You'll get something out of the Milorganite still. When things warm up that fertilizer will get broken down and start to help.

I like both Milorganite and SBM. I can get SBM easier, (closer to home), but it's your choice IMHO.

How often to fertilize? Maybe let the Milorganite sit for another month and then add SBM.

I fertilize about 4 times a year. Early spring, early summer, late summer and once in the dormant season in late fall.

I have no idea if this is what everyone should do however. I just like fertilizing!!

Hey tmelrose

Let me jump in here & see if I can help clear some of this stuff up.

First, when you put any type of organic/natural fertilizer, it'll be processed by the soil microbes in their timeframe. When it's cooler outside, it takes longer, but the freeze doesn't "zap" your Milorganite. Freezing temperatures also don't "zap" soybean meal or alfalfa pellets or any other grain/bean you choose to use to feed your microherd.

Next, what you fertilize with (Milorganite or soybean meal or Scotts chemicals) really doesn't have any bearing on how often or how many times per year you fertilize. (We'll come back to this.)

Typically, when folks are talking about applying fertilizers they talk about "application rate." When you go to the big box store & get the "turfbuilder" stuff, it tells you on the back of the bag how much "stuff" to apply, it even tells you the spreader setting. The reason for that is because it's a generally accepted practice to apply 1lb of actual nitrogen (N) per 1000sqft per application. So, for example if the bag shows 25-3-12, that first number is the N, meaning it's 25% N in the bag, so, to get the 1lb of N, you would apply 4 lbs of the fertilizer for every 1000sqft of turfgrass.

That's why you read through these threads where folks say apply alfalfa @ 20lbs/1000sqft or soybean meal @ 15lbs/1000sqft. It applies a similar or appropriate amount for what you're attempting to accomplish.

The next thing to consider is what kind of turfgrass you have. Someone with centepede grass can fertilize once or twice a year & get away with it. Kentucky Bluegrass (KBG) is the heaviest feeder of the cool season grasses as it thrives when it gets 4 to 5 lbs N per 1000sqft per year. Bermudagrass is the heaviest feeder of all, as it thrives and does best when you feed it every 4 to 6 weeks all during the growing season. Personally I use soybean meal on my bermuda and I apply 15lbs/1000sqft once a month all summer long & I mow every 3rd day (2nd day if we get a real good rain.) That doesn't necessarily mean that if you have bermudagrass that you must use all that fertilizer. Keep in mind that above I used the word thrive, in other words using that much fertilizer is to make the lawn perform at it's optimum level and for many folks just isn't necessary. Some folks don't use any fertilizer at all! The most important thing for a good looking lawn is to follow good cultural practices. Proper mowing & watering are actually more important than fertilizing.

Having said all that, I've also read that as you go thru the years on an organic lawncare program that you won't need as much fertilizer as you go thru time. I cannot comment on that from experience however because I'm just in my 2nd year of using organics. But it's my hope that as years pass I can use less & less and still have an awesome looking lawn.

I hope this clears up some of the issues of concern you have. Feel free to ask any other questions you might have.

Good day, Dan

Two things about 'Milorganite'; there is caution on the label concerning cadmium and it is best applied in "thin coats". You do not want clumps of that stuff getting wet.

I will probably try the soybean around Memorial Day and probably try the federal holiday schedule - Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor day and my pre-emergents in November and February. Dan, I see that you do alfalfa and soy. Do you do these together (each time?) or do them separately apart, and if apart how long in between? What does alfalfa have that is different or added benefit than soybean? Thanks

We had a thread going here last year about heavy metals in fertilizers. It turns out that out of 4,000 fertilizers tested by Washington state officials, Milorganite was number 20 from the top having the most amount of heavy metals (arsenic, lead, cadmium, chromium, nickel, and a few others). Soybean meal would be down in the 'unmeasurable' range at the bottom of the list.

Besides that, soybean meal is full of protein while Milorganite has none. Soybean meal, therefore, is real food for soil microbes. That's what you want.

"We had a thread going here last year about heavy metals in fertilizers."

DCHall, I remember that thread and below is my response from nearly a year ago (Aug 14, 06).

"You've pointed out in several threads that Milorganite is number 20 out of 4,000 fertilizers in respect to heavy metals content. The source of that quote is credible...the state of Washington. What you fail to disclose is that all of the fertilizers on that list meet the EPAs Exceptional Quality standards. That means that all of the fertilizers are considered safe for growing crops for human consumption. Clearly, all of them are safe for using on lawns."

"Besides that, soybean meal is full of protein while Milorganite has none. Soybean meal, therefore, is real food for soil microbes."

What's your source for the above statement? Are you making stuff up again? 8^)

In any organic fertilizer, the slow release nitrogen comes from proteins, which are made up of amino acids. The more amino acids in an organic fertilizer, the more slow release nitrogen it can provide. Microbes eat the amino acids and create nitrogen. SBM has slightly more amino acids than Milorganite on a pound for pound basis. SBM's corresponding N value is 7 while Milorganite's is 6.

-Deerslayer

Below is a link to a paper that explains the nitrogen reactions found in soil. It also discusses organic and inorganic fertilizers. The paper appears to be from Clemson University.

Nitrogen in Soil

-Deerslayer

Thanks for posting, that was an interesting article.

I noticed that Ocean County NJ makes their own version of Milorganite that I can get relatively inexpensively. I've been considering giving it a try.

Deerslayer: I assume Dchall meant that the protein is not as available due to the heat processing (i.e., the microbes have a harder time digesting it)?

I read a study a while back where a researcher could only get around 50 percent of the protein released when Milorganite was digested by microbes.

I don't know what effect the extraction process has on the digestability(sp?) of SBM, etc.

RDak, I don't like to make assumptions as to what someone was thinking but if I had to make a guess, I think he made that statement because Milorganite is not an animal feed. In any case, he said that Milorganite has no protein.

Regarding N release from protein, read the paragraph on Carbon:Nitrogen (C:N) ratio in my previous link. Materials with high C:N ratios, like Milorganite, release their N extremely slowly, in some cases it can take years. That's one of the reasons you can reduce your fertilizer inputs over time if you follow an organic program. You continue to receive some benefit from prior years' fertilizer applications.

-Deerslayer

Oh no, Milorganite has protein, it's just not as readily digested by the microbes from what I've read.

The study I mentioned above said roughly 50 percent of the Milorganite is digested by microbes. What happens to the other 50 percent wasn't mentioned?

I mean, does the undigested part just "sit there" forever?

I haven't read the study that you mention. I have read that 30% of the N in Milorganite is released in the first 3 weeks and another 30% over the next 12 weeks.

-Deerslayer

What happens to the other 50 or 40 percent Deerslayer?

How much of the protein in SBM is utilized by the microbes?

I believe that the N release continues but at a much slower rate, however, I'm not 100% sure.

I think that there would be conversion charts available if organic fertilizers varied significantly in the amount of N actually converted and the conversion rate wasn't already reflected in N values.

-Deerslayer

Think someone has an over active imagination about Milorganite. There is no mention on the bag about cadmium or any other "heavy metal". This stuff has been going on since they started packaging the product in 1910. Name me another packaged organic fertilizer that has been around 97 years. I have a 50 year old St. Augustine lawn that is the envy of the neighborhood and it doesn't glow in the dark.

Hey, I want some! But, where does one buy Milorganite that was bagged in 1910?

One doesn't but one can buy Milorganite packaged a few weeks ago.

If cadmium has an adverse effect on my kidneys and 'Milorganite' contains cadmium (at any level) then prudence dictates that I must be careful that I do not get it into my body, if I want to be healthy. We live in an era where claims are made and disclaimed from one study to another, reputations are shredded (remember Rachael Carson?) and you and I get overwhelmed (diets!!!). When I am told about the surreptitious build up of DDT and mercury in the food chain and when I have witnessed the deleterious effect of chemicals on the human body, I develop a skepticism which you may choose to label as "active imagination". I cannot be bothered.

First, you claimed that there is a labeling on the bags of Milorganite about cadmium. No such labeling exists. Since the ban on DDT, untold millions of people have died from mesquito born malaria. When folks make unsuported non existing claims, I can be bothered.

The last time I used 'Milorganite' was in the summer of 2006 and the cautionary statement was on the bag.
The mention of DDT (and mercury) was meant to illustrate the accumulation of chemicals in the body fat in animals and their exponential increase as they move up the food chain. I could make out a very credible case that the banning of DDT had no correlation with the deaths from malaria.

banning of DDT had no correlation with the deaths from malaria.

It didn't because DDT was never banned in malaria zones. It was banned in most developed nations that don't have significant/any malaria issues because we were over-using it far past the point of environmental damage.

However, DDT's effectiveness against malaria mosquitoes is now fairly limited. They've evolved and become immune.

I have been using Milorganite for 10 years and I have never seen any labeling about cadmium. The biggest usage of cadmium is in nickel cadmium batteries. IMO, there has long been much discussion about so called heavy metals in Milorganite which I think is much addeaux about nothing. There is a plethora of packaged organic fertilizers on the market. One of my favorites is Bradfield which is an alfalfa based fertilizer. I can fertilize my St.Augustine with Milorganite for $20 while the Bradfield, as an example, would cast around $45.

The Dallas/Ft.Worth area where I live is a hot bed of organic activity so many items such as soy bean meal and corn gluten meal have grown to be rather expensive.

i get soybean meal for 8 dollars/50lbs bag and 13 dollars/40lbs for CGM.. They are not rather expensive...

Texas, when I started using Milorganite about 35 years ago, there were warnings about heavy metals and not to use that stuff on edibles. As a kid, my grandfather's bags had the same warning.

I think, about 1995, or so, the manufacturing process changed and heavy metals are removed to very safe levels according to the company and the EPA.

I went and looked at my bag in the garage just now and no warnings are on the bag relative to heavy metals. They tell you to go to milorganite.com for more info. on any metals in their stuff.

Lou,

Maybe you would like to share where you obtain those products at those prices. Since I am about 30 minutes from Midlothian, it would be worth a drive. I have not used soybean meal but I have been purchasing 50 lb. bags of CGM for around $18 at Adams Feed in Arlington.

Milorganite is made from treated sewage!!!!! Any questions

Exactly!!! That is why it is the Shiz...literally and figuratively! The Shiz, I say!

Did you two just figure that out? Been off in lala land?

Dr. Elaine Ingham anyone?

Milorganite translates about 10% into OM, soybean meal about 20%, so you'd have to use double the amount of Milorganite to get the same OM rise as soybean meal