# Is milo a good winterizer



## outdoorsmen (Jul 23, 2018)

As you know their recommended last app is thanksgiving. Seems the slow nature of milo would not be conducive that close to freezing temps and soil.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Pure marketing. It might work in thanksgiving in the south.


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## Sinclair (Jul 25, 2017)

Milo relies on insects, microbes, bacteria, etc. To make the nutrients available to plants. Those critters all slow down and cease from late fall into winter.

You want wanted soluble nitrogen for winterized.


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## Mozart (Jul 17, 2018)

How do you determine the ideal time to winterize and are there any widely available products (available in garden shops) that you guys recommend for winterizing? Is it important to have P and K (not just N) for winterizing?


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Mozart said:


> How do you determine the ideal time to winterize and are there any widely available products (available in garden shops) that you guys recommend for winterizing? Is it important to have P and K (not just N) for winterizing?


There are multiple ways to go about it. You'll encounter at least two or three here...


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## Jconnelly6b (Mar 4, 2018)

Copied from a post I made earlier today.

"Winterizer is the last app of fert you put on your lawn at the end of growing season. It should be as close to 100% water soluble N as you can find. This application is taken up by the turf and stored in the roots through the winter. When the soil begins to thaw in the spring, your grass roots will begin growing and looking for nutrients, as they are vigorous from the winterizer. When temps warm up further you're the first one on the block mowing. Your grass gets a head start. It's arguably the most important fert app.

Timing is the most important - it must be AFTER your last mowing, but BEFORE the ground freezes (not to be confused with first frost). If you throw down when grass is still growing, you will push more growth and use up the N. If after ground freezes it will runoff and not absorb into soil"


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

Fall Nitrogen Blitz is your source.

Most people use UREA (46-0-0). It is readily available and somewhat inexpensive. This will need to be watered in. The time to do this when your grass ceases any top growth (this timing will vary from region to region).

The theory is the roots will store the excess N during the winter and start using it in the Spring when soil temps begin to rise.

Having said that, there is new research that suggests the winterizer app does not do what was once believed, Here is an excerpt from the link above:

"New research has found that this last step shows very few benefits and it is not environmentally friendly."

I am going to try it this year for the first time and see what happens next spring.


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## outdoorsmen (Jul 23, 2018)

So that kinda makes me wonder why use,milo at all in the fall. I put my last milo down on July 4th. So with an approximate overseed time frame of labor day and allow for germination of seeds. Is there really time for milo to be effective? A mild blitz in October would be fast synthetic and by mid November is pretty much the end.


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

I do two apps with organic. May and end of June. After that I switch to synthetic for the fall (August to October).

I'd you weren't doing a seeding, you could do a Milo app in August and then switch to urea.

The dates on the Milo bag are exactly what @g-man said. Marketing.


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## Rucraz2 (Apr 8, 2018)

I think mid Aug is probably the latest for milo. Then straight Urea weekly feedings at half rate starting sept 1st untill first frost, then when top growth stops. Put down the last full urea app. That's the plan I have followed for yrs. Ive tried many others, but this has gotten the best results in my lawns.


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## Mozart (Jul 17, 2018)

Hi @g-man, in another thread you point out that more K = more snow mold.

I remember reading that K (and P too I think) are beneficial for witerizing because they build strong roots, or something to that extent.

From the following Milorganite blog/article:

https://www.milorganite.com/blog/garden-landscape/fertilization-numbers

_Potassium is considered important for overall plant health. This is primarily due to its ability to help build strong cells within the plant tissue. In turn, the plants withstand various stresses; such as heat, cold, pests, and diseases. For example, winterizer fertilizers will have a high third number - high component of potassium._

Is there a benefit to some K or P in a single winterizing app? The snow mold study implies constant K over several weeks. Want to winterize the right way :thumbup:


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

N, P and K are the main 3 nutrients (outside water), that the plant needs. It takes them from the soil, if you make them available thru the entire year. A single application at the end of the year is not going to make an effect. If you have sufficient levels of K or P in your soil (per your soil test), then only worry about N.


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## Mozart (Jul 17, 2018)

So we are just concerned with maintaining P and K in the optimal range. The grass doesn't use more P or K over winter (assuming it is available in the soil)?

Not sure what to make of the milorganite article - it sounds like there is a reason for winterizing fertilizer to contain more K?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

The grass goes dormant in the winter. It cant use anything you provide after it is dormant. Further the milo needs microbes to process it, which are also dormant in the winter. I take anything a seller tells me when they try to sell me something as not accurate. It is like believing the used car salesman that the engine is in great shape.

There is a ton of research around N, P and K. I just saw one today about P and N recommendations from Bill Kreuser. If interested I would start with MLSN (https://www.paceturf.org/journal/minimum_level_for_sustainable_nutrition)

This is a quick cheat sheet : http://files.asianturfgrass.com/mlsn_cheat_sheet.pdf

And an example from turfhacker: http://www.turfhacker.com/2018/03/mlsn-math-step-by-step.html


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

I have to jump on the bandwagon here. Scott's also has a similar product that they push for fall feedings (32-0-10 here in Canada). It's a marketing tactic used to get consumers to purchase their product. The uninformed consumer will spend money on a regular Scott's fert in the Spring and have a ton left over. Then they go to a big box store in September and they have pulled all the regular fert and replaced it with the Fall fert. Someone would look at that and think they need to buy it, because, well, it's the Fall.

The point of the Fall blitz is to get quick N into the soil in high doses (over the course of the Fall). Products like Urea are cheap. Gives you the highest amount of N at a good price.


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## Suburban Jungle Life (Mar 1, 2018)

Same with summer fert. Don't you want to put 1 lb N/M in the middle of summer on your cool season grass?


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## NewLawnJon (Aug 3, 2018)

I will say if you find Milo at a decent price and can store it in a dry location it might not be a bad idea to stock up for next year. I have a couple bags of it for next year.


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