Anybody ever try Milorganite?

DH just called and said his mom told him about it. He goes, "It sounds like the miracle fertilizer! You can use it on grass, flowers, vegetables and it doesn't burn." I'm not sure how I feel about DH getting involved in the decision-making process when it comes to my flowers, but of course he's welcome to try almost anything he wants on the grass. ;) So does anyone know anything about this product? I had never heard of it before.

Milwaukee found use for the city sewer sludge. So, granular poop. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milorganite

I've used for two years. My yard has never looked better. And when looking at the perennials, shrubs, etc remark "what do you use for fertilizer?"

I don't believe Milorganite is recommended for usage on vegetable gardens.

My sister used it in her NJ garden to keep away munching pests..seemed to work..think is was for the bunnies and deer..not sure how it did with the deer!

This is the first year I have tried it for new seedlings. Found it for $5 a bag. My dogs just love it. They dug up every plant that I had used it on. I finally had to put a chicken wire fence around my seedlings.
I had left some milorganite in a bucket and it got quite wet from the rain. Well that stuff
really stinks when it is wet. There were flies all over it. When this bag is gone, I don't know if I'll buy anymore.

I've been happily using Milorganite for years. It does not burn, works great and as a bonus......seems to help keep the deer away.

I used it a long time ago, but I have too much lawn to make it practical. Dry, it doesn't smell distasteful at all.

At least back when I used it, the only primary nutrient it supplied was nitrogen.

what about the heavy metals in the stuff, Ive read it can be not , a good thing to use .

I was wondering about the heavy metals, too. After all the press Michelle Obama's garden got about having high lead levels, I was curious if they had used Milorganite. I know it's been around for years-I remeber hearing about it in the 70's so I would think it has to be safe to be around that long . . . .

Being around since the 70s,makes me more leary,i know I read an artical about it,Id google it but I have to go to work;( My sister in law use to use it on her roses,she always thought they looked wonderful,puny blooms,hardly any nice lush green leaves,they look even worse now,I think it made the soil weird too,yrs later.too creepy for me .LOL

When it was on sale at Stein's there were lots of people with pallets of the stuff. My impression was that it was mostly used on lawns.

I think there are warnings on the label to use it only for ornamental plantings, but what happened at the White House was that the lawn was dug up to plant the veggie garden.

I used to use Milorganite only on the lawn. It did do a decent job on the lawn. I never used it in the veggie garden since it's made from, well, sewage. I know I did sprinkle some around my plants but don't remember being impressed using it. My mom had always swore by it for lawns which is why I began using it as a better alternative to Scotts (chemicals). Then, I quit using it when I became more interested in organic gardening. It does have heavy metals which is why I quit using it. We have our own water well and I always think whatever I put in the soil will end up in our water (even though I can't control what my neighbors put on their lawns) my belief is that heavy metals aren't good for you.

I use Ringer Lawn Restore now, which is very expensive, but I only fertilize the lawn twice - in the spring and the fall. My lawn has never looked better since using the Ringer. I have (and had) dogs and my kids were little at the time so I quit using chemicals on the lawn, wanted a nice lawn, but as little chemicals as possible.

I wish there was something non-toxic to get rid of clover. I hand dig the weeds but that stinking clover is impossible!

Hi, Medinac! I know this is a really, REALLY old post, but was just surfing and came upon your comment about clover. You know, I used to hate anything in my lawn that was not - lawn. I still hate dandelions, but actually . . . I've gotten to like clover! It stays green during drought when the rest of the lawn is begging for mercy, and it fixes nitrogen into the soil. So . . . I let it grow. The swaths of white across the lawn in lat summer are kinda pretty. I do pull it from the garden beds, though.

I did use Milorganite this year, and quite honestly, can't see a huge difference. But, organic fertilizers are like that - you have to build the soil over a long period, as naturally as possible, and see results over time, I suppose.

Hi Sherri - Yep, you just have to come to live with the clover and learn to like it. You're absolutely right that it stays green no matter what and I've come to realize too that it is natures way of fixing the soil. Maybe one day I'll get energetic and till it in.

I'm now using the Dr. Earth lawn fertilizer from Pesche's. Again, expensive but with all this rain we've had, the lawn's looking good. And you don't use much of it. We'll see how it continues to look.

Starting last summer, I actually went against my "all organic" method of managing the garden and lawn. I absolutely had to or we would have been overrun with dandelions. I thought long and hard before I did it and what it came down to was: if I have this lawn, I need to work within the parameters of what's acceptable in the community. I didn't choose the lawn, but we have a large property (for suburbia), it's been here forever, and I can't get rid of it all at once! And I have a neighbor who have has foot high weeds instead of lawn, so my yard can NEVER be free of those seeds. So I did it - went with Lurvey's Greenvieiw dandelion killer. It doesn't touch the clover though. Maybe I'll try Dr. Earth. Let me know how it works!

Just found this thread. I have been using Milorganite for years as a repellent. It deters rabbits, but it absolutely repells chipmunks. In addition to ground plantings, I have lots of pots. The chipmunks would dig in the pots, exposing the roots, and making a mess. Now when I plant I sprinkle a bit of Milorganite where I have dug and especially in pots. It puts a complete halt on the digging.

Thanks Donna, that's good to know. I don't have much problems with chipmunks digging in the pots but I do with the squirrels, I'll have to try it to deter them in the fall.

This is from the Milorganite website FAQ's:

I heard that Milorganite contains heavy metals. Is that true?
Yes, that is true. All fertilizers, both organic and synthetic, contain some heavy metals. In fact, plants need some heavy metals, such as zinc and copper and molybdenum, for normal, healthy growth. Milorganite meets the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) "Exceptional Quality", which establishes the strictest concentration limits in the fertilizer industry for heavy metals. Many other common fertilizer products exceed the limits for metal concentrations established by the EPA "Exceptional Quality" standards. Milorganite, though, can be used with confidence for all your fertilizing needs, including use on all types of grass, trees, shrubs, flowers and vegetable gardens.

Can I use Milorganite for my vegetable garden?
Yes. Milorganite is an excellent and safe fertilizer for all plants that grow outdoors, including vegetables and other edible crops. Milorganite is practically goof-proof since it won't burn plants-even if it is over applied.

I ought to know about the fact that it can't be overapplied, since I have dumped too much on plants with no ill effects.

Funny, I am growing tomatoes in pots, and last year the chipmunks raided them and spoiled dozens. This year I put Milorganite in the pots and the ground around the pots and I have lost ONE tomato. I really like it because one application works. I must have 40 pots - I love that I don't have to worry about them.

Chuckette (cute handle) I think we found the same info. Very cool.