Well, Goren, I'm a proponnent of feeding the soil, not just the plant, which seems to be what you are suggesting as the best path. However, when you suggest feeding "just nitrogen" is somehow not appropriate or best at times, I think you put form over substance. Several very reputable studies suggest a last application of quick release nitrogen applications (organice or chemical) does in fact help the thing most lawn owners are trying primarily to foster to best result - turf grass. Arguing just applying nitrogen, to something that depends primarily on nitrogen, (cool season turf grass) is like saying giving "just water" is somehow bad for people. Or like saying mother's breast milk isn't the best food for a newborn. Sometimes one food is best. Cool season grasses need a certain amount of nitrogen, and a last fall feeding with 1 and quarter pounds of quick release nitrogen per thousand seems to help cool season grasses make it through the winter better and does it, as far as I can tell, without hurting the overall health of the microbes and soil. Your advise that adding a balanced fertilizer when the grass has already gone dormant is not supported by any study I've seen. Once you get to the late season fertilizer application, there is no reason to believe the other elements are beneficial to either the plant in winter or the soil next spring in the usual setting. Usually adding a balanced fertilizer is a fairly basic approach and good advice. However, in the limited instance discussed on this thread, adding elements beside nitrogen are likely nothing but wasteful and maybe even adding to the pollution problem from runoff chemicals. There is a time for one well timed, proper rate of quick release nitrogen, and for cool season grasses in cold areas of the country, right after the first hard freeze causes the grass topgrowth to stop is the proper time and "food".

I called again today as I checked the JDL website and for some reason I can't view individual products or prices. I was then directed to call the 1-800 which I did. I got redirected to a JDL 30 miles away, but then she wasn't able to find out why I couldn't get that info from the website, but when she asked what I was looking for she said there is a 40-0-0 but not polyplus, but it is slow release. She didn't give me a sku# but has anyone heard of it or tried it? She gave me a price of $36.60 for 50#. I'm just shaking my head the local JDL never recommended this even though it is in stock there and common sense would say this is the closest product to the 39-0-0 yet they tried to steer me towards 13-2-13... Who do they hire to work these places?

Hi Chiefsfan, I'm a fan and user of 46-0-0. That's about what I pay around here. The urea is great as your last feeding of the year when top growth has stopped. Because the nitrogen is quick release and even though top growth has stopped, the roots are still active until frost reaches the depths and the nitrogen is stored as carbohydrates until spring. Then, just allow mother nature to green your lawn naturally come spring. Apply at a rate of 2 to 3Lbs per 1000 sq. ft. and irrigate. Here is a link that might be useful: see table #2

welcome to the wonderful world of agronomics. there is nothing that can be suggested that cannot be refuted by someone else (specially if they authored the research grant proposal), no product that exists that cannot be replaced by one far superior (particularly if there is a commission to be made), and no methodology that cannot be exceeded using the techniques used generations ago (righteously so when you wrote a book detailing your experiences doing just that), all verified by independent research paid for by interested parties. and what's funny, based on a certain set of circumstances, they are all right. this particular question is a good example of this. and I'm not sure the question can be answered without a number of caveats and conditions specific to the conditions of the location in question. did find reference to a study indicating that clay content increases with duration of continual P application. did find reference to some interesting data re: purity of MAP formulation. did find an interesting recommendation re: P use and replenishment from a consulting co that basically said MAP is what they recommend, in rather modest quantities. I think they took about two thousand words to explain it, and were quite thorough in walking through the process. but I found nothing to answer the question directly. some of the stuff referenced above leads you to be able to infer that soil type, duration of use, and perhaps rate of application over time, may be influencing factors, but no way would I try to answer that question without running it past someone with way more expertise than I.