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Lawnthrower
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Opinion on fertilizers
I was wondering everyones opinion on the different manufacturers of fertilizer on the market. Obviously Scott's brand is well known. They have a good system to help homeowners to apply the fertilizer. Are there other good ones out there and what is your opinion of how they worked?
If you are being organic Scotts also makes organic fertilizers. The advantage of organic fertilizers is that they release their nutrients slowly as the N-P-K in the fertilizers must be converted by the soil organisms into its inorganic form for the plants to be able to use them. Organic fertilizers therefore support the soil web and help build soil. Organic fertilizers like composted manures also add bulk to the soil as well. Compost is an organic amendment that improves soil tilth, buffers the soil pH, and can increase the moisture holding capacity of the soil.
If you are thinking of synthetics fertilizers. They do have advantages over organic fertilizers.
1. They have a guaranteed analysis and you get more nutrients per pound than with organic fertilizers
Most fertilizers even synthetics have a lot of fillers. Only about 40% of the synthetic fertilizers contain the nutrients you are paying for. So you need to apply a lot less of the synthetic fertilizers. Organic fertilizers also cost more per pound than synthetics and you would need to use about 4 times more organic fertilizer to get the same NPK.
Organic fertilizers are even less. Total NPK on organic fertilizers are about 10% of the volume. and while synthetic fertilizers are available immediately to plants (unless you are using a slow release synthetic), most of the organic fertilizer will be tied up until they are broken down by soil organisms.
2. Both synthetic and organic fertilizers can be high in unwanted salts. Organic fertilizers, especially
made from animal byproducts may pose a health risk unless they were properly collected and treated.
3. If you do a soil test you may find you only need to have just nitrogen or just magnesium and no
phosphorus or potassium may be required. It is easier to get single elements in synthetic fertilizers
but not so easy to avoid elements you do not need in organic fertilizers. Example: Chicken manure
N=1-1.6, P= 0.5-1 K= 0.6-1, Chicken manure is high in calcium since calcium is in the feed of laying
hens. About half of the N is available immediately, the rest is available over time. However if your soil
is already high in Phos and Potassium you can't take it out. If your pH is 7.8 before adding the manure
you may end up with a pH 8.3. Which can make it difficult to grow anything that likes acidic soil but
good if you like cabbages. The calcium in the manure is like adding lime. Also note a range is given for
organic manures, organic fertilizers do not have a guaranteed analysis unless you test each batch.
4. Many people are going with the organic amendments and fertilizers because they build soil. This is
true. However, I do not believe claims that synthetic fertilizers kill soil organisms. I think that is more
a function of tillage. Tillage destroys soil organisms no matter whether you are using synthetic or
organic fertilizer. However, soils high in organic matter have higher soil organism counts to start with.
So, I think that even if you use synthetic fertilizer without over doing it, and you add compost and
organic matter, and minimize tilling, the soil web can be preserved.
Conclusion: Both fertilizers are good. Brand does not really matter as long as they have a guaranteed analysis, but you will pay a premium for organic fertilizers and synthetic fertilizers that have a higher total NPK and less filler will cost more than synthetics with lower NPK and more filler.
No matter what fertilizer you choose, you need to build good soil and a good soil web. That means adding lots of organic matter every year and minimizing tillage that kills organisms.
If you really want to save money in the long run, get a soil test. It will tell you exactly how many pounds of fertilizer you need to add, and you can request organic recommendations. Use only the amounts that are recommended. Invest in a good scale. Over applying fertilizer causes more damage to the environment regardless of whether you are using synthetic or organic fertilizers and you will be wasting your money to apply more than you need. When the soil becomes unbalanced, like being very high in Phosphorus, the crops will start to show signs of trouble and it can take years to fix it.
https://aggieturf.tamu.edu/files-2005/ph ... Provin.pdf
If you are thinking of synthetics fertilizers. They do have advantages over organic fertilizers.
1. They have a guaranteed analysis and you get more nutrients per pound than with organic fertilizers
Most fertilizers even synthetics have a lot of fillers. Only about 40% of the synthetic fertilizers contain the nutrients you are paying for. So you need to apply a lot less of the synthetic fertilizers. Organic fertilizers also cost more per pound than synthetics and you would need to use about 4 times more organic fertilizer to get the same NPK.
Organic fertilizers are even less. Total NPK on organic fertilizers are about 10% of the volume. and while synthetic fertilizers are available immediately to plants (unless you are using a slow release synthetic), most of the organic fertilizer will be tied up until they are broken down by soil organisms.
2. Both synthetic and organic fertilizers can be high in unwanted salts. Organic fertilizers, especially
made from animal byproducts may pose a health risk unless they were properly collected and treated.
3. If you do a soil test you may find you only need to have just nitrogen or just magnesium and no
phosphorus or potassium may be required. It is easier to get single elements in synthetic fertilizers
but not so easy to avoid elements you do not need in organic fertilizers. Example: Chicken manure
N=1-1.6, P= 0.5-1 K= 0.6-1, Chicken manure is high in calcium since calcium is in the feed of laying
hens. About half of the N is available immediately, the rest is available over time. However if your soil
is already high in Phos and Potassium you can't take it out. If your pH is 7.8 before adding the manure
you may end up with a pH 8.3. Which can make it difficult to grow anything that likes acidic soil but
good if you like cabbages. The calcium in the manure is like adding lime. Also note a range is given for
organic manures, organic fertilizers do not have a guaranteed analysis unless you test each batch.
4. Many people are going with the organic amendments and fertilizers because they build soil. This is
true. However, I do not believe claims that synthetic fertilizers kill soil organisms. I think that is more
a function of tillage. Tillage destroys soil organisms no matter whether you are using synthetic or
organic fertilizer. However, soils high in organic matter have higher soil organism counts to start with.
So, I think that even if you use synthetic fertilizer without over doing it, and you add compost and
organic matter, and minimize tilling, the soil web can be preserved.
Conclusion: Both fertilizers are good. Brand does not really matter as long as they have a guaranteed analysis, but you will pay a premium for organic fertilizers and synthetic fertilizers that have a higher total NPK and less filler will cost more than synthetics with lower NPK and more filler.
No matter what fertilizer you choose, you need to build good soil and a good soil web. That means adding lots of organic matter every year and minimizing tillage that kills organisms.
If you really want to save money in the long run, get a soil test. It will tell you exactly how many pounds of fertilizer you need to add, and you can request organic recommendations. Use only the amounts that are recommended. Invest in a good scale. Over applying fertilizer causes more damage to the environment regardless of whether you are using synthetic or organic fertilizers and you will be wasting your money to apply more than you need. When the soil becomes unbalanced, like being very high in Phosphorus, the crops will start to show signs of trouble and it can take years to fix it.
https://aggieturf.tamu.edu/files-2005/ph ... Provin.pdf
I don't use urea very much either because the npk is 46-0-0 and I tend to over apply. I use sulfate of ammonia instead 21-0-0. My soil is acidic with a pH of 6.4 but it is fine for grass so I do not lime. I do agree with washimi though that it is a good idea to get the soil tested to see if you need to lime. The soil test will tell you how much lime and fertilizer you need to apply. It will also tell you how much to apply. You can ask for organic fertilizer recommendations, otherwise recommendations are for synthetics.
I knew of someone so obsessed with fertilizing his lawn he poisoned it with so much nitrogen fertilizer that he drove the pH down to 3.3 and he still thought he could correct the problem by throwing more fertilizer at it.
New lawns need more than nitrogen, but you don't need very much phosphorus at all on an established lawn. Over applying fertilizer can build thatch and thatch can causes problems too.
If the lawn gets heavy traffic and water beads and runs off the top, it is probably getting compacted.
Lawns should be dethatched, aerated and top dressed twice a year. Once in the Spring and again in the fall. The dethatching removes layers of dead roots. Aerating and top dressing helps in reducing compaction and allowing water and nutrients to penetrate into the soil. Deep watering will also improve drought resistance and encourage roots to go downward.
Topdressing is expensive, and not everyone needs it. If you use fine compost or Big R, it works but you need to be careful since they can reshape the lawn since the particles are larger. Top dressings are good for smoothing out lawns and filling low spots.
I had a portion of the lawn that was more compacted because it was where I walked the most getting from the front to the back of the house. Rather than have a trail in the grass, I put in pavers, but grass blocks will also work and aesthetically looks better. My grass actually is aggressive so it grows over the paver blocks. I had them on top but it was hard to get the lawn cart and mower over them so I reset them even with the grass. Now unless I trim them out, you cannot even see the pavers in the grass.
https://learningstore.uwex.edu/assets/pdfs/A3710.pdf
Scotts makes an organic fertilizer too. Organic fertilizers can be just as high or worse in salts, the npk is half of sulfate of ammonia and (11%) and most of that (10%) is in insoluble slow release form, so this is not a fertilizer for instant greening but o.k. for a slow release of nitrogen over time. Most of the nitrogen is coming from cottonseed and meat meal not urea. I use it as a nitrogen source in my edible garden plots, it is OMRI listed and soil tests on all my plots say that phos, Ca, K. are high or extreme. Scott's does contain a small amount of P = 2%. It costs about 1/3 more than sulfate of ammonia. I use sulfate of ammonia for fast release and I only need to use a small amount to get 20 times the available nitrogen.
https://www.scotts.com/smg/products/Scot ... 20Food.pdf
I knew of someone so obsessed with fertilizing his lawn he poisoned it with so much nitrogen fertilizer that he drove the pH down to 3.3 and he still thought he could correct the problem by throwing more fertilizer at it.
New lawns need more than nitrogen, but you don't need very much phosphorus at all on an established lawn. Over applying fertilizer can build thatch and thatch can causes problems too.
If the lawn gets heavy traffic and water beads and runs off the top, it is probably getting compacted.
Lawns should be dethatched, aerated and top dressed twice a year. Once in the Spring and again in the fall. The dethatching removes layers of dead roots. Aerating and top dressing helps in reducing compaction and allowing water and nutrients to penetrate into the soil. Deep watering will also improve drought resistance and encourage roots to go downward.
Topdressing is expensive, and not everyone needs it. If you use fine compost or Big R, it works but you need to be careful since they can reshape the lawn since the particles are larger. Top dressings are good for smoothing out lawns and filling low spots.
I had a portion of the lawn that was more compacted because it was where I walked the most getting from the front to the back of the house. Rather than have a trail in the grass, I put in pavers, but grass blocks will also work and aesthetically looks better. My grass actually is aggressive so it grows over the paver blocks. I had them on top but it was hard to get the lawn cart and mower over them so I reset them even with the grass. Now unless I trim them out, you cannot even see the pavers in the grass.
https://learningstore.uwex.edu/assets/pdfs/A3710.pdf
Scotts makes an organic fertilizer too. Organic fertilizers can be just as high or worse in salts, the npk is half of sulfate of ammonia and (11%) and most of that (10%) is in insoluble slow release form, so this is not a fertilizer for instant greening but o.k. for a slow release of nitrogen over time. Most of the nitrogen is coming from cottonseed and meat meal not urea. I use it as a nitrogen source in my edible garden plots, it is OMRI listed and soil tests on all my plots say that phos, Ca, K. are high or extreme. Scott's does contain a small amount of P = 2%. It costs about 1/3 more than sulfate of ammonia. I use sulfate of ammonia for fast release and I only need to use a small amount to get 20 times the available nitrogen.
https://www.scotts.com/smg/products/Scot ... 20Food.pdf