op here and see if there's any FeSO4 for sale.

Jazzbone, thanks!!! Let me know if you find anything and I'll do the same.

Shrubs n bulbs, about how much of the FeSO4 powder and water did you use to get that color? Also, how many coats? Thanks for the help!!!

Justin

That's two coats applied with a brush, using a few ounces of water containing maybe an ounce of the powder. I didn't use it all. I diluted the remaining liquid and used it to kill some moss :)

Here is the colour it goes before it goes orange!

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This is too cool, I gotta try this!
I'm always amazed at how innovative the folks on this forum are! (Not to imply that folks on other forums aren't innovative too.)
Went curb shopping the other day and found some things I think will make great forms! I'm glad I have a garage to play in during the winter although I'm sure my hubby would like to park his car inside. Oh well, priorities are everything.

Iron sulfate should be readily available in the Garden section of Home Depot. It is a fertilizer additive, only a few dollars for enough stain to color every sidewalk in your neighborhood. You can mix it with the cement or put it in a pump up sprayer, put it on dry and wet it, lots of techniques. I believe a weak acid solution removes the stain from concrete so with the combination of acid and iron sulfate you should get some interesting patterns.

Never tried coppersulfate as a stain, but why not. It is the cheapest fungicide you can find at Home Depot. Probably available as a liquid and a powder. Many ferts and fungicides carry metals such as copper, zinc, iron etc. Maybe a good source for different colors.

Jerry

coppersulfate has become a controlled substance in my part of the world. Not readily available at the retail level.
Iron sulfate isn't much easier to find in retail quantities.
I can't buy both in 50-80 pound bags however.:)