Some photos of my lawn attached. Is it worth applying milorganite – even if it’s just a little bit and not the full ratio – right now?
It’s going to be high 70s low 60s through this Friday, and then the temperature drops to high 50/low 40s from Saturday onwards.
My lawn is very dry and dying, and is also going dormant, though it’s still green enough. Any benefit to apply milorganite now?
by schlab
1 Comment
Milorganite is not a suitable general purpose lawn fertilizer. The 2 biggest reasons for that are:
– It doesn’t have potassium. Pottassium is the 2nd most used nutrient by grass, and thus is extremely important to supply with fertilizer. On average, a lawn should receive about 1/5th as much pottassium as it gets nitrogen, on a yearly basis. (With all applications receiving atleast some potassium)
– Milorganite has a very large amount of phosphorus. Phosphorus is not used very much by established grass. Mulching clippings is usually enough to maintain adequate phosphorus levels. Excess phosphorus pollutes ground and surface water, which is the primary driver behind toxic algae blooms.
Milorganite can have some very specific uses, such as correcting a phosphorus deficiency or being used as a repellent for digging animals… But it is wholly unsuitable for being a regular lawn fertilizer.
If you’re now wondering what you should use instead, Scott’s and Sta-green both make great fertilizers. You don’t need to get fancy with fertilizer… Nutrients are nutrients, expensive fertilizers are rarely worth the cost. Also, look around for farming/milling co-ops near you, they often have great basic fertilizers for unbeatable prices.
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