put your spreader on 5.75 and do the crisscross patterns

is this from your experience?

yes, this is exactly what I do and you'll be fine. but i like to be between 4-5' apart from each other

I spoke with a knowledgeable person at Milorganite yesterday afternoon and she told me that they do extensive testing of spreaders every two years or so. She could not explain why 11.5 is not considered the correct value for Speedy Green models and Edgeguard models.

I'm not trying to be very scientific here, I'm just looking to save on cost. If 4 bags should cover 10000 sq ft then four bags is all that I should need. I shouldn't have to figure out the correct setting, it should more or less be correctly labeled.

For Labor Day weekend I'll use the 5.75 setting 4-5 feet apart crisscross and see how that goes.

Good luck, once you find the setting that works, you should be fine as the prill size is pretty consistent.

BTW, just saw another label that shows 5%N with 1.5% WSN. LOL.

Settings do vary spreader by spreader even within the same model. Mom and I use the identical spreader, but if I use a setting of 6 she needs to go to 8. There's nothing wrong with either of our spreaders.

Mine throws shorter to the right than hers does, though, so I tend to step oddly across the lawn. One short row is followed by a long one in the other direction to get even coverage.

I like criss-crossing but rarely do it. I don't get stripes so I'm still doing something right. :-)

>>I think the Milorganite folks might be drunken sailors.

It's a more natural product and does depend on the input. Those numbers on the bag are minimums, not maximums, unless they refer to quickly available nitrogen--then it's the maximum, not the minimum. That's the law.

Or, why I prefer my soybean meal from the grain mill in plain brown packages. I can't imagine what fertilizer labeling laws would make of that stuff--probably 0-0-0.

Like njitgrad, on my first run my spreader was dropping way too much Milorganite. I set my Scotts Turf Builder EdgeGuard Mini at 5.0 and it seems about right. Thank God, it doesn't burn the grass@!

One of the problems of all spreaders is that they are calibrated to type of material, ie Milorganite, not to the particle size of the material being spread. Particle size can vary from batch to batch of material, so the spreader setting may need to be different to get the same coverage rate of the same material.

My suggestion would be to always start with the spreader set at the lowest setting, and then increase as necessary. you can always go back over the areas all ready covered when you finish the yard and is material left over, you can not pick it up and re-spread it.

I always spread all but 10 or 15% of the original. If after a week it looks like I missed some places with the original application I have material to re-spread into those areas.

I had the same problem with my Scott's Mini EdgeGuard Pro.

Next app I'll go with a 5.75 setting.

Thanks, I thought is was me.