I have a Bermuda lawn and applied a 32-0-10 quick release fertilizer this past weekend. I am really wanting to try milorganite. I've read a lot of people say because it is a slow release fertilizer it can take several weeks to notice. How fast can I apply a slow release fertilizer like milorganite after a quick release? I am new here and am blown away at the knowledge you all possess. The pictures of your lawns are very inspiring. Thanks!
Fertilizing
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It's way to early to apply fert in OKC. You are essentially throwing your money away. I personally I'm not a fan of Milorganite. It just another example of a company separating you from your money. Bermuda needs high nitrogen content which Milorganite lacks. You'll have to put down a lot more pounds of Milo to equal the majority of synthetics available (4-7 x ).
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+1.high leverage said:
There's nothing wrong with Milorganite, as it's good for the average homeowner who is just getting started into taking proper care of their lawn, but you'll want to make sure that your grass is out of dormancy before you feed it. Milorganite seems to work better when the soil temps are in the 80's (there's probably some empirical evidence to support that, but I don't have any right now). The question I have for you is: have you put down a Pre Emergent (PreM) yet? Mesonet is where you can find out what your soil temps are in your state. Keep in mind, crabgrass germinates around 55°F, and a host of other Warm Season weeds follow in its wake. You'll want to keep those at bay by getting a PreM down ASAP. You'll only have to apply PreM for Warm Season weeds and Cool season weeds, but your window for application usually falls within a few weeks on the calendar.
When it warms up, and your grass is out of dormancy, there are much more effective fertilizers by cost/lb than Milorganite for your lawn, and we'll help you get the lawn you want, with a lot less money than you think it would take. Skip the Milo for now. Welcome to TLF! :thumbup:
Milo is OK. Im on the fence about it. The pros is it does work, and greens up nice. Its pet and kid friendly. The cons, its expensive, it smells like moldy bath towels when wet, it takes a week or so to see results and in the meantime my dogs are in the yard eating it.
As mentioned, I would be trying to get down pre emergent right now, not fert.
As mentioned, I would be trying to get down pre emergent right now, not fert.
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@Kballen11, is your lawn out of dormancy? Mine was almost fully green last week before I scalped, a few People in my area are also greened up nicely! Like others have already stated, adding N too early can be wasteful, you should try and wait until you're +70% green.
How many lb per 1k of the 32-0-10 did you apply?
Milo can be controversial; people love it, or hate it! Its my preferred fertilizer and I don't think anyone can dispute it works well for me.
You only have 5k of lawn and using the "bag rate" would take 2 bags per application to cover your lawn. If you are trying to save some $$, then using a synthetic source like the 32-0-10 is more economical if used correctly! However if you are a Hobby lawn guy like myself, then spending a few extra bucks on a fertilizer you feel is best isn't a big deal. It's all about how you see it, and how you want to move forward.
There is a % of fast release N in the Milo that will give your grass a little pop of green within a week if you get a little water on the lawn, but the rest will take time to work into the soil and feed your grass.
How many lb per 1k of the 32-0-10 did you apply?
Milo can be controversial; people love it, or hate it! Its my preferred fertilizer and I don't think anyone can dispute it works well for me.
You only have 5k of lawn and using the "bag rate" would take 2 bags per application to cover your lawn. If you are trying to save some $$, then using a synthetic source like the 32-0-10 is more economical if used correctly! However if you are a Hobby lawn guy like myself, then spending a few extra bucks on a fertilizer you feel is best isn't a big deal. It's all about how you see it, and how you want to move forward.
There is a % of fast release N in the Milo that will give your grass a little pop of green within a week if you get a little water on the lawn, but the rest will take time to work into the soil and feed your grass.
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I like milorganite as well, but it's not the only stuff I use. I go to my local landscaping and pesticide supply place, which here is called Possum's, and say "What do I put down now? What's the next thing to put down, and when do I do it?"
This stuff called SeaHume, which is humic acid, is popular around me as well. I have an unsubstantiated theory that rotating through various products is the best bet.
This stuff called SeaHume, which is humic acid, is popular around me as well. I have an unsubstantiated theory that rotating through various products is the best bet.
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On depth, my experience is that it is a compromise. I modify depth based on observation and try to find a tine height that cuts 1/8" into the low spots, but no deeper than 1/2" into the high spots. (the height/depth I settle on depends on how may low or high spots there are). I have always, always had great results with KBG (corn row germination), but the one time I did fescue I had no corn row effect (maybe the tine damaged the larger fesuce seed? Others say they haven't had a problem with fescue).
I applied a preemergent in late February when the soil temps were approaching 55. I am a frequent visitor on the mesonet site. My lawn is already coming out of dormancy and is fairly green. If I had to put a percent on it I'd say probably just short of 50%, which is why I went ahead and applied a fertilizer. It sounds like I need to wait until the temps warm up to apply milorganite as the heat breaks it down. What would you guys recommend I do knowing I applied a quick release fertilizer this weekend? Wait until a certain day and put down milorganite? Or use something else? Thanks again for all the advice. I'll try to post some pictures when the sun comes out.
Not exclusively, but yes I use it a lot. It's definitely not the most cost effective source of N, but for me some of the benefits outweigh the cost for a lawn the size of mine.Davie_Gravy said:
I really like the even/thorough coverage I can get when using lower N content products. For example, I can easily spread two 50 lb bags of Greens Grade Milo over my 7k lawn in two directions to get a modest ~0.85 lb of N. With something like a 32-x-x, I would only spread 18.6 lbs of product to get that same amount of N. Depending on the SGN, I'm not sure my spreader would feed that consistently if I reduced the setting enough to spread it in two directions.
I like that I can work with full bag quantities, even on my smaller lawn. I can use 1-2 50 lb bags of Greens Grade, or 2-3 36 lb bags of standard Milo to tune my N rate without weighing product or dealing with leftover or partial bags.
I also really like how easily the SGN 90 Greens Grade Milo flows from my spreader and falls down into my dense turf canopy.
The recent reduction in Fe from 4% to 2.5% bothers me a little, but I probably won't stop using it.
But worth noting that 2.5% of the 6% total N in Milo (~42%) is water soluble. So like Redtenchu, I've never had any trouble getting some response within a week following application.FRD135i said:
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I know of the bible, but are some of you planning to reduce the amount of N you put down this year? I have heard/read with the addition of humates, we may get by with less. If so, what are you targeting total N/1000 on bermuda this season?
That is something you would have to play around with yourself as each lawn is different and will require less/more input to get your desired results. You could just start gradually cutting back on your inputs to see where the lawn responds and if it is acceptable to you.Davie_Gravy said:
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Red, how many applications though? I'm talking total pounds of N for the season.
I would shoot for 4-6 lbs/K for the season.Davie_Gravy said:
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