Fertilizer Supplement: Milorganite

Where do you get it? #

I have been a big fan of Milorganite from Home Depot which I consider a slow-release fertilizer supplement. It still is a great slow-release fertilizer of primarily nitrogen but may not be what your lawn really needs for all around health and growth.

Due to popularity since its cheaper than other slow-release fertilizers, it is often out of stock at Home Depot.  You can buy Milorganite on Amazon as well but the cost is sometimes twice the price.

Why should you buy it? #

It used to be $10 a 36 lb bag years ago but because of people finding out about it and causing increased demand, the cost has shot up to $16 a bag now with a reduction in bag size to 32 lbs.  It is no longer worth it in my opinion because you can get true fertilizers for almost that price point.  Is not a true fertilizer at only 6-4-0 with their latest formula (previously it was a 5-2-0 NPK ratio). 

It works on bermudagrass but will not help bare spots as well as a synthetic would because of the amount of time it takes for microbial action in the soil to break down the nitrogen.  It can be used as a supplement and will give you some green up after a week due to the iron in it but you are better off putting down the light coats of regular fertilizer and feeding your lawn throughout the season according to the schedule I specified vs. the 4 times a year it says to do on the back of the Milorganite bag.  If you want to use Milorganite as a supplement to your real fertilizer schedule that is fine.  But only consider it a lawn supplement.

Milorganite is organic-based. Though they no longer write that on the bag because it comes from wastewater and doesn’t truly qualify as organic. Unlike synthetic fertilizers that you should use on your lawn according to the schedule, this does not have salts in it so there is no need to water it in. Though I always recommend to water in for a few minutes anyway to let the particles settle in and start to dissolve so they don’t get blown or washed away in wind or rain.

Milorganite does have a strong smell and once you put it down, your lawn will stink for a few days. Especially after the water in, the odor is pretty strong. Don’t worry it will go away very quickly.

How do you use it? #

It comes in a big 32 lb bag like this that can only over 2,500 sq. ft. so you have to buy several bags in most cases:

Here is a picture of the back of the bag:

Here is how it works:

Here are the recommended spreader settings for Milorganite: