Milorganite is the brand name of a biosolid fertilizer, which is composed of 85% organic matter. It nurtures and nourishes the greenery in lawns and gardens by feeding the soil microbes for enhanced quality of life.
This fertilizer is manufactured by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District via the capturing of sewage wastewater and then extracting nutrients from it via the inculcation of natural microbes.
Initially, the soil must be aerated by forming holes in the ground. This opens up hard soil and simplifies the process of fertilizing the soil with Milorganite.
Each sack of Milorganite has an N-P-K code of 6-4-0 or 5-3-0; this refers to the minimum nutrient scores of 6 percent, 4 percent and less than 1 percent of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium respectively.
Milorganite is a slow-release fertilizer that maintains greenness of the grass but does not ameliorate the growth of grass. This is because of the low amounts of nitrogen but the great constitution of Iron.
However, one must remember that Milorganite must be applied during the ‘holiday season,’ which is a thumb rule.
Applying the fertilizer just before the rainy season is good as it reaches the soil and begins to spread by the time rain arrives. Neither is there a problem if Milorganite is applied in the summers.
When To Apply Milorganite To The Lawn?
The best conditions to apply Milorganite is when the soil temperature is around 55-85 degrees Fahrenheit and when there is adequate soil moisture.
This is precisely when the microbes break down the Milorganite nutrients, making them accessible for soil consumption. It is advised to put Milorganite not more than 4 times annually.
Keep reading to know more about the best time and situations to apply Milorganite to your lawn:–
- Plant Is Losing Nutrients
When your precious plants seem colorless, bent, and dull, apply this fertilizer to replenish lost nutrients. It is a universally known and accepted fact that as the grass and plants in a lawn grow, more nutrients are absorbed by the soil to advocate its growth process.
No matter, however, how new and ‘top quality’ the soil is, this is bound to happen. Eventually, the soil loses its fertility and needs more food, which is provided by the nutrients present in the fertilizer, Milorganite.
During overseeding, one must supply the soil with Milorganite to quicken and improve the quality of plant growth. Fall would be the most suitable time to overseed because the seeds land up germinating faster in warm soil.
As months progress and colder times arrive, the plants continue to grow while feeding on the fresh nutrients given to the soil by the fertilizer.
- Cool Season Vs. Warm Season Application
In the US, it is suggested to build your application timeline around country-wide holidays so that remembering and finding time does not become a herculean task.
Tall fescue is a cool-season grass and Milorganite must be applied to them somewhere close to the 4th of July, Labor Day, or Thanksgiving.
Whereas, St. Augustine, a warm-season grass, must undergo Milorganite application somewhere in early October or Memorial Day. Keep reading to know in detail about cool-season lawns and warm-season lawns.
- Milorganite For Cool Season
When applying fertilizer on Cool Weather lawns, do it 4 times a year at periodic intervals. The most ideal dates for the Milorganite application would be Independence Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day then followed by Halloween.
Do not forget to schedule the last coating of Milorganite at least a week before the first snowfall or frost hits the area. This is an effective and unique process known as Dormant feeding, as the lawn stores nutrients in winter and releases them when spring arrives.
This happens because the humidity and heat force the nutrients to spread around the lawn and bolt the greening phase. Some cool weather grasses that suit this fertilization timeline are Fescue, Perennial Ryegrass, and Kentucky Bluegrass.
- Milorganite For Warm Season
Even warm-weather lawn must go through 4 coatings of Milorganite, timed at strategic dates through the year. The most suitable schedule would go in the order of Easter, Memorial Day, Labor Day and the initial phases of October.
Some plants that receive an advantage of this fertilization schedule are Bahia, St. Augustine, Zoysia, Bermuda and Centipede Grass.
Milorganite must be applied at least 2 months before the first brutal frost hits the area, as warm weather grasses and plants do not share a good relationship with fertilizing late into the season.
This is because of the slow-release property of Milorganite. The fertilizer needs to take its own time to spread because the biosolids take time to break down via organic microbes.
- Special Notes For Southern U.S.
Lawns in the Southern section of the countryside must first analyze their needs, study their land and temperature around, then apply Milorganite twice or thrice a year.
Once the premature spring weeds have are no more, one must apply Milorganite for the first time in the calendar year. Because if you do not wait for the weeds to shed or be blown away, you are feeding them nutrients.
This would backfire when you are doing your second coating in mid-August.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
You should apply milorganite during the spring when the temperature is within 60s.
Each year, you can use milorganite 4 times
You can as long as it’s not a downpour and wash the ilorganite away.
You can apply milorganite when the soil temperature is between 55 – 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can and you won’t face the harm consequences. But you should not because of the environmental concern.
Last Words
Basically, imagine that you are applying to Milorganite 3 times a year and the first application date is set as the 1st of May after scrutinizing the lawn and its plant’s condition.
If you read the above bulletin points, you would be aware by now that the default date for the last application would be mid-August, because fertilizer must be applied well in advance to the first frost.
Now, calculating the middle of the first and last application date, you will conclude coating your second round of Milorganite in the 2nd half of June.
It is a little over a month after the 2nd application that you will begin to see evident improvement.
You can be content as well as satisfied with not only the elegant and attractive look of your lawn but also knowing the fact that every tinge of grass is healthy via natural resources.
No usage of toxic chemicals would otherwise deteriorate plant matter and life at some point throughout its life cycle.
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