Nutrient overloading of home lawns (and gardens) is a major source of water pollution. Milorganite used to contain significant amounts of cadmium and lead, was labeled not to be used where children or pets would be. I would study the current packaging carefully before making a habit of applying it to my property.

By definition, dry or granular organic fertilizers are slow release so do not need to be applied very frequently. Having said that, they also tend not to leach into ground water to any significant degree, so much less of an issue with pollution than are synthetic or manufactured ferts.

But they CAN be overapplied and are not exactly cheap so you are wasting both product and money by applying too frequently. I do not recommend more than 3 times a year - max - for any cool season lawn and less is often completely adequate.

btw, Milorganite is not approved for certified organic growing but is a perfectly acceptable product for lawns, as are most other biosolid fertilizers. All the heavy metals are well within EPA requirements.

If you're going to do it that often, skip the milo & just do fish and alfalfa

You could do monthly drops of Milorganite... but I would not do a full #N per drop.

A 36 pound bag of Milorganite contains 1.8# of Nitrogen. (36 x 0.05 = 1.8)

The nitrogen is Milorganite is about 40% fast release, so a single 36 # bag of milo has about 0.72# of fast release N in it (1.8 x 0.40 = 0.72).

The remaining 60% nitrogen in the bag is slow release "organic" nitrogen...that is, it has to be broken down by the microbes. There is about 1.08 # of slow release nitrogen in a 36 lb bag of Milorganite. (1.8 * 0.6 = 1.08)

My front lawn is about 3800sqft, and I dropped a single bag across the entire lawn from April through October two years ago. Lawn loved it. 1 bag per month spread across the entire 3.8k sqft lawn every month was giving me about 0.47# total N per month. (1.8 # N / 3.8k sqft = 0.47 # N per 1000 sqft)... This breaks down to about 0.28# slow release N per 1000 sqft per month and 0.18 # fast release N per 1000 sqft per month.

Note: the total nitrogen I was dropping for the year is right on the money for total nitrogen needs for TTTF @ 3.29# N per year. (0.47 # N x 7 drops April through October = 3.29 total # N for the year). However, I also did a winterize wuth synthetics so my nitrogen was definitely higher than the 3.29 # N for that year.

Organics focus on parting folks with their money. The amount of organic fertilizer needed to make a small dent in soil organic matter is in the thousands of pounds per thousand sq. ft. There's also no evidence having more microbes than what's naturally sustainable via thatch and grass clippings is in any way beneficial. Ultimately, when the organic matter is decomposed and the nitrogen released, it is exactly the same as the nitrogen released from say urea. Want to pamper your grass? Get some real fertilizer. Your grass and wallet will thank you.

Now that we got that out of the way, if for some reason you still want to go organic, Milorganite contains 40% synthetic nitrogen. Reeljake's suggestion is the way to go in my opinion.

j4c11

for the sake of discussion what do you mean when you wrote:

" Want to pamper your grass? Get some real fertilizer. Your grass and wallet will thank you."

Can you please recommend your fertilizers of choice?

I live in central Massachusetts; Zone 5 with what I think is a KBG lawn.

Thanks

Milorganite is a little different from other organic ferts and has a significant fast acting %. It also has a good amount of chelated iron which works especially well if your pH is higher compared to iron sulfate that you typically find. It is perfect for spring/summer and it's use also keeps thatch levels low. I do add potash separately because my soil needs it and Milorganite has none.

@gle2011

I stock urea, polymer coated urea, ammonium sulfate, potassium sulfate, ferrous sulfate and triple super phosphate in bulk and mix as needed for maximum cost savings. It also gives me flexibility - I can move to a 90% slow release program as summer closes in, or increase potassium since I'm low.

If you're looking for off the shelf fertilizers, I like Lesco 24-0-11 found at HD. It's 50% slow release and has 3% iron for greening.

Thanks j4c11.

How often/when would you apply the Lesco product?

@gle2011

I'm not sure where you're located, or what kind of grass you have, but as a general plan of action for zone 5b, 4 pounds of Lesco 24-0-11 (1 lb N) per thousand sq ft end of May, mid-August and mid-September. Then finish off with 2 lbs urea per thousand sq ft mid-October or when grass stop growing.

Hi j4c11,

Thanks for the information.

I live in central Massachusetts.

Typically we can expect snow anytime after Thanksgiving.

Grass usually stops growing mid to late October.

Do you know if urea is available at the big box stores?

Organics are more expensive, for sure

A single bag of Milorganite 5-0-2 costs about $11 @ my local store.

A 12.5# (5M/5000 sqft) bag of Scotts Turf Builder 32-0-4 Lawn Food costs about $16.00 in my area.

The prices will likely vary -- especially for Milo -- depending on your area

# N per bag:

Milorganite: 1.8

Scotts: 4

Cost per # N:

Milorganite: $6.11

Scotts: $4.00

If your immeadiate expenses are the only measure of success, then synthetic products like Scotts will win.

However, be aware of the hidden costs associated with synthethics.

You can eat from the dollar menu at a fast food drive in every day because it's cheaper upfront....but your health costs would likely be much higher in the long term if you had otherwise ate a balanced, healthy meal.

Synthetic fertilizers are similar to fast food on some respects. Using them puts your lawn at a higher risk for things like lawn disease or fertilizer burning versus "organic" products like Milorganite. Fungicides aren't cheap and neither is replacing a lawn burned by over applied fertilizer.

Organics tend to provide long term benefits, such as promoting soil health and soil life, that can ultimately and indirectly lead to lower long term costs for lawn care.

For what it's worth, I use mostly synthetics.... but I still love using Milorganite to supplement my lawn care needs.

@ownlsr

Ok, I'll play :-)

Cost per # N:

Milorganite: $6.11

Scotts: $4.00

Had you picked say the Vigoro 29-0-3 45lbs bag for the comparison, you would have ended up with a cost of $2.5/pound of N. You can get to $0.50/lb by using urea, and $2.5/lb of slow release N with polymer coated urea.

You can eat from the dollar menu at a fast food drive..

Why does the reasoning for organics always have to include some sort of anthropomorphization of the grass?

...your health costs would likely be much higher in the long term if you had otherwise ate a balanced, healthy meal

Nitrogen resulting from the decomposition of organic matter is the same as nitrogen resulting from nitrification of urea. There's nothing more "balanced" or "healthier" about it.

Using them puts your lawn at a higher risk for things like lawn disease

Since 40% of Milorganite is water soluble, are you claiming that the 60% organic N in Milorganite reduces the risk of fungus vs the 50% polymer/sulfur coated urea in say a Vigoro or Lesco product? I'd like to take a look at the study that backs that up.

..or fertilizer burning

There's 0 risk of fertilizer burning when applied per bag instructions.

Organics tend to provide long term benefits

So long term that you may not get to see said benefits in your lifetime

..such as promoting soil health

Try balancing a soil with organics based on a soil test.

..and soil life

Do we need soil life beyond what we can sustain with clippings and thatch, like Mother Nature has been doing for a billion years?

that can ultimately and indirectly lead to lower long term costs for lawn care.

You totally just made that statistic up right now :-) .

but I still love using Milorganite to supplement my lawn care needs.

I find that more often than not, the use of organics is more about how it makes the lawn caretaker feel and less about how it benefits the grass. A lady said the other day she core aerated because it makes her feel good. Can't argue with that.

I knew this thread would get interesting. Which is why I
find the lawn care forum so
fascinating! I am a very accomplished
gardener. But, agreeably, new to
turf. So, no turf creed. Don’t ALL CAPme for my beliefs. However,
everything I have ever learned, experienced or predicted about gardening…always
starts with the soil.
R.E.S.P.E.C.T…Arethra…

If you want to gain a scientifically tested
knowledge of organics versus synthetics, read Jeff Gillman’s, The Truth About Organic Gardening He is
very balanced in his teachings. After
reading the book, I realize, just because it’s organic, doesn’t mean it is
safe. There is no good organic
pesticide. However, any time one can
increase biodiversity in soil, and decrease pesticide, is a good thing.,
right? As in, can’t we just all get
along…. (Rodney King, reference…. :)

If you want to delve, (pun intended) deeper into soil
knowledge, read, Teaming
with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web,
Revised Edition (Science for Gardeners)Hardcover – February 24, 2010

And, just for kicks, read: The Earth Moved by Amy Stewart.. If you are a nerd and enjoy soil. It is highly entertaining to learn about
Darwin, his health issues, (poor tired wife) and his incredibly patient a/k/a freakishly o.c.d nature/beliefs.

So, I am guessing my NC peep,
J4c11, won’t rise to my challenge to lasagna gardening if spring
seeding doesn’t pan out. I did that one
fall, with newspapers and lots of leaves.
The soil…and resulting back yard turf is
amazingly superior. What I learned in the front yard is that I organically
fertilized the weeds (with feed store)…along with the fescue. The ground was compacted from a parking
pad/sidewalk reconfiguration that left lots of stone/brick/sand/mortar and a
large back-hoe on my lawn for several months.

Today, poa annua is my only problem. Don’t want to get cocky because tomorrow I
may face crabgrass. Or fungal
pressures. Or young adult children who
want to move home….

HA! Each
to his own.

@tarheelsol

Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated :-)

Perhaps so. Very Funny and appreciate your chemistry knowledge. Still hoping spring reno will be a success!