Better Way to Mix Micronutrients with Milorganite?

Barley · by **Barley** » November 29th, 2010, 10:18 pm

Next spring I will have to add some micros to my lawn (Boron, Manganese and Copper). I know when I get the compounds and am ready to drop them, Andy will suggest mixing them with Milorganite in a wheelbarrow. Some people have reported that the fine powders seem to sift down to the bottom of the wheelbarrow and/or spreader. Morpheus has suggested misting the Milorganite very finely to help make the powder stick to the Milorganite.

That sounds like it might work, but what if I just dumped the Milorganite in a contractor garbage bag or something similar, added the powders, then sealed the bag and shook like crazy before adding the mixture to my spreader?

MorpheusPA · by **MorpheusPA** » November 29th, 2010, 11:03 pm

That might do it, I've never thought about it. Long's you can get a good mix and it doesn't separate, it would be just fine.

mike_44012 · by **mike_44012** » November 29th, 2010, 11:38 pm

How about mixing them with water and using a sprayer? Are they soluble? I know the Twenty Mule has to be. I haven't tried it but I recall someone mentioning it.

Micros are also on my list for next spring.

MorpheusPA · by **MorpheusPA** » November 29th, 2010, 11:49 pm

mike_44012 wrote:How about mixing them with water and using a sprayer? Are they soluble? I know the Twenty Mule has to be. I haven't tried it but I recall someone mentioning it.

Micros are also on my list for next spring.

Been there, done that. Manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, ferrous sulfate, and 20 Mules are all water-soluble. I sprayed mine.

However...that's not for somebody who's not extremely careful about even coverage, not overlapping, and dividing applications and doing them in opposite directions.

mike_44012 · by **mike_44012** » November 30th, 2010, 10:42 am

I would personally feel in more control using a sprayer. I'll probably practice a couple times with just water on a 1K sq. ft. area.

Barley · by **Barley** » November 30th, 2010, 10:54 am

mike_44012 wrote:I would personally feel in more control using a sprayer. I'll probably practice a couple times with just water on a 1K sq. ft. area.

Maybe you could add in some dye to see where you've already sprayed. Not sure if if works on a hose-end sprayer, though. I'll still do the milorganite mixing thing, I expect.

mike_44012 · by **mike_44012** » November 30th, 2010, 5:59 pm

not a bad idea. I wonder if they make elite KBG colored dye...

andy10917 · by **andy10917** » November 30th, 2010, 8:06 pm

not a bad idea. I wonder if they make elite KBG colored dye...

How would you see it then? :confused:

I'm not sure that you could see a difference in how much is 1 PPM (optimal) and 2 PPM (too much). If you want to use a backpack sprayer a la Morph, I get it - but I ain't going near a hose-end sprayer.

I'll continue to recommend the Milorganite method and use it personally. If someone wants to do hose-end sprayers personally, figure it out yourself and take the responsibility. If someone starts offering a hose-end directions to every person, I'll just stop offering micronutrient doses.

southerncalpal · by **southerncalpal** » November 30th, 2010, 8:36 pm

mike_44012 wrote:not a bad idea. I wonder if they make elite KBG colored dye...

yep, they do. BL even has their own formulation committee and its been tested on one of the darkest lawns on the planet. Alternately, Bonide #299 @ 8oz/1000ft is a nice lawn dye too, but its woefully expensive in most places @ that rate.

mike_44012 · by **mike_44012** » November 30th, 2010, 9:03 pm

Andy- I should have specified tank sprayer, I wouldn't dare do it with a hose end sprayer!

GaryCinChicago · by **GaryCinChicago** » November 30th, 2010, 11:16 pm

Gee Andy, where is that little rant/thread you started about following instructions/directions now?

andy10917 · by **andy10917** » December 1st, 2010, 12:05 am

Oh, I absolutely believe that people should make their own decisions. But I absolutely also believe that I will never participate in what I believe is a big mistake. If a person does enough of their own research, they will either find a safe way to do it, or convince themselves that they are embarking on a mistake.

What scares me is when someone that hasn't done the research posts a set of directions that they have not done themselves, and a less-experienced person takes it as an expert, tested solution. I won't participate.

MorpheusPA · by **MorpheusPA** » December 1st, 2010, 12:22 am

+1 Andy.

I evaluated carefully the solubility in water of each chemical (good to excellent, certainly sufficient for my backpack sprayer, and no precipitates even if mixed--which I didn't). Then I evaluated my ability to evenly spread (excellent, as evidenced by the lack of iron streaks on the lawn). Plus my ability to get an absolutely perfect amount of solution down (good; I end within a single step of the same spot depending on which pace I choose).

And then I still broke the applications into thirds and did them in different directions just in case. The resultant--no issues. But not something I recommend for others as I don't know if they're quite as incredibly careful and intolerant of errors as I am.

GaryCinChicago · by **GaryCinChicago** » December 1st, 2010, 12:41 am

MorpheusPA wrote:And then I still broke the applications into thirds and did them in different directions just in case.

'nuff said!

cactus · by **cactus** » December 1st, 2010, 1:39 am

MorpheusPA wrote:But not something I recommend for others as I don't know if they're quite as incredibly careful and intolerant of errors as I am.

Here's how I see it...
Morph is the guy who independently positions thousands of Christmas lamps to precisely illuminate every facet of hundreds of crystal ornaments to maximize the brilliance of the display. It's ok for him to spray.

Me, I plug in a pre-lit tree and if at least half the lights are still working from last year, I throw on a couple of handfuls of that silver stringy stuff and call it Christmas. It's not ok for me to spray.

GaryCinChicago · by **GaryCinChicago** » December 1st, 2010, 1:57 am

cactus wrote:Here's how I see it...
Morph is the guy who independently positions thousands of Christmas lamps to precisely illuminate every facet of hundreds of crystal ornaments to maximize the brilliance of the display. It's ok for him to spray.

Me, I plug in a pre-lit tree and if at least half the lights are still working from last year, I throw on a couple of handfuls of that silver stringy stuff and call it Christmas. It's not ok for me to spray.

I LOVE IT!!!!

Barley · by **Barley** » December 1st, 2010, 8:37 am

Andy et al. I started this thread and I kinda regret it because it could be taken the wrong way. Andy, I will absolutely follow your directions in the spring, and thank you so much for your dedication and helpfulness. Basically, as I stated in the first post on this thread, I was wondering if mixing the stuff in a big bag and then spreading it would work, as some people have reported that the wheelbarrow strategy causes some sifting of the powders to the bottom.

mike_44012 · by **mike_44012** » December 1st, 2010, 11:24 am

Andy is right, I haven't done enough research. I guess in my mind using a sprayer made more sense but now I realize it's not a simple thing. I just learned something new which is why I am here. Glad I didn't have to learn it the hard way. I'll be more careful when making posts. I appreciate your help. Thank you.

andy10917 · by **andy10917** » December 1st, 2010, 11:52 am

Oh, Geez - everyone is acting as if some form of treason has been perpetrated. That's not where I'm going at all. I'm saying that all of my recommendations are based on Milorganite (or other granular) fertilizer mixing, and I won't adapt them for hose-end sprayers because I don't think it's a good idea. If you research it and find it OK for you, you know what risks you take.

Gary (correctly) pointed out that I have a thread in which I challenged the Hosta guru's of the world, and it worked out well for me. My answer to Gary was that I knew that I could easily be wrong, and that a 30 Hosta investment was at-risk. If you want to do something that goes against my recommendations, I am neither insulted nor angry - I'm just a dummy that has fallen in every pot-hole in the road, and is willing to share with others my learnings of where the pot-holes are. The only thing that angers me is when someone (they're rare here, but occasionally happen) does 5 minutes of Googling, and then represents that they have a proven method that I know has never been tested. We all know that there is a piece or two of bad info on the Internet.

MorpheusPA · by **MorpheusPA** » December 1st, 2010, 12:08 pm

cactus wrote:
MorpheusPA wrote:But not something I recommend for others as I don't know if they're quite as incredibly careful and intolerant of errors as I am.

Here's how I see it...
Morph is the guy who independently positions thousands of Christmas lamps to precisely illuminate every facet of hundreds of crystal ornaments to maximize the brilliance of the display. It's ok for him to spray.

Me, I plug in a pre-lit tree and if at least half the lights are still working from last year, I throw on a couple of handfuls of that silver stringy stuff and call it Christmas. It's not ok for me to spray.

I prefer to think of myself as detail-oriented, thank you so very much. :-)

You're results-oriented with an emphasis on time management.

Better Way to Mix Micronutrients with Milorganite?

Better Way to Mix Micronutrients with Milorganite?

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