Is Milorganite a gimmick?

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jack28791
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Is Milorganite a gimmick?

Post by jack28791 » July 9th, 2018, 7:34 pm

I know this is considered heresy but just bear with me. I have used milorganite before but I'm wondering if it's really all that great compared to synthetic fertilizer. It's very low in NPK compared to your Scotts or Vigoro fertilizers. Or another way of looking at it is that Scotts is overloaded in Nitrogen.

I'm not saying Milorganite has no place in the lawn. It might be great for the summer months. It's also better to put down your basic fertilizer and spot treat for weeds rather than spray chemicals unnecessarily on the lawn.

But let's look at it this way:

Let's say your annual Milorganite cost is around $100/year. What other things could you apply to get a better effect? Would you be better off using a synthetic fertilizer and throwing down some peat moss or compost (since everyone says the magic of Milorganite is that you're adding organic matter (human poop) to the lawn. Why not broadcast out some peat moss? At some point (fall) wouldn't you be better off using a 10-10-10 start fertilizer and skipping the milorganite?

They are literally selling you died human poop with some iron in it to help green up your lawn. If Scotts added a small % of iron to every bag of their 4 step plan would people still care about Milorganite (yes I know about Scotts max which has iron).

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turf_toes
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Re: Is Milorganite a gimmick?

Post by turf_toes » July 9th, 2018, 8:18 pm

This is your 2nd post?

Strikes me as odd that you’d jump right into this debate as a new user. Most such folks have more immediate concerns...

But sure. You don’t like Milo. So don’t use it. I generally don’t give a rat’s [banned word] what fertilizer other people apply to their lawns.

I’ve had great results with Oceangro (similar to Milorganite but cheaper in my area) and will continue using it.

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ken-n-nancy
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Re: Is Milorganite a gimmick?

Post by ken-n-nancy » July 9th, 2018, 9:33 pm

jack28791 wrote:
July 9th, 2018, 7:34 pm
I know this is considered heresy but just bear with me. I have used milorganite before but I'm wondering if it's really all that great compared to synthetic fertilizer. It's very low in NPK compared to your Scotts or Vigoro fertilizers.
I think you probably know this, but just in case there are less experienced folks reading that don't know it, the fact that Milorganite is low in NPK compared to a Scotts fertilizer is compensated for by adjusting the quantity of the fertilizer applied to the lawn. What this means is that a much higher quantity (in weight) of Milorganite needs to be applied to the lawn in order to supply the same amount of nitrogen (or any other nutrient).

But on to your primary questions. It seems like you are asking if the advantages of Milorganite are worth the increased cost compared to synthetic fertilizers. Milorganite is more expensive per square foot than most synthetics, so the question is really whether or not it is worth the increased cost. Am I understanding this right?

Scotts, by the way, is just about the most expensive of all the synthetics, but does use some higher-quality components (like sulfate of potash for potassium, instead of the less expensive but harsher muriate of potash) than most synthetics.

Personally, I have a much cheaper option for biosolid fertilizer in Bay State Fertilizer, which is $3.50 for a 40-pound bag, making it much less expensive than Milorganite for an essentially-equivalent product, so for me the cost analysis is simpler - Bay State is actually less expensive per pound of nitrogen than Scotts, Lesco, or even the generic synthetics in my area.

gwlbe
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Re: Is Milorganite a gimmick?

Post by gwlbe » July 16th, 2018, 7:48 am

On my way to pick up a pallet, all in 500 mile round trip bout 5/bag. My lot takes 17 bags at wide open my earthway.

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ken-n-nancy
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Re: Is Milorganite a gimmick?

Post by ken-n-nancy » July 16th, 2018, 7:53 am

gwlbe wrote:
July 16th, 2018, 7:48 am
On my way to pick up a pallet, all in 500 mile round trip bout 5/bag. My lot takes 17 bags at wide open my earthway.
You're on your way to get Bay State Fertilizer today?!? Last Wednesday, Carl said they were all out of bagged Bay State - sounds like you must be getting a fresh batch!


gwlbe
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Re: Is Milorganite a gimmick?

Post by gwlbe » July 17th, 2018, 5:33 am

It was ready last Friday. I got a pallet, there was a couple from RI, that got 20 bags. Most of their biz is dump truck loads. They don’t have enough demand for bagged products so they get behind

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ken-n-nancy
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Re: Is Milorganite a gimmick?

Post by ken-n-nancy » July 17th, 2018, 2:56 pm

Thanks! I spoke to Carl yesterday and he said they were back in stock again. I don't know exactly when I'll get down to get it, but I'm looking for most of a pallet - 40 bags.

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Dchall_San_Antonio
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Re: Is Milorganite a gimmick?

Post by Dchall_San_Antonio » July 17th, 2018, 7:13 pm

This isn't heresy at all. It's mathematics as explained earlier. If the numbers are low, you apply more to bring the numbers up. If you have issues with performance, we can talk about that if you like. You should take a look at the home page for Around the Yard and look at the showcase lawns. Most, if not all, of those are fertilized with Milorganite or some other organic product. That was not a requirement, it just turned out that the real showcase pictures happened to be organically fertilized.

gwlbe
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Re: Is Milorganite a gimmick?

Post by gwlbe » July 18th, 2018, 5:31 am

For me it’s the color and appears to make the grass thicker.

Chris LI
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Re: Is Milorganite a gimmick?

Post by Chris LI » July 25th, 2018, 2:52 pm

Jack,

I would suggest you buy one bag and set up a test plot. If you have a drop spreader, put down 1-2x bage rate, depending on how hot the weather is right now. If you only have a rotary spreader without an edge deflector, use a piece of cardboard to make a corner/perimeter. Make sure it has.adequate water and evaluate in 3-4 weeks. You might be surprised at the results. If it's excessively hot right now, wait for some relief from the heat before applying. Please advise us if you still think it's a gimmick in a month or so.

bpgreen
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Re: Is Milorganite a gimmick?

Post by bpgreen » July 25th, 2018, 3:12 pm

Chris LI wrote:
July 25th, 2018, 2:52 pm
Jack,

I would suggest you buy one bag and set up a test plot. If you have a drop spreader, put down 1-2x bage rate, depending on how hot the weather is right now. If you only have a rotary spreader without an edge deflector, use a piece of cardboard to make a corner/perimeter. Make sure it has.adequate water and evaluate in 3-4 weeks. You might be surprised at the results. If it's excessively hot right now, wait for some relief from the heat before applying. Please advise us if you still think it's a gimmick in a month or so.
Jack has made 3 posts, all on July 9th. I doubt if he's still reading things here.

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