It would depend on the current state of the soil. For every 1# of N, you'd be applying nearly 1/5# of sulfur ( I'd want to know it that is elemental sulfur), on the other hand, that may just be stating a chemical analysis reflecting a gypsum content.

The Hydretain addition would make it a no-go for me.

The Hydretain addition would make it a no-go for me.

Could you expand upon that? I was considering applying hydretain to help with summer drought conditions.

By its description, it has all the markers of another B.S. "wonder cure." I can't find an analysis for it other than it contains "hygroscopic and humectant compounds" and a "natural surfactant". I like to know what I'm adding to my lawn and, if for no other reason, I'm not a fan of adding surfactants willy nilly.

I'd bet morpheus or dchall could say what it likely contains (natural sources) and the likely efficiency/inefficiency.

Hydretain is "primarily made from food grade ingredients and natural plant extracts."

So's the soap I make, but I wouldn't throw it on the lawn wholesale. :-) The actual makeup seems to be proprietary and secret, so I can't actually say what it's made of.

Will it cut watering 50%? Not likely, except perhaps under some very, very specific circumstances you are unlikely to see in your lawn.

Will it hurt? Almost certainly not.

There's links to a number of studies here:

http://www.greentechcoatings.com/hydretain-links.htm

Unfortunately none for turf. Would be interesting to see if anyone has any first hand experience with it.

Microlife is our local organics manufacturer & they use a surfactant they call "yucca wetting agent" in their products--Could be similar.

What about the product as an organic fertilizer?

pros and cons.

Soybean meal, alfalfa pellets, corn gluten meal, corn meal, cottonseed meal, and a very few other ingredients are proven organic fertilizers. If the list of ingredients does not have one of these as the #1 ingredient, I would pass on it.

Thank you Morh,

If anyone is interested it is Jonathan Greene Black Beauty Organic Fertilizer.

I am not sure if it's okay to product names on the blog.

Thanks again.

Derived from:

Feather Meal (12-0-0)

Alfalfa Meal (2-1-2)

Kelp Mea (1-0.5-8)

Calcium Sulfate Dihydrate (gypsum)

Sulfate of Potash (potasium sulfate (0-0-50)

Sunflower Hull Ash (apprx: 2-0-7)

Protein Hydrolysate (growth hormone?)

Iron Humate (black humic acid 18% iron?)

Molasses (by-product of sugar processing, nutrients content?)

EDIT: and Hydretain, whatever it is.

Protein hydrolysate=Chemically decomposed meat of varying origin. It's processed without heat to retain all the nasty smelling good stuff.

Kelp is a bio stimulant & produces a quick flush of growth. I use it in liquid form but chemists, meal should work the same or no?

Plenty of iron for a quick green up & those mysterious humic acids...THEY DO EXIST?!

Edit, I'd buy this product. It has all the right organic qualities in my opinion.

Hydrolysates are the result of enzyme decomposition or digestion. Could be any protein but I'd guess fish. That's good stuff.

Feather meal has lots of protein. The problem is it takes an ice age to decompose.

It's a nice combination. The nitrogen is very slow as David noted--feather meal is not fast stuff at the best of times. I'd still be using my soy instead, but... :-)

Kelp meal works just as well as kelp extract, just slower and it requires more. I use liquid kelp extract instead, but have no objection to this source if somebody likes it. I enhance my flower gardens with 2 oz of kelp extract concentrate per week during the growing season, and if I don't, I definitely notice the difference.

I have continued my search based on some of the comments made on this posting.

Your thoughts?

Another Jonathan Greene organic fertilizer:

ANALYSIS 10-0-1

Total Nitrogen (N)
........................................................ 10.00%

9.0% Water Insoluble Nitrogen

1.0% Other Water Soluble Nitrogen

Soluble Potash (K20)
........................................................ 1.00%

Calcium (Ca)
............................................................... 1.00%

Sulfur (S)
...................................................................... 1.00%

Iron (Fe)
...................................................................... 2.00%

Non-Plant Food Ingredients: Humates ..................... 12.50%

Amino Acids ..................... 0.05%

HUMATES

Plant
nutrients derived from:

Feather
Meal, Soybean Meal,

Blood
Meal, Fish Meal, Sulfate

of
Potash, Molasses, Wheat

Middlings and Iron Oxide

vs. 1st postings composition

ANALYSIS 8-0-3

Plant nutrients derived from:

Feather Meal, Alfalfa Meal, Kelp

Meal, Calcium Sulfate Dihydrate,

Sulfate of Potash, Sunflower Hull

Ash, Protein Hydrolysate,

Iron
Humate and Molasses

Before getting into the new fertilizer I should have added that repeated applications of feather meal will develop a specialized group of microbes which can decompose feather meal very quickly. One of my neighbors had year round green St Aug while the rest of San Antonio's lawns went dormant in the winter. She was using a feather meal product every 3 months for several years.