# Foliar plan



## Theycallmemrr (May 16, 2019)

I am toying with the idea of doing a hybrid fertilization plan. I like to apply 1 lb of N/M per month to my bermuda lawn. After some reading on this forum I am thinking of spoon feeding 0.25 lb of N with Urea and 0.1 lbs of K (Muriate of Potassium) and 4oz of Ferrous Sulfate when spraying PGR. Any defecit in N will be made up with a granular application. I have my spreadermate with red tips calibrated at 1 gal/M.

Is this enough carrier for my foliar application?

Would I run into any issues such as burnt leaf tips if I spray first thing in the morning (7:30) and leave it on for four hours then rinse it off with the sprinklers?


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

I think you should be fine but take special note of the temperature and soil moisture at the time of your application. I know the dew will most likely help mitigate some of the burnt tip issue but you never know as everyone's lawn is different. I think .25lbs of N is a good starting point. I don't think you will need 1lb of N/M a month unless your Bermuda is extremely thin. If you already have a healthy stand, you shouldn't need more than .5 lb of N/M a month.


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## Theycallmemrr (May 16, 2019)

Mightyquinn said:


> I think you should be fine but take special note of the temperature and soil moisture at the time of your application. I know the dew will most likely help mitigate some of the burnt tip issue but you never know as everyone's lawn is different. I think .25lbs of N is a good starting point. I don't think you will need 1lb of N/M a month unless your Bermuda is extremely thin. If you already have a healthy stand, you shouldn't need more than .5 lb of N/M a month.


That is great to know about being able to add less fertilizer. I am switching to a foliar application because my front yard is so thick that the fertilizer ends up sitting on top of the turf, granted I spread fertilizer with a prill size of SGN240. My back yard is pretty thin but hope to address this season.

Is there any potential for any damage with the amount of Potassium I plan to apply?

I am watching this https://www.turfnet.com/webinar_archives.html/the-ins-and-outs-of-foliar-fertilizers-r27/ presentation and it suggested adding a wetting agent/surfactant. Has anyone here have any experience in doing so? It make sense especially if we are aiming for a foliar application.


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

I don't think you will do any harm whatsoever with the amounts of Potassium you are using. I'm not a huge fan of MOP as it has Chlorine in it but if that's all you have then so be it. I don't think it will actually do any harm. As for using a wetting agent, I have found that the more stuff you start adding to the mix with fertilizer the higher the chance of leaf tip burn. When spraying foliar applications you can play around with the concentrations and see what works and what doesn't for YOUR lawn. The worst that will happen is some leaf tip burn that will go away in 2-3 weeks.


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## Theycallmemrr (May 16, 2019)

Mightyquinn said:


> I don't think you will do any harm whatsoever with the amounts of Potassium you are using. I'm not a huge fan of MOP as it has Chlorine in it but if that's all you have then so be it. I don't think it will actually do any harm. As for using a wetting agent, I have found that the more stuff you start adding to the mix with fertilizer the higher the chance of leaf tip burn. When spraying foliar applications you can play around with the concentrations and see what works and what doesn't for YOUR lawn. The worst that will happen is some leaf tip burn that will go away in 2-3 weeks.


Mightyquinn I really appreciate your input. Once I run out of the MOP, I definitely want to pick some SOP up. I think I may try a section of grass with some non ionic surfactant and a section without to see the difference. I don't feel it is necessary to see how granular compares as the video I linked cited a study and found no difference in granular or foliar application of nitrogen.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Make sure you buy SOP that it is water soluble. Most are not and you won't get to spray it. For potassium, i think granular is the way to go.


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## Theycallmemrr (May 16, 2019)

g-man said:


> Make sure you buy SOP that it is water soluble. Most are not and you won't get to spray it. For potassium, i think granular is the way to go.


Thanks for the heads up. I will be sure to make certain that when I get SOP that its a spray grade.


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

You can usually find Potassium Nitrate which will usually be about a 14-0-46 which will be water soluble and then you can cut it to whatever concentration you want to apply it in and it's relatively inexpensive.


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## Theycallmemrr (May 16, 2019)

Mightyquinn said:


> You can usually find Potassium Nitrate which will usually be about a 14-0-46 which will be water soluble and then you can cut it to whatever concentration you want to apply it in and it's relatively inexpensive.


I forgot about Potassium Nitrate. I got to see if I can get it locally. So to do 0.25 lbs of N/M I would need 1.79 lbs of Potassium Nitrate. Is this correct? I appreciate your wealth of knowledge and input.


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

Theycallmemrr said:


> Mightyquinn said:
> 
> 
> > You can usually find Potassium Nitrate which will usually be about a 14-0-46 which will be water soluble and then you can cut it to whatever concentration you want to apply it in and it's relatively inexpensive.
> ...


Yes, you could do that if you wish but you would be putting down almost a pound of Potassium with that application and you may increase your chances of leaf burn too. I would recommend adding .5-.25lbs of Urea(46-0-0) to get the amount of Nitrogen you want.


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## Theycallmemrr (May 16, 2019)

Mightyquinn said:


> Theycallmemrr said:
> 
> 
> > Mightyquinn said:
> ...


That makes a lot more sense. Plus it would be a lot cheaper. I too was worried about leaf burn with that much potassium nitrate. Thanks again for your insight.


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