For those of you who didn’t know already, Milorganite is a fertilizer product that contains compost, nitrogen, and phosphate. It’s commonly used on lawns throughout the United States.
That’s enough about the product. Let’s talk about why you’re here: You want to know how long Milorganite will take to work on your lawn, right?
We wish there was a simple one-for-all answer to this question. But the truth is, there are many variables to this equation. To find out how long it will take for Milorganite to start working on your lawn, you need to know first find out what type of soil you have. It also helps if you know what types of weeds are growing in your lawn because this factors into the equation as well.
Furthermore, there are also several other factors at play, including how much water you use, how often you apply Milorganite to your lawn, and where you bought the product from.
Sounds like a lot, right? Don’t worry. This post will help you find out answers to all those questions and by the end, you will know exactly how much time Milorganite will take to work on your lawn.
Figuring Out How Long Milorganite Will Take to Work On Your lawn
Here are all the questions you need to answer to find out exactly how long Milorganite will take to turn your lawn into a haven of green!
1. What Type of Soil Is In Your Lawn?
The first thing you need to do is find out what type of soil your lawn has. There are three types or classifications of soil: clay, sand, and silt. How can you tell which kind you have?
- Clay soils are sticky when wet but harden once dry. When squeezed in the palm of one’s hand, it doesn’t fall apart easily unless poked with a finger. These soils drain slowly because the water stays on their surface for long periods before sinking into the ground through capillary action.
- Sand soils feel gritty and crumble easily. When squeezed in the palm of one’s hand, it crumbles away quickly until only a ball is left behind.
- Silt soils are smooth and powdery. They also drain slowly because the water stays on their surface for long periods before sinking into the ground through capillary action.
Slite soil has the fastest absorption rate of Milorganite between the three. Sand has the slowest absorption rate and clay falls in between the two.
2. What Type of Weeds Are Growing In Your Lawn?
Milorganite will work on most types of weeds. However, if you have certain kinds growing on your lawn, this might slow down the rate at which it works. Those weeds include:
- Crabgrass
- Hairy chamomile
- Knotweed
- Crown vetch, which is a type of weed that Milorganite won’t kill but can help control its growth when used as directed
3. How Much Water Do You Use In Your Lawn?
If you water your lawn more often, the fertilizer will work faster.
How much of a difference does watering make? Milorganite works twice as fast when watered with one inch of water per week compared to not watering it at all.
It’s important that you know this because if you don’t have enough time in a week to water your lawn for an hour or two every day, then it might be better for you to just apply Milorganite once and let the soil dry up before applying again. This way there won’t be any wasted product going on down into the ground only to come out as runoff during rainfall events.
Also, remember that giving your grass too much water can cause problems such as lead toxicity. So always play by the rules and stick to the one inch of water per week rule.
4. Where Did You Buy the Milorganite From?
Make sure the product you have is the real deal. There are many places where people sell diluted fertilizers that don’t work nearly as well as the original product they claim to be selling.
So if your lawn is not starting to green up within three weeks of application, then there’s a good chance the product you received has been diluted. That’s because if it isn’t watered down, there’s no reason why any fertilizer should take longer than three weeks before showing results. The only exception is if there’s some rare issue with your soil that holding the product back.
Depending on your answers to those four questions, Milorganite will need one to three weeks to take effect on your lawn. Those effects, no matter how long they took to start, will last for ten weeks.
The Best Time of the Year to Use Milorganite
The best time to use Milorganite is in the spring or fall when it’s not so hot and there haven’t been any heavy rainfall events. The reason these seasons work best is that it’s cool enough outside that the fertilizer won’t burn your lawn but also not too cold where rain will wash all of its nutrients away before they can soak into the soil.
So Milorganite works best when applied between March and October, although if you have really bad weeds growing on your lawn, then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t apply it in January or February either. Just make sure to keep track of rainfall events so as not to over-apply this product which could lead to runoff causing damage elsewhere.
How to Use Milorganite: A Step-By-Step Method
Here’s a simple step-by-step method to apply Milorganite to your lawn the right way:
- Measure your soil’s temperature: Use a thermometer to check the temperature of your soil. If it’s not in the ideal soil temperature range — between 55 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit — then take measures to bring it within this range.
- Find out the ideal amount of Malorganite: Determine how much Malorganite will work best on your lawn. This will depend on the size of your lawn and the condition of your dirt.
- Start mowing: Mow your grass to enable the fertilizer to more easily enter the soil in your lawn.
- Distribute the Malorganite: Using a rotary spreader, evenly distribute Milorganite over the lawn in a grid pattern if possible. It’s preferable to use a grid layout so you don’t miss any spots.
- Water your grass: Finally, use a hose or pipe to water your grass until your lawn is an inch deep in water. Make sure to scrub off any surplus fertilizer on top of the blades because this can cause your grass to burn.
Anything Else?
We hope this post has answered all the questions you had about Milorganite. But if you still have any queries, don’t hesitate to drop a comment below and we will get back to you as soon as possible!
