I just dropped 4 3/4 bags of Milorganite over 10,000 square feet of lawn for 17 pounds per thousand, about 6 pounds of protein per thousand, or 0.85 pounds N per thousand.

So when we say we drop whatever and whenever, we really do. It's 88 degrees out there. I'm going to pick up soy probably tomorrow, which will get dropped when I get back (3 bags, 15 per K, 7+ more pounds protein, or another pound of N for 1.85 total for August).

No worries there. The lawn would like a good fall feeding, so I tend to hit hard at the beginning of August and again September first. That kicks it into high gear for fall.

Now out to go feed the gardens with Milorganite since I've now stopped dripping sweat off my nose.

Interesting! I picked today also to begin feeding again.

88 seems chilly compared to our 99F right now!

We're at 92 right now, but the prediction is for 58 (!) degrees tonight.

The "tree frog chorus" has started in the evenings, and I saw my first Monarchs today. Late Summer is coming!

I saw a Monarch today myself, and the locusts have been out in force. Tomorrow night is Lughnasadh Eve (old calendar), classically the cross-quarter festival that marks the beginning of the end of summer.

We reached 89, but no biggie. The organics do not care.

last week i dropped 60 pounds of cracked barley over 5000 square feet,later when i checked NPK value of barley is 0/0/0.5 .So seems it was a waste of time ..?

I'm putting down 6 bags of Milorganite weekly from here on through November (unless I put down Soy). I've also figured out that if I run sawdust pellets through my chipper I can spread about 100 lbs without them overwhelming the lawn. I can put them down every 2-3 weeks now (if I put them down as pellets it takes another 10-14 days for them to break down).

titingo wrote:last week i dropped 60 pounds of cracked barley over 5000 square feet,later when i checked NPK value of barley is 0/0/0.5 .So seems it was a waste of time ..?

Click here for more information

Barley shows as 1.75-0.75-0.5, or comparable to corn. Sixty per K would be a great feeding, 60 ovre 5 K is about 0.2 pounds of N equivalent per thousand.

I am wondering what to do with my TTTF right now. Are you not supposed to fertilize TTTF in the summer or does that only apply to synthetics?

It only applies to synthetics.

+1 Andy. You're not supposed to feed any northern lawn during summer...synthetically. Organically is, well, Feed Whenever in Whatever Amount You Like.

That's actually been the points of these threads. Under the established "rules" (scare quotes because we're using different items), feeding is a really quick way to burn the lawn and probably kill it. You have to be very careful with synthetics during summer. Anytime, really, as we've all seen lawns with the famous burn marks.

Organics, no. Apply today, great. Tomorrow, great. Today AND tomorrow, great. Plan on soy, end up with something else instead, great.

What Morph, no Scotts' Summer Guard???

I miss feeding my lawn. Soon though, I have bags of Milorganite itching to feed the newbies
Patience grasshopa'

I laid soybean meal for the first time yesterday. Looking forward to the stink, haha.

So far, in under 3 months, per 1000, I have laid:
108 lb. of Milorganite
25 lb. of SBM.
8.5 lb. of synthetic 14-14-14 (bringing up P)

I still have 25 lb./1000 of SBM and 50 lb./1000 of cracked corn in the garage. Those will probably get dropped over the next 2 months along with a couple more Milorganite apps, at least one more synthetic app, and then I will need to reload on the organics. I'm hoping that by the time I stop laying down material in October or November (late frost here), I will have laid over 175 lb./1000 of Milorganite, over 100 lb./1000 of SBM, and over 100 lb./1000 of cracked corn.

Post frost is still fine for organics, although my October and November applications tend to be Milorganite. If the weather decides to turn early (which would be really rare but I've seen a light and non-lasting snow in October), you don't see it on the soil. It also seems to decay more easily and faster, so it helps more during those months.

If you get smell (and you may not), water a bit. It'll actually make the stink worse, but get you through it faster. As time goes on, additions smell a lot less. Fifteen per thousand generates nothing on this property as it decays well and quickly.

I'm getting ready to feed my lawn about 50/50 with Milorganite/SBM. The bad thing is, I have a lot of weeds this year. First of all, it's a house I just moved into and the lawn wasn't in the best shape to begin with. Secondly, it's been so unbelievably hot and dry lately. I'm trying to keep up but it's tough.

I think I know the answer, but am I wasting my time by continuing to feed?

I plan to aerate (mechanically), overseed, and feed this fall. Hopefully I can turn this yard around for next year.

No, you aren't wasting your time. Feeding the lawn strengthens it, encourages spread, and will eventually help it abolish its own weeds if you keep after the weeds you have. The change doesn't happen overnight, you're basically pushing against a very large stone. It'll move, but you have to keep the pressure up. Once moving, it's also hard to stop, so that's good.

Feeding in hot/dry weather with organics isn't an issue. They'll sit and wait for better weather at worst, and if you irrigate they'll decay while damp. That, to a point, happens faster in warm weather. It's 87 and rising fast out there, we might get rain tonight (might not), and I'm currently dropping soybean meal. Come September, the lawn really wants the feeding, and taking three weeks to process means the date is just about right.

Idle curiosity: was that the answer you expected?

Mechanical aeration can make your weed situation a lot worse, so I might rethink that particular part of the plan...

Yep, that's pretty much the answer I expected.

Good point on the aeration.....guess that never dawned on me. Might rethink it, but my soil is pretty compacted (I guess you'd call it clay type soil.....Evansville, IN). Guess I have to decide how necessary it is.

Thanks!

MorpheusPA wrote:Post frost is still fine for organics, although my October and November applications tend to be Milorganite. If the weather decides to turn early (which would be really rare but I've seen a light and non-lasting snow in October), you don't see it on the soil. It also seems to decay more easily and faster, so it helps more during those months.

If you get smell (and you may not), water a bit. It'll actually make the stink worse, but get you through it faster. As time goes on, additions smell a lot less. Fifteen per thousand generates nothing on this property as it decays well and quickly.

Actually, the worst the SBM stunk was right after coming out of the bag. Since then, it's seen 2 days of sun, a good watering, and rain last night. No smell to speak of.

I guess your info on laying organics post-frost is going to force me to keep the pressure on until next year. I'm eager to lay down enough that there is a noticeable difference in my next soil test. Though, the presence of a lawn will be a huge contributing factor to that.

Really? Mine smells like nothing coming out of the bag. Slightly bean-like, perhaps.

You can go with organics after frost, or not, whatever makes you happy. I do continue, first frost usually being mid-October and the last drop of Milorganite in November. Others don't.

MorpheusPA wrote:Really? Mine smells like nothing coming out of the bag. Slightly bean-like, perhaps.

I would say that's about the same as mine. It didn't "stink" but it smelled to the point that I thought, "When this gets wet, and that sun beats down on it, it's going to reek!" And then... nothing.