I like Milorganite and is a reasonable cost around here so far. It is easy to apply and I believe has made my lawn greener and thicker. It also doesn't burn the lawn which is a plus. thanks for the results
I use Scotts in the first spring app and last fall app. I use Ringer in the months in between. Also using iron 3x during the season and liquid compost krill. I combine that with cutting 2x per week and at least 1 inch of water spread over 2 or 3 days every week. All of that keeps my lawn looking good even in the hot summer months.
I don’t know if we can extrapolate much from a one season application overview. Adding chemical nitrogen versus proteins in my experience over many years has produced somewhat different results. I do think that all of these fertilizers are excellent but in general they all work best for certain parts of the season where you want a healthy green but don’t want to push growth yet want to feed the soil. A product like Scotts generally releases nitrogen quickly versus the others that feed the soil microbes that release nitrogen in low amounts slowly over months. Good video overall and thank you for your hard work in putting this together.
One season is not enough and I could not tell if he followed the label on any of the products. Your better off with the slow release of Milorganite I have been using it for years; my lawn stands out especially in the 100 plus degree heat VS any of my neighbors.
You said the milo analysis right but typed it wrong it’s 6-4-0. I would say that one issue I see is that your Scott’s area gets quite a bit of shade that probably moves with the sun and is making that section stay green longer. I do agree that the next products will give you better roots and soil profile to combat heat stress
DiseaseX and a treatment for grubs will clear up all those spots. I mow around 80 accounts a week and one of my customers uses only Scott’s turf builder and his lawn is the best we do. It really works well.
You kind of actually blew my mind. I haven't tried to do any of that analysis but your analysis is exactly what I did this spring. Yes I need to get out there and do it again but that's a different. I don't take care of it every year like I should.
Hi Handydad I agree with your observations as well in regards to synthetics vs organics. The only time I would use synthetics is early spring and late fall for that early push and feed for the winter. This year I focused heavily on the N-ext products and their bio stimulant pack and it worked great. Only applied granular (purely organic 10-0-2) on Memorial weekend and Milo (half rate) in late September and my lawn looks as good as ever.
Hey Chris! I’m not surprised that Scotts did better with color, you can’t really compare synthetics with organics. Synthetics will always do better in my opinion. Organic fert gives you more then just nitrogen though, like micro nutrients and builds your soil up with organic matter. I agree to use both though, and also love the Next products. They make a HUGE difference:)
The good thing about organics is they feed the soil. Soil improvement is important for a healthy strong lawn. If the soil is good the grass will come with it. Milorganite works over time but I use supplement treatments in between to keep the grass green and healthy. Simple lawn solutions makes great ferts especially when used with milorganite
Kamron, are you switching from Milo to say, Scotts? I have used Milo for years, bit i think I need to supplement with something else with bigher NPK numbers. Is this what you did?
I typically use Scotts TurfBuilder every year but my lawn was terrible last year. It was burned, dying and had too many problems for me to treat. I gave up on it for the year and did some research over the winter. This year I used Scotts for weed control, waited a few weeks and hit it heavy with Milo. I adjusted my watering and have seen the lawn not only recover but is one of the best lawns that I have had in a while. My plan is to continue the Milo and still use Scotts next year. Milo did a great job!!
I have used milo in the past, just made my lawn dark green. This year I used Scotts turf builder Early spring, spring, and summer fertilizers. My lawn has never been looked this good. Excited do it all over again next year especially after reseeding this fall.
If you do four apps of fertilizer per year and mow within the one-third rule, you’re guaranteed to have a better lawn than most of your neighbors. The fertilizer brand is least important.
Our Milo retails for $7.99 and goes on sale for $5 in the Spring. At $7.99 that's $4.16/pound of N, and $3.20/1000 sq. ft.. Generic 28-0-3 comes out $2.11/pound of N and $1.90/1000 sq. ft.. Liquid fert is even cheaper still. The only problem I've had this year was RUST on my PRG. Thanks for sharing your results.
I have used Milorganite for 2 years now and I do like. I tried Scott's max green and seen dark green results as well. I just re seeded my backyard and should compare Scott's Max green - Milo - PGF Complete next spring. Good video, thanks from South Jersey
Early this year I got a free bag of Scott's at Lowe's and the results were incredible. I still use Milo during the summer. Ringer's price have kept me away from it lol.
Thanks for the info. I've been a Scott's man since I purchased my home 4 years ago. This year though I started with lesco (15-5-10) for my first application then I sprayed humic/fulvic acid after. After 6 weeks I applied milogranite for the first time. I will wait 6 weeks apply Scott's turf builder. Later around Oct or Nov I'll apply the lesco again. I think that this combination is going to work out good for my St. Augustine but, I'm open to any suggestions.
Scotts products are awesome. Not surprised by the results at all. Everyone seems to be a follower on youtube using milo now the next greatest thing is carbonx. I recently took over a half acre lawn that was a complete train wreck. . My neighbour is a lawn care nut said the soil is trash the builder used cheap top soil 15 years ago. I just smiled and went to work. Removed most of the weeds,crabgrass was everywhere and waited till fall to reseed using scotts lawn soil. . I fertilized with only scotts turf builder all season keeping the KBG 4 inches. Recently the neighbour came over and cant believe its the same lawn and said its never looked that good. Truth be told im dominating him now which i find hilarious. FYI the cub cadet ZT2 has been amazing great tip in the spring.
"reseed using scotts lawn soil. ." Was that a typo? What seed did you use? thanks To support your point, yes soil matters but I keep things in perspective when I see grass growing in the cracks between the sidewalk. Weed control and aggressive fertilization for a lacking lawn is probably more important in the short term.
Try the test over with your paths perpendicular to your previous test. The Scott’s seems to be shaded by your trees. That way you can see the difference between sun and shaded areas with all three fertilizers.
My thoughts exactly. I sprayed my yard with Scott's Starter for the Sod that was laid for New House. The yard is looking pretty bad with the Heat Index into 116 so I thought about using Milorgranite to help with the poor spots as it does not burn and is slowly released.
I use purely Milo, RGS, and Humic-12. The lawn will look awesome until a heat wave comes to attack it and forces it to stress out. I have a regular irrigation system and ensure that I put down at least 1 1/2 of water weekly. I need to find a remedy for the heat-stress issues
Yard masters has a stress blend bag that might help also Hydratain that helps water less in stress months and with your irrigation system might do the trick .
Hey there, I just did a similar experiment with carbonx and synthetics, For me N ext and carbon x worked the best, I have never had such a nice lawn, I also did a liquid Iron aplication, neighbor's hate me. Lol
Try worm tea and compost tea. That is all I use on my garden and lawn and I no longer have the heat stress signs in the hot summer months as my neighbors do. My yard stays lush and green while my neighbors are brown and dying. I now use no fertilizers whatsoever on my property, in the garden or lawn. 8 years go I had dead dirt that weeds wouldn't even grow in, now I have rich fertile soil, all from using a woodchip covering for the first 5 years with an application of EM to build the soil back up, and applications of compost tea and worm casting tea. My neighbor's grass has roots that are 2" deep where mine are 18" deep and we have the exact same grass planted on the same day 3 years ago. Building up the microorganisms and biology in the soil does much more for your lawn than applying fertilizers does.
Semper Fi, I'd like to try what you did with worms and compost tea. Do you have videos on that or can you point me to where I might find more info please?
Another Test would be exactly what you did, but a Plot with NOTHING added. I guess the neighbors lawns can be used for that to compare with your overhead shots. As the years go by after my initial foray into getting the darkest green in the neighborhood, I notice that only thing that matters is whether putting stuff on the lawn gets it greener or not. And that can only be done by testing against neighbors who dont apply anything. Many products I have put down in the past I have stopped because they just dont offer that boost over non-treated lawns. All lawns go crazy green in the Spring. And get lighter in the summer, then darker in the Fall. Even with nothing added.
The darker green up from Milo in the spring is the iron, which isn't in the Lawn Restore. There is nothing magical about it, it's just different levels of nitrogen and then some iron in the milo. While I'm not a fan of how the Next products are marketed, I think that is probably healthiest overall for the lawn of those options. Milo or Lawn Restore along with the micronutrients is good for the summer with the low nitrogen. Could have easily applied an iron treatment along with the Lawn Restore and seen a terrific dark green.
Scott's has always been the best, the rest is youtuber/internet marketing. I'll use a little milo when it's super hot for some iron color deepening but thats about all it's worth.
I use Scott's and Milo, and cut at 3 ¾“, aeration once a year, and planning to dethatch once every 5yrs. My neighbors stop to tell me how nice my yard looks all the time. When we bought the house it had by and far the worst "yard" (if it could even be called that) in the neighborhood.
I have been using for the last couple years Scott’s but I usually do the spring summer and fall applications that they have along with a couple of Applications of Milo once the weather gets warm enough have had very good results typically twice throughout the season I throw down Scotts disease X for Preventive maintenance against disease very nice video thanks
Been doing a hybrid approach with Milo (and n-ext products) and synthetics for a few years now. One recommendation, get the Scotts or Vigaro with the iron in it. That will give you even better results. Also, if you really want to kick the green into overdrive, apply both milo and synthetic (with iron) at the same time. One of the lawn care guys on youtube recomends this approach. Or stagger with split applications since Milo lasts longer. Regarding the area that did well with the n-ext and Scotts disease control, makes me wonder which product was more beneficial. Last, if I'm on the fence between 2 synthetics, I pick the one with a smaller prill for a more consistent application. Thanks for making a nice comparison video.
Nice! Last year I used k8 with Milo and sprayed simple lawn solutions humic and micro had great results. But got hit with fungus in the front yard. Going to baby it this year with Milo and micro+humic then push it in May/June with the synthetic and organic
Great test. I recently started using Milo this year and its done wonders. I also have scotts for the next couple of seasons but will supplement with Milo and Nxt.
I started in the spring with Scott's Max and then Milo the rest of the way. I did have great results. I will go the same way next spring. My lawn does look beat up just like yours. Heat stress and not being around to water has taken it's toll.
I have a lawn service in the deep south an i start out in the spring with scotts bonus s...After watching your video i will be applying milorganite soon....tks for the tip..
From my experience, organic products like milo are stronger over many seasons. the benefits may not show until 2nd or 3rd season depending on your root and soil condition.
This was very helpful - I have been using the Scotts turf builder for several seasons with decent results but I only apply one time in the spring. Based on your results I will try turf builder in May and then milorganite in July and September- thank you for posting your test
You did an excellent job comparing all of these products. Great job, Chris! One thing you didn't necessarily touch on is how the organic fertilizers and the N-Ext products can improve the soil conditions which helps the grass grow thicker and stay stronger in events of drought & disease. These changes obviously occur over several seasons of use but it's still a benefit the consumer gets with the use of these products that the sole use of synthetic fertilizer does not provide. It would be interesting to see how things would look if someone applied only synthetic fertilizer to a portion of their lawn while in another section organic fert along with bio-stimulants were applied for several seasons. Thanks for sharing this great info with all of us! 👌
Thanks Ben! It was such a pain in the neck to apply four different fertilizers across my lawn this year, I couldn’t tolerate more than 3 applications. I used organic for the first time last year, so my whole front and 2/3 of the back has had only organic for two seasons and summer still kicked it in the balls. I have tons of people telling me they swear by Scott’s. Do we honestly think their soil has inferior biology because they only use synthetics? I’m no scientist, but it would be really interesting to compare soil under a microscope to see there really is a difference. I used X-START and CARBON-X after recording this video, both synthetic nitrogen, and the X-START did a really nice job. Too soon to judge the CARBON-X yet.
@@handydadtv Yeah I bet making applications of 3 different fertilizers was a pain but we as your audience appreciated it! As far as synthetic vs organic fert I don't think the changes in the soil biology if there were any, would be a huge selling point to a buyer since most people are just wanting their lawn to look green as quick as possible. I'm sure there has been research done by institutions between these types of ferts to show more of the potential scientific differences in the soil. I'm a nerd when it comes to that stuff and just enjoy learning about it. I haven't used X-START yet but I have used CARBON-X on my lawn and have liked what I've seen so far. It really helped my Bermuda plugs spread super fast. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to make great content and entering into conversation in your comments! Have a great Fall & Winter!
Good comparison. This is my first year with a newly seeded lawn (Kentucky blue/rygrass) and I used milo exclusively. I gotta say..... it worked wonders for me. Milo for the win! ( side note......I live out in the countryside, so smell of milo doesn't bother me or anyone else) 👍
I've used by the Scott's before and like it on my tall fescue. The Milorganite I have used and didn't care for. I didn't see much of results, and seen a blackish residue for a couple weeks later on the ground. I've never used the Ringer. Great test and video.
I've used Milorganite for years with excellent results. In Houston we have a heavy clay soil that lacks potassium and Milorganite lacks potassium. My first feeding of the growing season is with the synthetic. Everything after that is now with a product called Pro Care, a Milorganite knock off. Can't get Milorganite anymore here.
I live in katy, I have bermuda grass which is sensitive to heat im thinking of aeration to help the dry soil a bit. Don't know much about lawns just purchased my home a year ago. How often you use milorganite? Also which synthetic you use?
Wow. I'm impressed! This is probably the best way to recommend a product. Nothing but facts with a scientific point of research. Great stuff!! Just one question. How do I get my grass out of the neon yellow and to green? Any advice?
Get to know the Lawn Care Nut channel on TH-cam and look for his beginner videos. He taught me everything I know! 😉 He has different advice depending on cool season vs. warm season lawns.
Seems like a lot of variables were overlooked. What variety of grass, temp zone, and watering schedule. I've always used a low Nitrogen, slow release type on my Kentucky Blue grass lawn in SE Michigan (12-6-4). I put 50 pounds a month on from May1, through Oct 30. Lot size is 75x110 with a 35x42 house print. Lots of water every early am and late pm, and 2-4-D in the early spring and late fall. The lawn is spectacular! It's kinda my hobby, I'm a frustrated farmer! LOL
It’s not a scientific analysis, I agree. These variables, however, were relatively constant across all test plots. The primary variable was the fertilizer alone.
I tried milorganite from TH-cam videos and that stuff is hands down amazing. My front and back yard are just lush and dark green.Only other fertilizer I had used was Scott’s and that was a waste of money every year.Only downfall is that milorganite is always out of stock everywhere now and the price has certainly gone up quite a bit.
Great video and ty for taken the time...I would like to see what the results would be if you used the Fungicide on all the lawn...my neighbor has a great lawn as well it keeps it well maintained but when the temperature is right the fungus always gets to his lawn because he doesn’t use fungicides....that’s where my lawn maintains it color and thickness. Thx again 👍🏼
Thanks for the video. Pretty informative but I’m a little confused after watching this. To perform a comparison between the three different options that you are talking about, shouldn’t you stick to just those three? During this video you mention using some sort of liquid product. Doesn’t that completely negate the side by side comparison? How do you know what product actually produces the results when you’ve used more than one. I’m a newbie so maybe I’m just confused but I appreciate the time and effort you’ve put into this. Thank you. 👍
I used those three fertilizers exclusively in those three sections of my lawn. I applied bio stimulants (N-Ext products) in another section that crossed all three of the fertilizers. Bio stimulants do not contain nitrogen fertilizer; they are a supplement like vitamins for your soil.
non-brand name synthetic is the best in my opinion. Walmart's generic is often half the price of scotts. To be fair I have a 1.5 acr land, so the price per pound really matters. I also stock up at the end of the season when they discount the fertilizer. I typically pay about $.7/lbs nitrogen.
Such a great idea to compare products! So useful! Thank you so much! I used Scott’s first in the spring. Didn’t know what to put in June. Now I know. Going to put Morgonvile. Thank you!👍🏻😁
I use run of the mill Menards brand synthetic 30-0-4 first couple applications get it growing good. Then also menards brand weed and feed late spring early summer. then leave it until a fall product aplication when it starts to get cooler. Have had amazing results. Oh and lots of lyme! I did do some overseeding, moss removal and bare spot repair the spring before. It takes a little more than fertilizer to have a really good looking lawn especially when your surrounded by oak trees.
Best results I have had is with Scotts Turf Builder, but, only if I use diseaseX with it. DiseaseX is a game changer. Also some Grubex is needed.No more brown spots at all. I have actually had people ask me if it is real grass or fake. (in North Carolina)
For the disease, it came later as your yard progressed? How long into the testing did you put down the scott's disease control? I have an big old oak tree that is fungusing up everything. I was always told dont use too much fertilizer cuz it will burn. You have explained it well. Thank you.......
Burning a lawn for "too much fertilizer" is really referring to mistakes, like spilling some, or uneven application. DiseaseEx can be applied anytime, regardless of when you fertilized.
when working a yard i always focus on getting the soil dirt correct and the lawn will eventually follow. scotts like many others will give a quick feed to the plant and rapid green but will fall short in a few weeks. To keep an even healthy green, the best bet is to feed your dirt and in turn it will feed your lawn. I would stay away from milo for the extreme phos plus the expense is far too great. Humic acid micros and nitrogen preferably in slow release .Most important, test your soil regularly just like bloodwork. Healthy dirt is the key.
You never mentioned about watering. Did you just rely on rain? water weekly? 2x week? I use a custom blend 22-8-12-4 (the 4 is magnesium which gives a darker shade of green). As I service my clients I have had neighbours come and ask what I use and I have ended up picking them up as clients or even just selling them a bag of fertilizer. Key is, if you fertilize make sure it gets water
Hi handydad. Pls make a vid on specifically blowing out pool lines if you can. I watched your opening video to open my pool for the first time, and would like a blowing out winyerizing video as well. Please consider doing so if you haven’t closed already. Thx a lot. Fantastic videos.
RIP to the old Lawn Restore formula. I used to order 4-5 bags for the year every March, now it's changed and the new formula is just ok, but not the miracle worker the old formula was. I used to rotate it with Milorganite and it was a great balance
alfalfa pellets (Rabbit feed vs all these) followed by spray with mollasses mixed at 4oz per gallon and put into a sprayer. Want to take it a bit further add kelp extract to the mix
even though its a box store fert, the scotts for the money is a very good product. not only does scotts have great coverage, but the fert is compiled of tiny prills, giving far better coverage. Second in line is andersons, but no suprise as andersons bought scotts years ago
Just "Throwing the idea out here", but could I mix the Scotts & Milogranite together, then apply? Or would the "Granular Size" be a problem with a homogeneous (even & consistant) contrast of dispertion?🤔 Yes, I know that mixing Product is a BIG NO-NO, but I figured that it would worthy of asking... I have used Milogranite all Spring & Summer (every 3 weeks) and Watered every-other day for 30 Minutes using my MP Rotor Heads... My lawn DOMINATES my entire Neighborhood! Next Spring, try to "Rescue" my Back Lawn so it can compare within 12 Months! My only "Personal Catch", no Chemicals, Organic Only... I'd love to try the NeXT Products, but that is a "Hard Buy" on a budget... Any ideas or recommendations? I Plug Aerate in Spring & Fall, and Dethatch late October as well... Take care, 🤓 -Thomas Kitsap County, Western Washington State
Washington has a few options for Milo alternatives. Check out handydad.tv/organic-fertilizer. Maybe you can put that savings towards RGS and MicroGreene.
What would you recommend for summer fertilization? Many people warn against putting fertilizer during the summer time but what do you think is a safe fertilizer analysis to use during the summer?
I agree , this year staying away from summer synthetics like Scotts’s and going organic like Milo , Restore , or Anderson’s .Maybe also a round or two of Ironite , max green or green punch during the heat stress months.
I did the same thing in 2018....I ended up with a combination depending on time of year. Also did the beer, baby shampoo, ammonia and soda spray....I have to say I have a green carpet all year. Bug control twice a year and spray weed b gone with a surfactant to control weeds....again I have a green carpet all year!!! Your Home Depot looks like your close to Colonia....me too
Must say I do not believe it's a one size fits all type of deal. In the south on st. aug I try to stay away from quick release nitrogen due to how sensitive a grass type it is. Also the Scott's products usually do not have any micronutrients. The quick greenup is from the high nitrogen and there may be some iron it the scotts product I believe. However selenium can greenup a lawn as well. So a nitrogen, iron, selenium combo will no doubt accomplish that. Also I believe some of the scotts' N is slow release. In the end Scott's is like McDonald's. It will fill you up now but over time the lawn will suffer without added nutrients. The problem with milo is that people heard about it on youtube and that's all they ever use. Milo was sold out last fall. Milo really only needs to be once or twice a year. The grass needs potassium, usually in the fall to help it recover from summer stress. Other than that I do believe beginners should stay away from Scott's cause like you said too much in one area can be bad, and the bag size is usually small indicating that the coverage will not be as even. I've been thinking about the Next products, and this video does make me want to try so I will probably pick some up. Awesome job on the video 👍
Why people still use Milorganite is beyond me. Do a soil test and see how high your phosphorus is. High phosphorus locks out other nutrients and causes major imbalances. Also all the pharmaceuticals that pass through to your lawn. I prefer not to spread sewage that has so many negative trace ingredients on my lawn. Ringer lawn restore is total garbage and will never use again. Had good results with scotts but I prefer fertilizers that also add humic acid at the same time. Carbon x is by far the best fertilizer to use. I have heavy clay soil and have always had a terrible lawn. This year it is the best looking lawn in my neighborhood. I used Next biostimulant pack and Carbon X this year and everyone ask me about my lawn. I really think humic acid is the key to lawns. I had zero heat stress this year and all my neighborhood was burnt to a crisp.
Why is carbon x so good? Because it's the hot new product for 2019? That's all I heard this year from so many TH-camrs was carbon x carbon x carbon x. Let's see if anybody is still taking about carbon x in 2020. I'll bet you anything no one will be talking about it because the next new thing will be out and carbon x, like milorganite, will be old news and everybody will bag on how crappy it suddenly is, compared to the new thing of the moment. 🙄🙄🙄🙄
Just a question? I live in southeastern Wisconsin and started my spring with Scott’s crabgrass preventer fertilize then did early summer with milogranite and august again milogranite now I am going to overseed then use Scott’s turf builder lawn food? Does that sound like a good plan?
For me I have not had a more healthy lawn and the soil beneath it since I only put down Milorganite. For me Milo is only $7 per bag that's because I'm 3 hours from Milwaukee where it's made my lawn is 7500 sq ft so 21 bucks per month that's right per month. The only downside if you hate to mow we have to move every 2 days. Currently it's every 3 days because of the temps are cooler. One MAJOR improvement is the amount of worms we have. They love Milo they eat what the grass doesn't use and poop out what the grass needs it also naturally airates the soil and we are not compacted because of them. Synethic doesn't improve the soil quality it only feeds the plant. It also does last as long. Had you pit down Milo every month your grass would have been fine. I also noticed your dog did damage to the area closest to the patio if I had dogs I'm have a good quality synthetic grass for them to pee on
I was waiting for an update on this all summer so glad to finally see an update on this comparison. Thanks for sharing! I’ve been doing a mix of synthetic and organic this year. Two apps of milorganite and supplemented with lesco.
I live in Central Texas and have them you two graphs. It's a new yard sod was laid about 5 months ago and it's riddled with weeds I started using TruGreen they've been here three times with no improvement do you have any suggestions on fertilizer, how to make my lawn green, and how to get rid of weeds?
Don’t expect to be weed-free with a new lawn. It will take a few seasons. I find any lawn weed killer with 2-4D is good for most of my NJ weeds. If they’re really bad, blanket spray the yard. Otherwise spot spraying them is best. Weed killers may damage good grass in the heat so be cautious and spray at dusk. Always follow label directions for any product you buy. As for fertilizer, I really like Carbon-X. I’ve used it a few times and got great results.
Aces on the video. Makes me feel good having a few bags on milo, a bag of lawn restore (LcN says to alternate every year between the two) and I just receive my bio stim pack of the next. Can't to spray and pray lol 🤟🤙👍
Quick question newbie here- Regardless of what fertilizer we use for e.g. Weed/feed, crabgrass preventer, starter, turf builder etc. we must always apply as per the nitrogen %age of 1lb/1000 sq feet right? This of course is the safest and most generic way to go is it?
If your fertilizer has an additive (like a pesticide or herbicide) you need to follow the BAG RATE always. If you're just using generic fertilizer, you can adjust the rate to put down a specific amount of nitrogen (not always 1lb though). This video shows how much I am putting down per app this year - th-cam.com/video/Zbn3aH3HiUw/w-d-xo.html
I like Milorganite and is a reasonable cost around here so far. It is easy to apply and I believe has made my lawn greener and thicker. It also doesn't burn the lawn which is a plus. thanks for the results
I agree. I use Scott’s with crabgrass preventer on spring and milorganite for the rest of the year.
I use Scotts in the first spring app and last fall app. I use Ringer in the months in between. Also using iron 3x during the season and liquid compost krill.
I combine that with cutting 2x per week and at least 1 inch of water spread over 2 or 3 days every week.
All of that keeps my lawn looking good even in the hot summer months.
Good plan
I agree the N-ext product helped my none irrigated lawn not go dormant this past summer!
I don’t know if we can extrapolate much from a one season application overview. Adding chemical nitrogen versus proteins in my experience over many years has produced somewhat different results. I do think that all of these fertilizers are excellent but in general they all work best for certain parts of the season where you want a healthy green but don’t want to push growth yet want to feed the soil. A product like Scotts generally releases nitrogen quickly versus the others that feed the soil microbes that release nitrogen in low amounts slowly over months. Good video overall and thank you for your hard work in putting this together.
One season is not enough and I could not tell if he followed the label on any of the products.
Your better off with the slow release of Milorganite I have been using it for years; my lawn stands out especially in the 100 plus degree heat VS any of my neighbors.
Well done. You did something that the rest of the TH-cam grass geeks never do, prove the results by doing test strips.
Thanks 😊
You said the milo analysis right but typed it wrong it’s 6-4-0. I would say that one issue I see is that your Scott’s area gets quite a bit of shade that probably moves with the sun and is making that section stay green longer. I do agree that the next products will give you better roots and soil profile to combat heat stress
DiseaseX and a treatment for grubs will clear up all those spots. I mow around 80 accounts a week and one of my customers uses only Scott’s turf builder and his lawn is the best we do. It really works well.
My dad used Scott for years..it turned a raggedy lawn with patch spots into plush green golf course
Your customer that only uses Scott’s lawn food. What else (4step Scott’s)? Etc
Is there a best time to add DiseaseX and Grub X to prevent or is it more of a post cure?
This was great. It would have been helpful to see the exact same angle throughout.
I appreciate the effort you put into this video. The drone shots, the timeline, the pictures. Great work.
Thanks so much 👍🏻
Very helpful. The different camera angles did confuse me a bit, however.
You kind of actually blew my mind. I haven't tried to do any of that analysis but your analysis is exactly what I did this spring. Yes I need to get out there and do it again but that's a different. I don't take care of it every year like I should.
Hi Handydad I agree with your observations as well in regards to synthetics vs organics. The only time I would use synthetics is early spring and late fall for that early push and feed for the winter. This year I focused heavily on the N-ext products and their bio stimulant pack and it worked great. Only applied granular (purely organic 10-0-2) on Memorial weekend and Milo (half rate) in late September and my lawn looks as good as ever.
Hey Chris! I’m not surprised that Scotts did better with color, you can’t really compare synthetics with organics. Synthetics will always do better in my opinion. Organic fert gives you more then just nitrogen though, like micro nutrients and builds your soil up with organic matter. I agree to use both though, and also love the Next products. They make a HUGE difference:)
The good thing about organics is they feed the soil. Soil improvement is important for a healthy strong lawn. If the soil is good the grass will come with it. Milorganite works over time but I use supplement treatments in between to keep the grass green and healthy. Simple lawn solutions makes great ferts especially when used with milorganite
Kamron, are you switching from Milo to say, Scotts? I have used Milo for years, bit i think I need to supplement with something else with bigher NPK numbers. Is this what you did?
My thoughts are...get a soil sample first and then you'll know what you're deficient in or have an excess of...and plan accordingly.
Yes 👍🏻
I typically use Scotts TurfBuilder every year but my lawn was terrible last year. It was burned, dying and had too many problems for me to treat. I gave up on it for the year and did some research over the winter. This year I used Scotts for weed control, waited a few weeks and hit it heavy with Milo. I adjusted my watering and have seen the lawn not only recover but is one of the best lawns that I have had in a while. My plan is to continue the Milo and still use Scotts next year. Milo did a great job!!
Good combination 👍🏻
I have used milo in the past, just made my lawn dark green. This year I used Scotts turf builder Early spring, spring, and summer fertilizers. My lawn has never been looked this good. Excited do it all over again next year especially after reseeding this fall.
If you do four apps of fertilizer per year and mow within the one-third rule, you’re guaranteed to have a better lawn than most of your neighbors. The fertilizer brand is least important.
Our Milo retails for $7.99 and goes on sale for $5 in the Spring. At $7.99 that's $4.16/pound of N, and $3.20/1000 sq. ft.. Generic 28-0-3 comes out $2.11/pound of N and $1.90/1000 sq. ft.. Liquid fert is even cheaper still. The only problem I've had this year was RUST on my PRG. Thanks for sharing your results.
I have used Milorganite for 2 years now and I do like. I tried Scott's max green and seen dark green results as well. I just re seeded my backyard and should compare Scott's Max green - Milo - PGF Complete next spring. Good video, thanks from South Jersey
Early this year I got a free bag of Scott's at Lowe's and the results were incredible. I still use Milo during the summer. Ringer's price have kept me away from it lol.
Then I proved what you already knew. 👍🏻
@@handydadtv absolutely!
Thanks for the info. I've been a Scott's man since I purchased my home 4 years ago. This year though I started with lesco (15-5-10) for my first application then I sprayed humic/fulvic acid after. After 6 weeks I applied milogranite for the first time. I will wait 6 weeks apply Scott's turf builder. Later around Oct or Nov I'll apply the lesco again. I think that this combination is going to work out good for my St. Augustine but, I'm open to any suggestions.
I have no idea what you used where. When your doing the overhead shot showing progress can you outline the areas and lable them?
He posts a graphic mapping the spread, the stuff closest to the house is milorganite, furtheat is scotts, middle strip is ringer
Scotts products are awesome. Not surprised by the results at all. Everyone seems to be a follower on youtube using milo now the next greatest thing is carbonx. I recently took over a half acre lawn that was a complete train wreck. . My neighbour is a lawn care nut said the soil is trash the builder used cheap top soil 15 years ago. I just smiled and went to work. Removed most of the weeds,crabgrass was everywhere and waited till fall to reseed using scotts lawn soil. . I fertilized with only scotts turf builder all season keeping the KBG 4 inches. Recently the neighbour came over and cant believe its the same lawn and said its never looked that good. Truth be told im dominating him now which i find hilarious. FYI the cub cadet ZT2 has been amazing great tip in the spring.
"reseed using scotts lawn soil. ." Was that a typo? What seed did you use? thanks
To support your point, yes soil matters but I keep things in perspective when I see grass growing in the cracks between the sidewalk. Weed control and aggressive fertilization for a lacking lawn is probably more important in the short term.
Try the test over with your paths perpendicular to your previous test. The Scott’s seems to be shaded by your trees. That way you can see the difference between sun and shaded areas with all three fertilizers.
My thoughts exactly. I sprayed my yard with Scott's Starter for the Sod that was laid for New House. The yard is looking pretty bad with the Heat Index into 116 so I thought about using Milorgranite to help with the poor spots as it does not burn and is slowly released.
It’s good stuff.
I use purely Milo, RGS, and Humic-12. The lawn will look awesome until a heat wave comes to attack it and forces it to stress out. I have a regular irrigation system and ensure that I put down at least 1 1/2 of water weekly. I need to find a remedy for the heat-stress issues
i plan on testing hydrataine and sea kelp/humic next Jul Aug
Next jul-aug , i plan on testing hydrataine and sea kelp/ humic to combat heat stress
Yard masters has a stress blend bag that might help also Hydratain that helps water less in stress months and with your irrigation system might do the trick .
I would enjoy seeing a comparison between Milo and the N-Ext fertilizers.
Hey there, I just did a similar experiment with carbonx and synthetics, For me N ext and carbon x worked the best, I have never had such a nice lawn, I also did a liquid Iron aplication, neighbor's hate me. Lol
Try worm tea and compost tea. That is all I use on my garden and lawn and I no longer have the heat stress signs in the hot summer months as my neighbors do. My yard stays lush and green while my neighbors are brown and dying. I now use no fertilizers whatsoever on my property, in the garden or lawn. 8 years go I had dead dirt that weeds wouldn't even grow in, now I have rich fertile soil, all from using a woodchip covering for the first 5 years with an application of EM to build the soil back up, and applications of compost tea and worm casting tea. My neighbor's grass has roots that are 2" deep where mine are 18" deep and we have the exact same grass planted on the same day 3 years ago. Building up the microorganisms and biology in the soil does much more for your lawn than applying fertilizers does.
Semper Fi,
I'd like to try what you did with worms and compost tea. Do you have videos on that or can you point me to where I might find more info please?
Another Test would be exactly what you did, but a Plot with NOTHING added. I guess the neighbors lawns can be used for that to compare with your overhead shots. As the years go by after my initial foray into getting the darkest green in the neighborhood, I notice that only thing that matters is whether putting stuff on the lawn gets it greener or not. And that can only be done by testing against neighbors who dont apply anything. Many products I have put down in the past I have stopped because they just dont offer that boost over non-treated lawns. All lawns go crazy green in the Spring. And get lighter in the summer, then darker in the Fall. Even with nothing added.
I like the idea of Milo and Scott's with h2o...and add aeration every other year..great video man 👍🏼
The darker green up from Milo in the spring is the iron, which isn't in the Lawn Restore. There is nothing magical about it, it's just different levels of nitrogen and then some iron in the milo. While I'm not a fan of how the Next products are marketed, I think that is probably healthiest overall for the lawn of those options. Milo or Lawn Restore along with the micronutrients is good for the summer with the low nitrogen. Could have easily applied an iron treatment along with the Lawn Restore and seen a terrific dark green.
Scott's has always been the best, the rest is youtuber/internet marketing. I'll use a little milo when it's super hot for some iron color deepening but thats about all it's worth.
I use Scott's and Milo, and cut at 3 ¾“, aeration once a year, and planning to dethatch once every 5yrs. My neighbors stop to tell me how nice my yard looks all the time. When we bought the house it had by and far the worst "yard" (if it could even be called that) in the neighborhood.
Congrats! It’s great when you find a formula that works for you. Thanks for sharing.
I have been using for the last couple years Scott’s but I usually do the spring summer and fall applications that they have along with a couple of Applications of Milo once the weather gets warm enough have had very good results typically twice throughout the season I throw down Scotts disease X for Preventive maintenance against disease very nice video thanks
Been doing a hybrid approach with Milo (and n-ext products) and synthetics for a few years now. One recommendation, get the Scotts or Vigaro with the iron in it. That will give you even better results. Also, if you really want to kick the green into overdrive, apply both milo and synthetic (with iron) at the same time. One of the lawn care guys on youtube recomends this approach. Or stagger with split applications since Milo lasts longer.
Regarding the area that did well with the n-ext and Scotts disease control, makes me wonder which product was more beneficial.
Last, if I'm on the fence between 2 synthetics, I pick the one with a smaller prill for a more consistent application.
Thanks for making a nice comparison video.
n-ext is incredible in terms of combating heat stress. i too saw similar results in this brutal pa summer.
laughs in S. Texas
Nice! Last year I used k8 with Milo and sprayed simple lawn solutions humic and micro had great results. But got hit with fungus in the front yard. Going to baby it this year with Milo and micro+humic then push it in May/June with the synthetic and organic
Sounds good 👌
Great test. I recently started using Milo this year and its done wonders. I also have scotts for the next couple of seasons but will supplement with Milo and Nxt.
Great plan! 👍🏻
I started in the spring with Scott's Max and then Milo the rest of the way. I did have great results. I will go the same way next spring. My lawn does look beat up just like yours. Heat stress and not being around to water has taken it's toll.
I feel ya
I have a lawn service in the deep south an i start out in the spring with scotts bonus s...After watching your video i will be applying milorganite soon....tks for the tip..
Thanks
From my experience, organic products like milo are stronger over many seasons. the benefits may not show until 2nd or 3rd season depending on your root and soil condition.
This my third year using Milo and the lawn looked incredible this Spring. Best it has ever looked. I also seeded in the Fall and that helped a lot.
@@handydadtv yep, take a look at your roots and soil.
This was very helpful - I have been using the Scotts turf builder for several seasons with decent results but I only apply one time in the spring. Based on your results I will try turf builder in May and then milorganite in July and September- thank you for posting your test
You'll see a big difference!
You did an excellent job comparing all of these products. Great job, Chris! One thing you didn't necessarily touch on is how the organic fertilizers and the N-Ext products can improve the soil conditions which helps the grass grow thicker and stay stronger in events of drought & disease. These changes obviously occur over several seasons of use but it's still a benefit the consumer gets with the use of these products that the sole use of synthetic fertilizer does not provide. It would be interesting to see how things would look if someone applied only synthetic fertilizer to a portion of their lawn while in another section organic fert along with bio-stimulants were applied for several seasons. Thanks for sharing this great info with all of us! 👌
Thanks Ben! It was such a pain in the neck to apply four different fertilizers across my lawn this year, I couldn’t tolerate more than 3 applications.
I used organic for the first time last year, so my whole front and 2/3 of the back has had only organic for two seasons and summer still kicked it in the balls.
I have tons of people telling me they swear by Scott’s. Do we honestly think their soil has inferior biology because they only use synthetics? I’m no scientist, but it would be really interesting to compare soil under a microscope to see there really is a difference.
I used X-START and CARBON-X after recording this video, both synthetic nitrogen, and the X-START did a really nice job. Too soon to judge the CARBON-X yet.
@@handydadtv Yeah I bet making applications of 3 different fertilizers was a pain but we as your audience appreciated it!
As far as synthetic vs organic fert I don't think the changes in the soil biology if there were any, would be a huge selling point to a buyer since most people are just wanting their lawn to look green as quick as possible. I'm sure there has been research done by institutions between these types of ferts to show more of the potential scientific differences in the soil. I'm a nerd when it comes to that stuff and just enjoy learning about it.
I haven't used X-START yet but I have used CARBON-X on my lawn and have liked what I've seen so far. It really helped my Bermuda plugs spread super fast.
Anyway, thanks for taking the time to make great content and entering into conversation in your comments! Have a great Fall & Winter!
Finally a video of the best Fertilizer to get or buy for your lawn. Thanks for the info stay safe👍😷
Glad it was helpful.
Thanks for help....The blend of Scott and Milo is what I'm working with now...I will be watching more of your videos Thanks again.
Thanks
Good comparison. This is my first year with a newly seeded lawn (Kentucky blue/rygrass) and I used milo exclusively. I gotta say..... it worked wonders for me. Milo for the win! ( side note......I live out in the countryside, so smell of milo doesn't bother me or anyone else) 👍
Could test the use of Starter Fert in the spring at less than bag rates. Only fert with Potassium that is very helpful with lawn root growth.
I've used by the Scott's before and like it on my tall fescue. The Milorganite I have used and didn't care for. I didn't see much of results, and seen a blackish residue for a couple weeks later on the ground. I've never used the Ringer. Great test and video.
Thanks!
Very well made video. I used to avoid Scotts for no real good reason, but I am now going yo give it a try. Thanks!!!!
Thanks for the comment!
I've used Milorganite for years with excellent results. In Houston we have a heavy clay soil that lacks potassium and Milorganite lacks potassium. My first feeding of the growing season is with the synthetic. Everything after that is now with a product called Pro Care, a Milorganite knock off. Can't get Milorganite anymore here.
Thanks for the tip!
I live in katy, I have bermuda grass which is sensitive to heat im thinking of aeration to help the dry soil a bit. Don't know much about lawns just purchased my home a year ago. How often you use milorganite? Also which synthetic you use?
Edgar Trevino Bermuda grass loves the heat and very drought tolerant
Bonus S in the spring milorganite the rest of the growing season.
This works in New England:Scott’s to start season, milorganite through the heat months, then Scott’s in the fall and winterize with Scott’s
Good plan 👍🏻
Milo is $9 a bag here. I always use a scotts like Fert in spring and fall and Milo last week of June/First week of July
That’s a great plan 👍🏻
Wow. I'm impressed! This is probably the best way to recommend a product. Nothing but facts with a scientific point of research. Great stuff!! Just one question. How do I get my grass out of the neon yellow and to green? Any advice?
Get to know the Lawn Care Nut channel on TH-cam and look for his beginner videos. He taught me everything I know! 😉
He has different advice depending on cool season vs. warm season lawns.
Seems like a lot of variables were overlooked. What variety of grass, temp zone, and watering schedule. I've always used a low Nitrogen, slow release type on my Kentucky Blue grass lawn in SE Michigan (12-6-4). I put 50 pounds a month on from May1, through Oct 30. Lot size is 75x110 with a 35x42 house print. Lots of water every early am and late pm, and 2-4-D in the early spring and late fall. The lawn is spectacular! It's kinda my hobby, I'm a frustrated farmer! LOL
It’s not a scientific analysis, I agree. These variables, however, were relatively constant across all test plots. The primary variable was the fertilizer alone.
I tried milorganite from TH-cam videos and that stuff is hands down amazing. My front and back yard are just lush and dark green.Only other fertilizer I had used was Scott’s and that was a waste of money every year.Only downfall is that milorganite is always out of stock everywhere now and the price has certainly gone up quite a bit.
It's definitely good stuff.
That's why alot are using n g carbon x
My neighbor uses Scott’s only and the lawn looks great but it does not stand up to heat well at all.
Great video and ty for taken the time...I would like to see what the results would be if you used the Fungicide on all the lawn...my neighbor has a great lawn as well it keeps it well maintained but when the temperature is right the fungus always gets to his lawn because he doesn’t use fungicides....that’s where my lawn maintains it color and thickness. Thx again 👍🏼
I do a blanket app of Propiconazole. But sometimes it’s not enough.
Yes...I started adding Scotts D X in combination with Propiconazole. Last longer and more resistant.
Thanks for the video. Pretty informative but I’m a little confused after watching this. To perform a comparison between the three different options that you are talking about, shouldn’t you stick to just those three? During this video you mention using some sort of liquid product. Doesn’t that completely negate the side by side comparison? How do you know what product actually produces the results when you’ve used more than one. I’m a newbie so maybe I’m just confused but I appreciate the time and effort you’ve put into this. Thank you. 👍
I used those three fertilizers exclusively in those three sections of my lawn. I applied bio stimulants (N-Ext products) in another section that crossed all three of the fertilizers. Bio stimulants do not contain nitrogen fertilizer; they are a supplement like vitamins for your soil.
non-brand name synthetic is the best in my opinion. Walmart's generic is often half the price of scotts. To be fair I have a 1.5 acr land, so the price per pound really matters. I also stock up at the end of the season when they discount the fertilizer. I typically pay about $.7/lbs nitrogen.
I left four bags of Milorganite in the trunk of my car for a couple of days, felt like I was driving through an Agway anywhere I went. 😂
Smells like success!!! 🤢
Such a great idea to compare products! So useful! Thank you so much! I used Scott’s first in the spring. Didn’t know what to put in June. Now I know. Going to put Morgonvile. Thank you!👍🏻😁
Good plan!
I use run of the mill Menards brand synthetic 30-0-4 first couple applications get it growing good. Then also menards brand weed and feed late spring early summer. then leave it until a fall product aplication when it starts to get cooler. Have had amazing results. Oh and lots of lyme! I did do some overseeding, moss removal and bare spot repair the spring before. It takes a little more than fertilizer to have a really good looking lawn especially when your surrounded by oak trees.
What are your thoughts on Mag-i-cal?
Thanks for this. Trying this year to get an early start. Already have Scotts and will try Milorganite if I can get it.
Buy all the Milo you need before May 1st and there should be enough.
Milo is 6-4-0, the PK is swapped on the stats. Nice video comparison!
DANG!! Good catch!! 💯
Thank you for your time, The video was very helpful. I myself am a Scotts fan.
My pleasure
i just bought and spread some milorganite yesterday $9.99 a bag, curious to see what it does. Never did anything for my lawn so im sure its gonna help
Best results I have had is with Scotts Turf Builder, but, only if I use diseaseX with it. DiseaseX is a game changer. Also some Grubex is needed.No more brown spots at all. I have actually had people ask me if it is real grass or fake. (in North Carolina)
Good advice. Thanks.
For the disease, it came later as your yard progressed? How long into the testing did you put down the scott's disease control? I have an big old oak tree that is fungusing up everything. I was always told dont use too much fertilizer cuz it will burn. You have explained it well. Thank you.......
Burning a lawn for "too much fertilizer" is really referring to mistakes, like spilling some, or uneven application. DiseaseEx can be applied anytime, regardless of when you fertilized.
@@handydadtv Thank you.
when working a yard i always focus on getting the soil dirt correct and the lawn will eventually follow. scotts like many others will give a quick feed to the plant and rapid green but will fall short in a few weeks. To keep an even healthy green, the best bet is to feed your dirt and in turn it will feed your lawn. I would stay away from milo for the extreme phos plus the expense is far too great. Humic acid micros and nitrogen preferably in slow release .Most important, test your soil regularly just like bloodwork. Healthy dirt is the key.
Is your name really Pete Denny? “Get ur dirt right!”
thank you for putting this vid comparison out to view. makes it a lot easier when the market is flooded with an over abundance of crap!!
You never mentioned about watering. Did you just rely on rain? water weekly? 2x week? I use a custom blend 22-8-12-4 (the 4 is magnesium which gives a darker shade of green). As I service my clients I have had neighbours come and ask what I use and I have ended up picking them up as clients or even just selling them a bag of fertilizer. Key is, if you fertilize make sure it gets water
I agree. I have a decent irrigation system with a Rachio Gen 3 controller. It waters automatically as needed.
The Scott's was put down closer to the shade and it would have been best to test with equal sun exposure on all three fertilizers.
Sorry it wasn’t scientific.
Interesting comparison. It would be interesting to see this in year 2 and 3. Thanks for sharing!
I don’t have the patience to do this for more than 3 applications!
I use milo & N-Ext products. It’s a great combo with excellent results. Try it !!!!!!!!!!
Just watch your phosphorus levels.
Hi handydad. Pls make a vid on specifically blowing out pool lines if you can. I watched your opening video to open my pool for the first time, and would like a blowing out winyerizing video as well. Please consider doing so if you haven’t closed already. Thx a lot. Fantastic videos.
I’m so sorry, I covered the pool quickly this year because I’ve been spending so much time on The Living Flip.
HandyDadTV no worries. Btw I’m truly loving the living flip series.
RIP to the old Lawn Restore formula. I used to order 4-5 bags for the year every March, now it's changed and the new formula is just ok, but not the miracle worker the old formula was. I used to rotate it with Milorganite and it was a great balance
Yeah I saw nothing special about it. Not worth the money.
alfalfa pellets (Rabbit feed vs all these) followed by spray with mollasses mixed at 4oz per gallon and put into a sprayer. Want to take it a bit further add kelp extract to the mix
Alfalfa pellets as fertilizer? The rabbits in my neighborhood would converge for a communal smorgasbord in my yard!
Scott's lawn food worked great for me
Thanks bro, I used Scotts I love it.
Thanks for sharing your results !
even though its a box store fert, the scotts for the money is a very good product. not only does scotts have great coverage, but the fert is compiled of tiny prills, giving far better coverage.
Second in line is andersons, but no suprise as andersons bought scotts years ago
I didn’t know Anderson’s bought Scott’s! Thanks for that.
@@handydadtv the acquisition took place years ago
Just "Throwing the idea out here", but could I mix the Scotts & Milogranite together, then apply?
Or would the "Granular Size" be a problem with a homogeneous (even & consistant) contrast of dispertion?🤔
Yes, I know that mixing Product is a BIG NO-NO, but I figured that it would worthy of asking...
I have used Milogranite all Spring & Summer (every 3 weeks) and Watered every-other day for 30 Minutes using my MP Rotor Heads... My lawn DOMINATES my entire Neighborhood!
Next Spring, try to "Rescue" my Back Lawn so it can compare within 12 Months! My only "Personal Catch", no Chemicals, Organic Only... I'd love to try the NeXT Products, but that is a "Hard Buy" on a budget...
Any ideas or recommendations? I Plug Aerate in Spring & Fall, and Dethatch late October as well...
Take care,
🤓 -Thomas
Kitsap County,
Western Washington State
Washington has a few options for Milo alternatives. Check out
handydad.tv/organic-fertilizer. Maybe you can put that savings towards RGS and MicroGreene.
What would you recommend for summer fertilization? Many people warn against putting fertilizer during the summer time but what do you think is a safe fertilizer analysis to use during the summer?
Summer is a great time for biosolids like Milorganite.
I agree , this year staying away from summer synthetics like Scotts’s and going organic like Milo , Restore , or Anderson’s .Maybe also a round or two of Ironite , max green or green punch during the heat stress months.
I did the same thing in 2018....I ended up with a combination depending on time of year. Also did the beer, baby shampoo, ammonia and soda spray....I have to say I have a green carpet all year. Bug control twice a year and spray weed b gone with a surfactant to control weeds....again I have a green carpet all year!!! Your Home Depot looks like your close to Colonia....me too
I'm in Freehold.
Must say I do not believe it's a one size fits all type of deal. In the south on st. aug I try to stay away from quick release nitrogen due to how sensitive a grass type it is. Also the Scott's products usually do not have any micronutrients. The quick greenup is from the high nitrogen and there may be some iron it the scotts product I believe. However selenium can greenup a lawn as well. So a nitrogen, iron, selenium combo will no doubt accomplish that. Also I believe some of the scotts' N is slow release. In the end Scott's is like McDonald's. It will fill you up now but over time the lawn will suffer without added nutrients. The problem with milo is that people heard about it on youtube and that's all they ever use. Milo was sold out last fall. Milo really only needs to be once or twice a year. The grass needs potassium, usually in the fall to help it recover from summer stress. Other than that I do believe beginners should stay away from Scott's cause like you said too much in one area can be bad, and the bag size is usually small indicating that the coverage will not be as even. I've been thinking about the Next products, and this video does make me want to try so I will probably pick some up. Awesome job on the video 👍
Why people still use Milorganite is beyond me. Do a soil test and see how high your phosphorus is. High phosphorus locks out other nutrients and causes major imbalances. Also all the pharmaceuticals that pass through to your lawn. I prefer not to spread sewage that has so many negative trace ingredients on my lawn.
Ringer lawn restore is total garbage and will never use again.
Had good results with scotts but I prefer fertilizers that also add humic acid at the same time.
Carbon x is by far the best fertilizer to use.
I have heavy clay soil and have always had a terrible lawn. This year it is the best looking lawn in my neighborhood. I used Next biostimulant pack and Carbon X this year and everyone ask me about my lawn. I really think humic acid is the key to lawns. I had zero heat stress this year and all my neighborhood was burnt to a crisp.
Why is carbon x so good? Because it's the hot new product for 2019? That's all I heard this year from so many TH-camrs was carbon x carbon x carbon x.
Let's see if anybody is still taking about carbon x in 2020. I'll bet you anything no one will be talking about it because the next new thing will be out and carbon x, like milorganite, will be old news and everybody will bag on how crappy it suddenly is, compared to the new thing of the moment. 🙄🙄🙄🙄
Milo takes a full season to show strong results. You also have to put it down very heavy and can put it down often.
It was my primary fertilizer in 2018, the year before this test.
Just a question? I live in southeastern Wisconsin and started my spring with Scott’s crabgrass preventer fertilize then did early summer with milogranite and august again milogranite now I am going to overseed then use Scott’s turf builder lawn food? Does that sound like a good plan?
Use a starter fertilizer with the seed. Then Turf Builder five weeks later.
For me I have not had a more healthy lawn and the soil beneath it since I only put down Milorganite. For me Milo is only $7 per bag that's because I'm 3 hours from Milwaukee where it's made my lawn is 7500 sq ft so 21 bucks per month that's right per month. The only downside if you hate to mow we have to move every 2 days. Currently it's every 3 days because of the temps are cooler. One MAJOR improvement is the amount of worms we have. They love Milo they eat what the grass doesn't use and poop out what the grass needs it also naturally airates the soil and we are not compacted because of them. Synethic doesn't improve the soil quality it only feeds the plant. It also does last as long. Had you pit down Milo every month your grass would have been fine. I also noticed your dog did damage to the area closest to the patio if I had dogs I'm have a good quality synthetic grass for them to pee on
Yeah the dogs burn the grass on both sides of the patio. Downside of having dogs.
Thanks for video and loved the drone shots !
I was waiting for an update on this all summer so glad to finally see an update on this comparison. Thanks for sharing! I’ve been doing a mix of synthetic and organic this year. Two apps of milorganite and supplemented with lesco.
I live in Central Texas and have them you two graphs. It's a new yard sod was laid about 5 months ago and it's riddled with weeds I started using TruGreen they've been here three times with no improvement do you have any suggestions on fertilizer, how to make my lawn green, and how to get rid of weeds?
Don’t expect to be weed-free with a new lawn. It will take a few seasons. I find any lawn weed killer with 2-4D is good for most of my NJ weeds. If they’re really bad, blanket spray the yard. Otherwise spot spraying them is best. Weed killers may damage good grass in the heat so be cautious and spray at dusk. Always follow label directions for any product you buy.
As for fertilizer, I really like Carbon-X. I’ve used it a few times and got great results.
Thanks great post. I live in Nebraska a little different climate zone. I have a bag of milorganite and plan on getting Scott’s mix the two and apply.
Don’t mix in the same hopper. Do an application of each.
It does confirm my use of Scott's. Thank you for the information.
Scott’s definitely produces good results.
Aces on the video. Makes me feel good having a few bags on milo, a bag of lawn restore (LcN says to alternate every year between the two) and I just receive my bio stim pack of the next. Can't to spray and pray lol 🤟🤙👍
Awesome 👏🏻
I used scotts weed and feed and milorganite this year with great results.
That's a great combo.
Excellent experiment! You did an awesome job with data, math breakdown etc...
Quick question newbie here- Regardless of what fertilizer we use for e.g. Weed/feed, crabgrass preventer, starter, turf builder etc. we must always apply as per the nitrogen %age of 1lb/1000 sq feet right? This of course is the safest and most generic way to go is it?
If your fertilizer has an additive (like a pesticide or herbicide) you need to follow the BAG RATE always. If you're just using generic fertilizer, you can adjust the rate to put down a specific amount of nitrogen (not always 1lb though). This video shows how much I am putting down per app this year - th-cam.com/video/Zbn3aH3HiUw/w-d-xo.html