# 2020 Winterizer Experiment



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

*2020 Winterizer Experiment​**Goal*
Does an application of 1lb of N/ksqft to a fall fertilized lawn once the grass turns dormant encourages earlier green up in spring? Secondary, does it encourage more growth in the late spring?

_*Background*_
The practice of applying a very late nitrogen from a fast release nitrogen source is one that is encouraged. A few years ago, Dr. Soldat published a report that shows that only around 20% of this application of nitrogen is absorbed by the plant. The main driver for moving the nitrogen from the soil into the roots and into the plant to store as carbohydrates is a simple mass/heat transfer equation. As the temperatures drop and less exposure from the sun, there is less energy for this mass transfer. The effort to apply the nitrogen and getting it watered in gets complex since most irrigation systems are blown at this point and we mostly have to do a rain dance to get it watered in. Is the effort worth the rewards? Is it a noticeable difference?

In previous years I did a similar test and in my conclusion, it was not worth it. This would be a second repetition of this experiment, but trying to control more variables. My intent to is to take images from the lawn camera and for you to be the judge.

*Test setup*
I will be using my south facing backyard for this test. The backyard is 100% Bewitched KBG mowed at 23mm full sun. From 13Aug2020 until today, I applied a total of 2.56lb of N/ksqft (XGRN, MAP, AMS, DEF, urea). The last application was on 03Nov2020 using MAP (0.19lb of N/ksqft). The last PGR was in Sept. I kept the lawn irrigated to ET and it is looking very healthy right now (no fungus or other concerns). For other general details (eg. soil reports), they are available in my lawn journal.

_Plots_
For the plot, I wanted something that would be right in the middle of the yard to compare with winterizer vs no winterizer. I'm going to use the sprinkler heads to define the plots. They are placed at 18ft square pattern (324sqft). This gives me an area large enough to apply granular and not too small.

After some conversations, I'm added one more plot. in the far back corner (next to the neighbor lawn that is not fertilized).

_Fertilizer and application_
The main plot = 1lb of N/ksqft via Urea. This means a total of 0.70lb of urea into the main plot. 
The second plot = 0.50 of N/ksqft via Urea. This means a total of 0.35lb of urea.

The lawn stopped growing with the colder temperatures. I applied the granular urea 11Dec with expected rain on Saturday. The timing is typical with previous years. The hardest part was finding the irrigation heads. I tried to mark the square for you guys to see it from the camera with stuff (eg. scott wizz spreader). The sun angle doesnt help.

Main plot









Second plot









*Expected results*
If the winterizer nitrogen has a strong effect, we should see a green square in the spring from earlier green up than the rest. We should also see a greener square once the whole lawn greens up. I would try to monitor clipping length.

My only fear with the experiment is La Nina. The patterns forecast is for some La Nina this winter, which is a warmer/wet than normal. Time will tell.

After the application it was a nice 57F afternoon (rare in December) before a drop into the 30s after Saturday. I decided to do one last mow to pick up any stragglers and get the stripes to show again. The mower ran out of gas at the last row.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

27Feb2020

After 10in of snow, it finally melted. The snow covered areas look like it has a fungus. It could be snow mold or yellow patch. I need to go out there and Id it. It will all be fine by April. I don't see a difference in the nitrogen to no nitrogen areas.









10Mar2020
Along the middle of the image (by the T formed by the debris), left side is 1lb N/M last year, right side nothing.










15Mar2020

If I squint and look from the side of the yard, I might see a square for the 1lbN/ksqft area. But then I look at other sides of the yard and also see them green (control areas). The 0.25lbN/ksqft doesnt show anything different. The fungus damage makes it hard to really compare.

One image is from the Wyze camera and the other one with the cellphone. The reflection of the sunlight/blinds in the Wzye throws off the colors.


















Going to the original goal: Is there a strong effect that makes this worth while? I'm not seeing it. I will keep posting images.

Ive been taking pictures to update on this experiment, but I keep forgetting to upload them. This was last week.










These are two areas, a control (no N) and no fungus damage and the second image is the treated area.



















Since then I applied 3lb/ksqft XGRN (~0.24lbN/M) to the yard except the treated area to help recover from the fungus damage. This is today:

Maybe next year I might try to do the opposite, treat all the yard, but leave an untreated square area.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Following.

It's great to see so many experiments. That makes at least 4 of us doing 2-3 different types of winterizing experiments in at least two experiment threads:

-@g-man (this thread; traditional experiment in Northern climate)
-@Green (pre-pause vs. After pause winterizer in Northern climate)
-@bernstem (duplicating the above exactly, but in transition zone)
-@kay7711226 (traditional experiment, duplication of g-man but in Zone 7a Northern climate)

Hopefully we will have some conclusions in March and April.


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## NOVAturf (Nov 29, 2020)

Great test, I have been considering doing the same thing, but I can't bring myself to only fertilize half or a portion of my lawn. 
One of the reported benefits of a winterizer would also be enhanced spring root development which I would think be most evident in the summer during stressful conditions. Following!


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## kay7711226 (Jun 24, 2020)

Green said:


> Following.
> 
> It's great to see so many experiments. That makes at least 4 of us doing 2-3 different types of winterizing experiments in at least two experiment threads:
> 
> ...


@Green which thread should I use for tracking my results?


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

kay7711226 said:


> @Green which thread should I use for tracking my results?


I was planning on you being able to use mine, but now that g-man did his own thread here, I'm thinking it might get too confusing with two in one. Why don't you post your initial write up in your journal the way g-man did, and then we can decide whether we should incorporate just your initial write up and a link to a new thread in the thread I started. In either case, I have a post set aside that I can add links to, etc. in my thread.

Also, I'm sure g-man would be happy you're doing a near-duplication of his. Bernstem is doing a duplication of mine, with the same custom formula I used. The more people, the better.

This is going to be a fun Winter/Spring. Great way to take our minds off COVID.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

@g-man, how long are you planning to withhold Spring N? I know you're a wait and see kind of guy, and the la Nina could screw with things by leaching N, causing flooding (which caused my experiment last year to fail), denitrification, etc. But I am not fertilizing until a certain date in the Spring, as specified in my experiment, no matter what happens. Then again, my experiment this year has a slightly different rationale/method than yours, and withholding N longer makes more sense in mine than in yours. That said, I've seen it purported that a correctly done winterizer should carry one over well into Spring (not sure about that, though).

Thanks.


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## Lawn Noobie (Sep 29, 2020)

Following.


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## Lawn Noob (Jul 26, 2020)

Let's see where this goes...


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Green, I plan to do what I normally do for spring. I will wait until I see the growth to slow down for the weather.

My main goal is to test the late winter fertilizer in a fertilized lawn. Is it a holy grail?

I tried to document all the details of my lawn (mostly a copy/paste from my journal) and demonstrate with pictures. All we could do now is wait.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

@g-man thanks.

Btw, my neighbor next door applied theirs today. About 0.65 lb N and 0.25 lb K was applied from Scotts 32-0-12. I will keep an eye on their lawn, too. That's good since I can compare directly to mine, using my experimental method, and can even take photos of both for my thread. Their previous app was also Scotts step 4, in September, but at a higher rate. It was starting to fade over the past month and run out of N.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

Following


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

@Green how do you know how much N your neighbors are doing and when their applications are? Do you keep a log of their activities?


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

g-man said:


> @Green how do you know how much N your neighbors are doing and when their applications are? Do you keep a log of their activities?


I talk with them, and help out with application questions and even helping by buying and splitting products when needed. In this particular case, I know what they applied, how much, and how big the lawn is from previous conversations, some of which were in the past few weeks. I had suggested a few months ago that they use the one without Potassium for this app, but they didn't have anymore left, and planned to use their last bag of step 4. And I happened to be outside yesterday and saw them applying, and saw the particles on the ground after. Verified the formula and distribution by observation. I did log it in my journal as I think it's relevant for comparison.

Seeing how other lawns are managed has helped me a lot with understanding how fertilizer app timings, formulas, and nutrient ratios produce different results. Observations the past few years have also helped me come up with my 2020 winterizing experiment.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Oh, ok. At first it sounded creepy that you knew their application rates, but it makes sense if you are helping them.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

g-man said:


> Oh, ok. At first it sounded creepy that you knew their application rates, but it makes sense if you are helping them.


Yeah, I gave them a whole (simple) plan to get the most out of what they're used to using for products, plus introduced them (as well as another neighbor) to Dimension, Gallery, and Tenacity, and have no problem splitting herbicides, etc. We have some nice lawns in the neighborhood now as a result of it all...once you start improving yours, other people follow and then pass on the help to others. One guy down the street who I know, cleaned up his neighbor's leaves this Fall because they blow onto everyone's lawn all Winter. I've helped at least 3 neighbors over time, and helped a couple more with a piece of advice here or there, or donating extra sod scraps when I edged. That's ultimately what this is about, making the neighborhoods look greener. It's also good to see some guys really helping their neighbors even a lot more, like @kay7711226.

I took starting photos of my neighbor border for my experiment thread already, in addition to my plot. Will post them in my thread soon.

That said, who here wouldn't creep a lawn to try to find out the grass type or maintenance schedule if given the chance? I have gotten down on my hands and knees to observe grasses, diseases, and fertilizer prills far too many times when out and about at places like churches, businesses, etc. There is even a member named lawncreeps or something like that, a play on words.

Good luck with your experiment. I see no differences so far in mine.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Updated with the first picture of 2021. Fungus is among us.


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## VALawnNoob (Jun 9, 2020)

g-man said:


> Updated with the first picture of 2021. Fungus is among us.


Yikes. Is it too early to apply fungicide?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Along the middle of the image (by the T formed by the debris), left side is 1lb N/M last year, right side nothing.


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## Lawn Noob (Jul 26, 2020)

g-man said:


> Along the middle of the image (by the T formed by the debris), left side is 1lb N/M last year, right side nothing.


Left does look slightly better. I'm interested to see where this ends up.


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## rjjrmiller (Jun 4, 2020)

I appreciate this stuff so much.

The most successful youtube lawn channel will be the one that makes it a priority to post and explain results as much or more than the original application. Starving for new content ideas why not follow up on all those applications we watch you applying.


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

St. Louis doesn't see really cold temps until Jan/Feb most years. Even then, the average is ~32 degrees and often there will only be 2-3 weeks of dormancy inducting conditions. This year, we only saw cold temps from Feb 5 to Feb 20. This winter's temperature and rainfall data can be seen here:









My goal was to apply a Nitrogen source that would linger in the soil and release if temperatures rose and the grass decided to wake up. I did two test plots in the back. The half near the fence was done with slow release Methylene Urea (https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=24722). The half next to the driveway was done with stabilized Nitrogen (Xgrn 8-1-8). The one confounder is that the 8-1-8 also added Potassium. Here is the back lawn after cleanup. The Methylene Urea is on the left, the stabilized is on the right:

This was just after spring clean-up (3/7):


This is one week later (3/14): 


The picture does not show the results well, but I felt the stabilized half came out of winter healthier and greener. The second photo you can see the difference a bit more, but the it is not huge. I also saw the front lawn (which uniformly got 8-1-8) green-up faster than the back lawn which it has not done in the past. How much is due to the Potassium is hard to say.


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## VALawnNoob (Jun 9, 2020)

@bernstem I assume you don't have a "control" in your experiment?


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

VALawnNoob said:


> @bernstem I assume you don't have a "control" in your experiment?


I have two groups for comparison. Which one is the control is open to discussion, but I don't have a no application area or a only Urea/AS fast release group.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I mowed yesterday prior to the rain/ice today. Since it was a cloudy morning, I took some pictures to share an update. The second post from the start of the thread has the images.

Last year I wanted to do a second phase to this experiment. It involved just applying 0.25lbN/ksqft now at green up to a control area. But the fungus damage makes it hard to pick a spot.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Ive been taking pictures to update on this experiment, but I keep forgetting to upload them. This was last week.










These are two areas, a control (no N) and no fungus damage and the second image is the treated area.



















Since then I applied 3lb/ksqft XGRN (~0.24lbN/M) to the yard except the treated area to help recover from the fungus damage. This is today:

Maybe next year I might try to do the opposite, treat all the yard, but leave an untreated square area.


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

@g-man It's hard to make out a difference in the picture. Do you notice much difference in person?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I dont see much of a difference in color/clipping yield between the areas. If you compare to the neighbors yard, just the fall nitrogen prior to the winterizer has a big difference. The lawns to right are treated by Trugreen and they did apply something in late fall (~November). The lawn in the back left does apply more fall nitrogen, but last year was tough with the lack of rain.


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

It would seem at least from this experiment so far that proper fall nitrogen leading up to growth stoppage is the most important. Makes sense as the research seems to have lead to that conclusion already. Good to see it in a actual home lawn though.


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## john5246 (Jul 21, 2019)

the bewitched monostand in my back yard has greened up already, it's significantly darker and greener at this point than the front lawn which is a bewitched/midnight. I also have a midnight monostand in the hellstrip by the mail box. Bewtiched is greened up very nice but maybe it has something to do with it being it's first year. Back yard was renovated last spring.

So far I've only given the lawn 1lb/1000 of Lesco 24-0-11 I like to have that get started breaking down so the grass has something as it starts to grow.


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## AndyS (Jun 13, 2020)

I love these experiments!

My grass hasn't started growing yet, but once the snow cleared the difference in color vs. the other treated yards in the street is profound, and I'd attribute it to the late season apps of urea prior to dormancy... Another great tip I picked up from the forum.


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