[jimmy]

https://hw.menardc.com/main/items/media/ECGRO001/Install_Instruct/260-1700.pdf (full label)

This is a Menard's brand, but looks to mostly "polymer coated urea"...claiming it releases up to 6 months. They sell a version with or without dithiopyr...but both are 35-0-6.

Has anyone tried a product like this?

 

[HoosierLawnGnome]

No, I have not. I wouldn't use it for my goals, personally. It would supply far too little Nitrogen over the season at random times when it may not be helpful, like summer.

Pre-emergent goes down weeks before your turf likely needs a heavy dose of Nitrogen anyways, and I like to have more control over when the Nitrogen is released into the soil.

Spreading out 1 lb of Nitrogen per K over 6 months is underfeeding PR, fescue, or KBG. It needs much more than that unless you want a better-than-doing-nothing lawn.

 

[jimmy]

I wasn't planning on trying it, just thought it was interesting and hadn't seen this before. Seems like an even easier solution than the classic 4 step programs for those who don't like to think about their lawn.

I spray prodiamine way before I apply fert, so I get it

 

[HoosierLawnGnome]

Yeah, if you're the guy that has time to make one application a year in the spring, and will be happy with the results - this is the product for you!

But 6 months of release time??? Paying a lot for polymer coating!

 

[g-man]

I saw it in their ad last week and thought it was weird. It is applying it at a rate of 2.3lb of N/ M. Like HGL said, it might still be fertilizing into the summer, which could cause more stress.

 

[Green]

Interesting. I've heard about this sort of thing.

If the slow release is well-controlled (you'd have to understand the environmental conditions well to get proper timings for a certain area; but there are studies out there about slow-release strategies, and though a relatively new strategy the past few decades, it's been proven), it would in theory be a good solution for low-input lawns. Of course, the person using it might want to go slightly lighter in Spring and heavier in late Summer/early Fall with Cool Season grass types. At 2.3 lbs/K N rate, it's still putting down a decent pinch of quick release N. If you put it down in mid August, in the cool-season regions of the Northeast/upper mid-Atlantic or Midwest, you had better pray for enough rain after that point.

My thoughts: This could be an awesome solution for your average person in the Northeast with a mostly Fine Fescue lawn, who waters only occasionally, and only uses 1-2 lbs of N per year per thousand square feet...maybe half label rate in April or May, and then again in August.

I would assume that PCSCU would be better (more controlled release) for this use than the PCU they use...but also more expensive.

In any case, we don't have Menards in this part of the country.

 

[Green]

So, after watching @thegrassfactor 's video about N sources, I'm even more convinced that a product like this should have really been using both polymer and Sulfur coatings, because most polymer coatings release N at a steady rate above a certain temperature, rather than using moisture.