# Should I be spoon feeding N?



## Royale_with_cheese (Sep 10, 2019)

Hello all, hope you're doing well. I was thinking about spoon feeding urea this season in Michigan, curious to hear some feedback and possibly some guidance. I have a lot of thin areas, I would like to thicken up. I did a fall nitrogen blitz last year. Three weeks ago I put down milorganite, grass is growing pretty quick so I just did my first app of pgr. Kind of getting antsy, also want to fill out my lawn a bit. So is spoon feeding urea a good idea? Picture attached is from May 1 this year.


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## CrackedCornCrack (Jan 25, 2020)

Spoon feeding N at .2-.3 lbs / 1000 sqft is great. I wish I would have kept progress pictures to show you anecdotal results.

Also, it sounds crazy, but try to cut every other day for 10-20 days if it's feasible with your life style. Frequent cutting is probably the best thing you can do for spreading.


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## Royale_with_cheese (Sep 10, 2019)

CrackedCornCrack said:


> Spoon feeding N at .2-.3 lbs / 1000 sqft is great. I wish I would have kept progress pictures to show you anecdotal results.
> 
> Also, it sounds crazy, but try to cut every other day for 10-20 days if it's feasible with your life style. Frequent cutting is probably the best thing you can do for spreading.


.2lbs of nitrogen per k meaning I would use half pound of urea per k? I'm still trying to get a handle on numbers and calculations.


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## Royale_with_cheese (Sep 10, 2019)

Also I was thinking of purchasing greene punch 18-0-1 from next. If I'm spoon feeding N, will I still need that Greene punch?


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## wino_tim (Jan 3, 2020)

x ÷y = ____ pounds per thousand square feet.

x = pounds of nitrogen you want to apply.
y = the percentage nitrogen your fertilizer contains in decimal form.

You want to to apply .2 pounds of nitrogen so x = .2
Urea in this context is almost always 46-0-0. So y = .46

.2 ÷ .46 = about .43 pounds pounds per thousand.

This formula works for all fertilizers. Milorganite obviously has nothing to do with urea, but if you wanted get your .2 N from that you would just switch the second number:

.2 ÷ .06 = about 3.33 pounds pounds per thousand.

I hope this helps.


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## Royale_with_cheese (Sep 10, 2019)

wino_tim said:


> x ÷y = ____ pounds per thousand square feet.
> 
> x = pounds of nitrogen you want to apply.
> y = the percentage nitrogen your fertilizer contains in decimal form.
> ...


This helps a ton, thank you going to screen shot this formula! I don't want to rush my lawn, just anxious to get it going.


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## Royale_with_cheese (Sep 10, 2019)

If I'm spoon feeding regularly, should I get a liquid fert with less nitrogen? Or would I be fine with the 18-0-1 and just back off in the summer time?


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## CarolinaCuttin (Sep 6, 2019)

I have 1,000 sqft, so it's easy for me to say people should spoon feed. You have 8k, that's a different story. I would still spoon feed if I were you, but not with a backpack sprayer. I'd invest in something that can cover your yard in 30 mins or less.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

You don't need to go with liquids to spoon feed. 1lb of ams gives you 0.21lb of N. Super easy to spread with a hand held spreader. I can do my yard in 5min.


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## Royale_with_cheese (Sep 10, 2019)

I'm sorry I should elaborate. I plan on spoon feeding with urea via a spreader. However I was going to order a liquid fert, Greene punch 18-0-1 to spray along side my liquid potassium. So if that's the case, should I not spoon feed N, should I get a liquid fert with a little less N to spray alongside my potassium and spoon feeding, or will 18-0-1 be fine? Also want to try air8 and RGS...


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## doogie89 (Apr 29, 2019)

Royale_with_cheese said:


> I'm sorry I should elaborate. I plan on spoon feeding with urea via a spreader. However I was going to order a liquid fert, Greene punch 18-0-1 to spray along side my liquid potassium. So if that's the case, should I not spoon feed N, should I get a liquid fert with a little less N to spray alongside my potassium and spoon feeding, or will 18-0-1 be fine? Also want to try air8 and RGS...


The N-ext products are very good quality and a decent price for what you get. I used the Bio-Stimulant pack last year and found them to work well. My only gripe is applying with a hose end sprayer was a bit tedious for me and not worth the effort. I much prefer applying liquids by using my 2 gallon battery powered sprayer. The N-ext products are better with the hose end sprayer from what I've read due to less clogging, so this year I will be trying out the kelp4less products in my battery powered pump sprayer.

This year I am doing a spring starter Fert application in two separate doses. I am in southeast Michigan where the weather has been all over the place. I applied 0.40 pounds of nitrogen, via Lesco starter Fert, last week and will do another 0.50 pounds of nitrogen from a 12-12-12 all purpose Fert in a few weeks at the end of May. I have a clay soil that doesn't absorb nutrients well and so my plan for the spring was to feed 1 pound of nitrogen in two separate doses. I may use some Milorganite in early July to help slowly feed organics over the summer until my Fall nitrogen blitz. Last fall I was doing 0.25 pounds of Nitrogen every week from beginning of September to the end of October and it worked really well for me. I will likely do something similar again this fall.


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## rockinmylawn (Mar 25, 2018)

doogie89 said:


> The N-ext products are very good quality and a decent price for what you get. I used the Bio-Stimulant pack last year and found them to work well. My only gripe is applying with a hose end sprayer was a bit tedious for me and not worth the effort. I much prefer applying liquids by using my 2 gallon battery powered sprayer. The N-ext products are better with the hose end sprayer from what I've read due to less clogging, so this year I will be trying out the kelp4less products in my battery powered pump sprayer.


Can you describe what worked well with your Bio Stim Next pack please.

My lawn has looked great this spring with just a app of Carbon X 24-0-4.

Think that's due to the cooler weather & nice rains we had here in the mid Atlantic. Transition zone vs. just one product.

I'm thinking as the heat comes in later this week finally , am going of have to start supplementing it with some nutrients & air for the roots.


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## doogie89 (Apr 29, 2019)

rockinmylawn said:


> doogie89 said:
> 
> 
> > The N-ext products are very good quality and a decent price for what you get. I used the Bio-Stimulant pack last year and found them to work well. My only gripe is applying with a hose end sprayer was a bit tedious for me and not worth the effort. I much prefer applying liquids by using my 2 gallon battery powered sprayer. The N-ext products are better with the hose end sprayer from what I've read due to less clogging, so this year I will be trying out the kelp4less products in my battery powered pump sprayer.
> ...


The Microgreene did give me a nice little green up with the added iron and other micronutrients. I have new construction soil, so it's not the best of quality. I like that the RGS and Humic 12 both add the greatly needed organics into the soil to help build it back up from the poor quality it was. I also used the Air 8 and it seemed to help the drainage a bit in the backyard where it usually gets pretty mushy when it rains. A lot of what the Bio Stimulant pack does are things that you won't noticeably see. For me it was just a lot of work to be dragging a hose around the yard every few weeks to apply these products. I also found that for me personally, the products tend to stain my concrete. I'm not sure if that is because of the concrete being brand new and much cleaner than older concrete. I tried to wet the concrete first before spraying but it still would stain, even if it was a small droplet.

The reality is you can apply those same products in a 2 gallon battery powered sprayer, but you have to separate the apps to prevent clogging. This year I will be trying out the new Green Lawn and Turf kelp4less mix which is very similar to what the Bio Stimulant pack does. With coupon codes, I was able to get a 1 pound pack to try out for $21 with free shipping. I will be able to get 16,000 square feet out of this pack, so for me that will be 2 applications. For the price, reputation and convenience of using my battery powered sprayer, I figured I would give it a shot. The tough part of applying these kinds of products is you won't notice improvements as easily as you would with applying a huge amount of nitrogen.

I have not used any of the N-ext fertilizing products so I can't comment on them. I tend to go to my local Site One store and buy Lesco starter fert for around $34 for 12,000 square feet. I was also able to find 21-0-0 ammonium sulfate fertilizer with 24% sulfur for around $13 for a 50 pound bag at a farm supply store a couple hours north of me. I generally use that in the fall for my fall blitz. For prodiamine apps, I used the prodiamine 65 WDG and my hand sprayer to put that out this year. There is definitely no shortage in options out there for you to try. I've been following all the YouTubers for years and years and watch them use their products, but I also know those aren't the only good products on the market. Just a matter of personal preference to match your needs and level of work you want to put into it.


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## beardizzle1 (Jun 13, 2019)

Royale_with_cheese said:


> I'm sorry I should elaborate. I plan on spoon feeding with urea via a spreader. However I was going to order a liquid fert, Greene punch 18-0-1 to spray along side my liquid potassium. So if that's the case, should I not spoon feed N, should I get a liquid fert with a little less N to spray alongside my potassium and spoon feeding, or will 18-0-1 be fine? Also want to try air8 and RGS...


You can spoon feed the N.. urea will only give you N from an application, greene punch will give you N, K, S, & Fe. One app do the urea and the next do the Greene Punch or do the apps together but keep the total N for the applications at your desired amount. I honestly don't know how difficult it would be to get the urea spread at such a low rate, but you can always try.


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## FuzzeWuzze (Aug 25, 2017)

I just dump my FAS mix into one of these
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UER1S2I/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Fill it up to about 5-6oz with warm water to dissolve everything + a few shakes, turn the rate on max, hook it up to my hose and spray my yard until the bottles empty.


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## ScottW (Sep 16, 2019)

I don't like to spoon feed 0.25 lbs N/M via granular urea as it's difficult to get even coverage with that little material using my crappy Scott's mini broadcast spreader. Granular AMS is a bit easier to manage at these low rates.


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## Royale_with_cheese (Sep 10, 2019)

ScottW said:


> I don't like to spoon feed 0.25 lbs N/M via granular urea as it's difficult to get even coverage with that little material using my crappy Scott's mini broadcast spreader. Granular AMS is a bit easier to manage at these low rates.


Yeah I'm looking into AMS now, anybody have any suggestions where I may be able to find some in Michigan?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Advance Turf Solutions.


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## Royale_with_cheese (Sep 10, 2019)

g-man said:


> Advance Turf Solutions.


Thanks g-man, also thanks everyone else for your advice I appreciate it. I'll give ATS a call later today, when I last contacted them two weeks ago, they were unable to sell to homeowners, commercial farmers only. Hopefully that has since changed.


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## Royale_with_cheese (Sep 10, 2019)

Well I contacted advance turf solutions, he said they aren't suppose to open to the public until next Monday. However the gentleman I spoke with told me if I showed up Friday, told him my name, they would have five bags of AMS waiting for me 😁. I'm attaching a picture of a section of my front lawn, will spoon feeding help this area or is it going to take new seed? Any ideas why it's so bad right here? It's on quite a slope, also there is a drain right there, I think that may have something to do with it?


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## doogie89 (Apr 29, 2019)

Royale_with_cheese said:


> Well I contacted advance turf solutions, he said they aren't suppose to open to the public until next Monday. However the gentleman I spoke with told me if I showed up Friday, told him my name, they would have five bags of AMS waiting for me 😁. I'm attaching a picture of a section of my front lawn, will spoon feeding help this area or is it going to take new seed? Any ideas why it's so bad right here? It's on quite a slope, also there is a drain right there, I think that may have something to do with it?


Where at in Michigan are you located? Whenever I go up north in the summer, I stop in Standish right off of I-75. The Standish Milling Company sells fertilizer to homeowners. Last summer I picked up 3 50 pound bags of AMS 21-0-0 for $13 a bag, as well as some 0-0-60 for $14 for 50 pounds. They also sell Milo and other kinds of starter ferts for a great price.


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## Royale_with_cheese (Sep 10, 2019)

Hey I'm in shields, I actually found a farm store near me and I went there today, got myself four bags of AMS. It's suppose to rain tomorrow in the am, can I put down a pound per k tonight, or will it burn the lawn?


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## doogie89 (Apr 29, 2019)

If you put it down later in the evening it should be fine if it rains in the morning. Usually you should try to water it in within 24 hours if you can.


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## Royale_with_cheese (Sep 10, 2019)

doogie89 said:


> If you put it down later in the evening it should be fine if it rains in the morning. Usually you should try to water it in within 24 hours if you can.


Perfect, thank you for the response.


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## copper44 (Jul 23, 2018)

Royale_with_cheese said:


> Hey I'm in shields, I actually found a farm store near me and I went there today, got myself four bags of AMS. It's suppose to rain tomorrow in the am, can I put down a pound per k tonight, or will it burn the lawn?


Hey did it happen to be the Hemlock Elevator that you found this at? We must be close, I am in Thomas township.


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## Royale_with_cheese (Sep 10, 2019)

copper44 said:


> Royale_with_cheese said:
> 
> 
> > Hey I'm in shields, I actually found a farm store near me and I went there today, got myself four bags of AMS. It's suppose to rain tomorrow in the am, can I put down a pound per k tonight, or will it burn the lawn?
> ...


No I got it from Freeland feed and lawn. $12.99 for 50lb bag and they had a lot of them in stock. I've noticed there are a lot of members on here from our area.


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## Matthew_73 (Jul 9, 2019)

FuzzeWuzze said:


> I just dump my FAS mix into one of these
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UER1S2I/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
> 
> Fill it up to about 5-6oz with warm water to dissolve everything + a few shakes, turn the rate on max, hook it up to my hose and spray my yard until the bottles empty.


What is your mix?


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## FuzzeWuzze (Aug 25, 2017)

Matthew_73 said:


> FuzzeWuzze said:
> 
> 
> > I just dump my FAS mix into one of these
> ...


I use the normal mix documented here for cool season lawns
https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=211

I usually throw 15g/1k of my Kelp4less Humic/Fulvic mix in as well.


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## Matthew_73 (Jul 9, 2019)

FuzzeWuzze said:


> Matthew_73 said:
> 
> 
> > FuzzeWuzze said:
> ...


 I figured. Just an off topic. I'm doing a reno and world like to add some ams and spoon feed my new lawn. 1. It's water. They should help I guess if I add a pound of 21-0-0 that should get me .21 lbs on a 1 k area. Correct?


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## Matthew_73 (Jul 9, 2019)

Also. Is all liquid fert all foliar


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