I think the message as it applies here is that we shouldn't be afraid of using synthetics in lawn care just because they contain chemicals. Just because something has an "ingredient" with a funny looking name that may be hard to pronounce doesn't mean that it's necessarily bad or wouldn't be produced naturally. For example, organic fertilizers can cause chemical run off just like synthetic fertilizers. Somewhat off topic, someone asked me what I was feeding my dog because her fur was so shiny and smooth. This person couldn't believe when I told her that I feed her bagged, dry dog food from the pet store. "All those chemicals and artificial ingredients! It's just not natural!" This person fed her dog a raw diet, and I guess she was assuming that plopping a round of filet mignon into the food bowl was somehow more natural than dog food. To me, that's just as unnatural. (Her dog was also suffering from conditions that may or may not have been related to diet, including terrible fur quality and weak bone issues...) Giving a dog a T-bone is as unnatural as dropping countless pounds of soy meal in a lawn to feed it., just as broadcasting Scotts Lawnfood is equally unnatural to feeding your dog dry kibble. There is nothing natural about a lawn (or farming or gardening, for that matter). There was an entire hoopla about this years ago, which is why the word "organic" is used where "natural" used to be. Lawns do not exist in nature without human intervention. Stop mowing, feeding and weeding the lawn for a single season and you will see my point. In nature, success would be a single seed out of thousands germinating and surviving log enough to produce more seed. In the man made lawn, success is typically 85-90% germination at a minimum, with the constant upkeep to ensure proper care for many years, and the prevention of any grass plants from producing seed. At any rate, I was going for a lighthearted post with that image and not something of serious analysis.

You can check out some "before" pics here :) Please note that the before pics were taken in March, 5 months after overseeding and the grass didn't have the chance to fully grow. The "after" pics that I'm posting right now were taken in September, I believe. I went organic right at the beginning of my journey with lawn care and I've never really used chemical fertilizers. I don't live in the US, actually. I'm Polish and I order my SBM and alfalfa pellets online. $15 for a 30 kg (65 lbs) bag + $5 shipping, next day right at my doorstep :) However, I can't find corn gluten meal anywhere here in Poland! Now, not to hijack my own thread, is there anyone who can help me with my original question?

I can't speak to a lot of perennials, only what I've learned for peonies (because you all know I'm the crazy peony lady) but it seems peony roots do benefit from the application of fertilizer in the fall before they completely go dormant. I never fertilized my peonies in the past since the beds I created were raised and filled with planter's mix. I saw so many other members on the peony forum post incredible pictures of first and second year plants that were on a fertilization regime that I'm giving it a try this year. I started early spring when I first saw the beginning of growth with an application of BulbTone, an organic bulb fertilizer, and azomite. Even with that one application I saw a remarkable difference in the size of the flowers on several of my established peonies! I'm not sure the azomite really helped though. It's stated purpose for peonies is to grow hardier stems--didn't see any improvement in that area but I'll still put it out this fall and early next spring with the BulbTone hoping that the continued use will get the results I want.

Well if the concentration isn't listed you will need to calculate it. To do that you need to know what the weight of a teaspoon is grams. I'm going to guestimate the weight of a teaspoon as 6g (table salt is about 5.6g). If a teapoon weighs 6g then that is equal to 6000mg. Since N is 21% by weight that would be 1260mg N. Since ppm equals mg/L, 1260mg/L = 1260ppm. Typically fertilizer recommendations have people dilute a tsp in a gallon (3.78L) which would be about 333ppm which is a pretty standard 'full strength' concentration. Hydroponic tomato nutrient solution recommendations are for about a 4-1-4 ratio fertilizer with a N concentration of around 200ppm. Just diluting to 2L is going to be really hot and risks burning roots. 630ppm N.