# Just foliar Nitrogen?



## Dargin (Aug 22, 2020)

Is it possible to maintain a healthy established lawn with all of the nitrogen apps being foliar?

As I -think- I understand it, the nitrogen taken in through the leaf is a fraction of what's taken up by the roots, but (most?) of what isn't taken in will make it to the roots upon eventual watering, as long as the grass isn't cut first and bagged away, right?

So couldn't the typical annual nitrogen demands of turf be met by foliar apps alone? A 1/4 lb of N weekly, or maybe even an 1/8 lb every few days throughout spring and fall?

I have ~400 square feet in the back yard that I've been experimenting with the past few weeks, applying 1/8lb N foliar apps via urea every three days and the lawn is really responding well.

Just curious really. Maybe I'm just having too much fun doing foliar apps for the first time this fall. Or maybe it's that urea is just so cheap that I want to do more with it.


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## Shindoman (Apr 22, 2018)

I experimented with just foliar apps and no granular earlier this year. Seemed ok but when I added granular back into the mix the turf stayed more consistent day to day. Spray only apps seemed to make things more up and down.


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## ABC123 (Jul 14, 2017)

Ive done weekly foliar applications of .2lb/n/m and I think it has responded great. I dont get any surge of growth and it seems to grow very even and consistent. I dont think I will go back to granular N.


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## Dargin (Aug 22, 2020)

Thanks for the feedback @ABC123 and @Shindoman .

I was thinking that if a non nitrogen friendly fungi popped up, it would be nice to be able to really hit the breaks, without any slow release N in play.

I've noticed the lack of growth surge as well, and it's still coming up at a rate that warrants a trim every few days. Pretty nice.

@Shindoman Do you happen to recall the rates and frequency you were using?


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## ggilmore (May 23, 2018)

Spray grade Urea comes in granules. I have been applying that by broadcasting over my lawn.
Have I been doing it wrong OR is it optional to spray vs. broadcast?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

@ggilmore you can do either.


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## CTLawnNut (May 24, 2020)

Just curious... Would foliar N just be urea? Or is something like NeXTs products or Nature's Lawn LawnForce 5 be in the same category?


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## corneliani (Apr 2, 2019)

CTLawnNut said:


> Just curious... Would foliar N just be urea? Or is something like NeXTs products or Nature's Lawn LawnForce 5 be in the same category?


There are a bunch of products out there that fall in the Foliar Nitrogen category, as essentially they all melt down the urea or AMS and then add in other elements such as stabilizers, cheating agents, iron, humic acid, & other macro/micro nutrients. Some products use slow-release urea (such as methyleneurea) but it seems most are quickrelease. From a value perspective buying a bag of urea or ams and mixing it into your own water is hands-down most economical, esp for a bare-bones application.


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## zackroof (Oct 27, 2019)

ggilmore said:


> Spray grade Urea comes in granules. I have been applying that by broadcasting over my lawn.
> Have I been doing it wrong OR is it optional to spray vs. broadcast?


How are you able to broadcast such a small amount? I have 46-0-0 and when doing spoon feedings of .25lb/k, the amount of actual fert is way too small. I think I'd prefer to do spreader if I could. Any tips are welcome.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

This: 
https://www.target.com/p/scotts-whirl-hand-powered-spreader/-/A-79559568?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google&fndsrc=tmnv&DFA=71700000073585773&CPNG=PLA_DVM%2B0060H00000r4Wl0QAE-SCJ_2020_Scotts+Miracle-Gro_Flight&adgroup=PLA_Scotts+Fertilizer&LID=700000001393753pgs&network=g&device=m&location=9016049&gclid=CjwKCAjwzvX7BRAeEiwAsXExo-fSVsC3LW1IVKgUSnBmFdJRtKeh4K0rWKkMxVQT-M-nTdnj7sISFBoCmBQQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Or this:
https://gemplers.com/products/solo-portable-spreader?variant=21172327284825&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&utm_content=https://gemplers.com/products/solo-portable-spreader%3Fvariant%3D21172327284825%26utm_medium%3Dcpc%26utm_source%3Dgoogle%26utm_campaign%3DGoogle%2520Shopping&utm_term=shopify_US_2043246182489_21172327284825&gclid=CjwKCAjwzvX7BRAeEiwAsXExoz7vN8ESUvLvdWgPsA2HuBbs7PAeInd2c_fHgZEGpKWvWYo4X4owvxoCbN0QAvD_BwE

Or the one I use:
https://www.target.com/p/10-5-h-hand-held-spreader-scotts/-/A-53041427?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google&fndsrc=tmnv&DFA=71700000073585773&CPNG=PLA_DVM%2B0060H00000r4Wl0QAE-SCJ_2020_Scotts+Miracle-Gro_Flight&adgroup=PLA_Scotts+Fertilizer&LID=700000001393753pgs&network=g&device=m&location=9016049&gclid=CjwKCAjwzvX7BRAeEiwAsXExowkcjevJKgrgDREJajG6qYZqqvTVZhoC6FAYP5Sz_K961whDLDqQXxoC_08QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds


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## zackroof (Oct 27, 2019)

Ah, of course. I didn't even think to consider these! Thanks.


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## uts (Jul 8, 2019)

zackroof said:


> ggilmore said:
> 
> 
> > Spray grade Urea comes in granules. I have been applying that by broadcasting over my lawn.
> ...


You can also mix a small amount of an organic source to give bulk such as milorganite. Alternatively you can add some granular humic or SOP etc if needed. The amount of N will only change a little.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Are you all just weighing your product and mixing it in with warm water until it's all dissolved and then spraying? I'd like to try this since I can get a more even spray than dropping the product on my similarly tiny yard.

Would there be a downside to doing this at the same time as putting down tenacity since I'm already going to be spraying the entire yard?


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## dleonard11122 (Jun 24, 2020)

@SOLARSUPLEX I have been filling my 21 gal tank sprayer up 1/2 way with garden spigot water, dumping in the granular 46-0-0 urea that I weight out, and then filling the rest of the way with water. After that, I usually turn the pump for my sprayer on bypass so it cycles the water through, and while that's going I agitate the mixture with a stirring stick. I'll probably invest in a drill attachment stirrer in the near future.

A lot of folks I've seen will dissolve their mixture in a separate 5 gallon bucket first, and then pour the dissolved mixture into their tank. This probably works better for smaller amounts of granular, but I don't think 5 gallons of water would be enough for me to dissolve the amount I'm using across 22.5ksqft.

This past weekend I sprayed Tenacity and dissolved 46-0-0 at the same time. No issues whatsoever.


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## Dargin (Aug 22, 2020)

@SOLARSUPLEX That's how I've been doing it, but I didn't use warm water. I mix it right in the pump sprayer, giving it a good shake; no issues. If you were to add some ferrous sulfate to the mix I think the warmer water is necessary, at least it seems so to me. Whole lot of annoying clogging otherwise.

I think mixing a touch of nitrogen with herbicides is generally accepted as an effective practice. It should be fine for both pre and post emergent apps of tenacity. Either way you could water it in the following day and should be perfectly fine. Someone please correct me if I'm off.

@dleonard11122 beat me to it.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

g-man said:


> Spray is a different approach.
> 
> Safe to water in the morning
> Urea 0.25lb with 1 gallon of water/ksqft
> ...


@SOLARSUPLEX


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Thanks @g-man Care to link where that was quoted from? I'd like to read the rest of the context. I'm still spoon feeding .2lb weekly. Are those weights you mention the weight of N within those products or the weight of product themselves. My UREA is 29% and at 400sqft i actually need .25lb of product to achieve the .2lb of N across. So this does not pose an issue in my situation, but if i were to attempt to do the front and back in one go, i'd need to refill the tank as I only have a 1gal sprayer.

@Dargin @dleonard11122 Thanks guys! I'll be throwing this all down this afternoon.


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## elgrow (Mar 30, 2020)

If the grass is wet when you apply foliar nitrogen can that cause tip burn? I feel like I have been noticing some on my more established grass, but not the newly seeded grass.

There is a chance its just the result from the pre-em tenacity, but I swear I start to notice it more and more after applying urea with the sprayer.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

@SOLARSUPLEX it was asked in the Fall 2020 thread.

It is pounds of N. Urea is 46-0-0. I'm not sure what product is 29%.

@elgrow extra water should not cause leaf burn.


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## elgrow (Mar 30, 2020)

g-man said:


> @SOLARSUPLEX it was asked in the Fall 2020 thread.
> 
> It is pounds of N. Urea is 46-0-0. I'm not sure what product is 29%.
> 
> @elgrow extra water should not cause leaf burn.


Thanks gman I didn't think that would be the case, but wanted to double check. Ended up running the sprinklers pretty quickly after applying last week just to make sure I wasn't torching the yard.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

@g-man Super quick reply! I appreciate it. The fert i have is CHS 28-0-4 which is what i planned to spray because the listening on the bag shows all 28% of the N is Urea.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I don't know what CHS is. Your product is not 100% urea. It has potassium too and maybe fillers or coatings. I would not try to spray this. Spread it instead.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

Thank you. I'll do just that then and purchase pure Urea for next season to do foliar apps.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

If you want to spray something In your small yard, DEF (diesel exhaust fluid). You will find it at walmart or any auto part store. It is pure urea + pure water. 10oz =~ 0.1lb of N. Measure, add water and spray. It is not as cheap as urea, but a 2.5g container is around $8.


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

@g-man I'm really just trying to save myself the effort of spreading & spraying since im doing tenacity. Not to mention with such a small space and an equally small amount of product, i feel i could get more even coverage with the sprayer than by dropper granular based on what i've done so far.

Now i'm neck deep in NIS reading which is putting a pause on me spraying Tenacity since i have no surfactant on hand.


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## ggilmore (May 23, 2018)

zackroof said:


> ggilmore said:
> 
> 
> > Spray grade Urea comes in granules. I have been applying that by broadcasting over my lawn.
> ...


I use a WIZZ spreader and have it set to 2.5. I've been feeding 1lb/k every week. (It may be a bit much). 
I would recommend using a smaller spreader (like mine) at a low setting.


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## zackroof (Oct 27, 2019)

elgrow said:


> If the grass is wet when you apply foliar nitrogen can that cause tip burn? I feel like I have been noticing some on my more established grass, but not the newly seeded grass.
> 
> There is a chance its just the result from the pre-em tenacity, but I swear I start to notice it more and more after applying urea with the sprayer.


I have a similar issue. Been trying out spraying 46-0-0 and have tip burn for sure on some of my more established grass. But nothing on the reno grass. Weird. I suck at spraying!


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## CoopyHarry (Sep 26, 2020)

I Thought of spraying but even coverage was my concern and the need To buy a backpack sprayer this season so I have been using the manual hand held Scott's spreader to apply my N blitz with urea. Been working well

The wizz is likely easier but I had the manual for years


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## Dargin (Aug 22, 2020)

I use an old Scott's hand spreader when spreading granular urea, sop, iron... My main issue is that the drive unit can be a little jerky when starting/stopping. With the smaller than usual prill size of the urea I sourced this year, I didn't want to risk dropping excess patches of N, like I sometimes do with iron...
I've since found that as long as I'm already walking before I start dispensing things seem to work out fine.

The lowest setting on my hand spreader barely puts out anything. On setting 2 this urea comes storming out. I have to walk the lawn a lot quicker to get an even app across a k.

The liquid apps, whether foliar or watered right in, just seem easier for me. But I would like to try one of those Solo hand spreaders too. I think mine might just be junk.


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