When to Fertilize with Urea?

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mountainbamboonut
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When to Fertilize with Urea?

Post by mountainbamboonut »

For the first time I wanted to hit all of my in-ground stands of phyllo. with Urea. I was thinking based on my zone that sometime in Feb. would be a good time to do it. I think "Shmu" (I don't know if he is any longer using this forum) up in Oregon said he used to do that at the sheep farm he worked on and I had read some others here mentioning it. If anyone has experience doing this I'd be interested in your insight. I was thinking of buying a commercial bag of it online for my 40 or so in-ground plantings of phllyos. Thanks in advance for your time and I am thrilled that shooting time is just around the corner!
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Re: When to Fertilize with Urea?

Post by needmore »

I fed everything last weekend, I mixed steer & chicken poo with Milorgantie. I don't know what the ratios should be, I used roughly 1.5 bags steer, .75 bag chicken, 2/3 bag (36lb size) Milorganite per wheel barrow. This is a slow feed I suspect so I tried to hit 8-10 weeks ahead of shooting season, did it right before the big rain.
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Alan_L
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Re: When to Fertilize with Urea?

Post by Alan_L »

needmore wrote:... I mixed steer & chicken poo with Milorgantie...
Your neighbors are going to love "the new guy". :D
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Re: When to Fertilize with Urea?

Post by needmore »

You know, someone very nearby wears so much cologne that at times I've pulled my shirt over my nose when working in the yard so this is just my version. :bom:
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Re: When to Fertilize with Urea?

Post by dependable »

^^ haha you guys.. (must be a long winter...already)

Anyway, to original post:

Urea, and other more concentrated nitrate fertilizers will loose some of their N to air and water, (if there is enough water to produce surface run off or percolation past root zone.)

High N fertilizers can be mixed with with carbon rich materials such as wood chips, leaves, straw, etc. The N will release more slowly, at a rate the pant can absorb it. Less will be lost to water table and atmosphere. And the N will speed the break down of the organics, providing more benefits to soil and plants.

Even raking it in a couple inches will help your grove absorb more of it.

As to when, the most benefit to adding N will be when pant is actively growing culms and leaves, so a moderate applications from shooting time and during leaf out of new culms would be good.
mountainbamboonut
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Re: When to Fertilize with Urea?

Post by mountainbamboonut »

Thanks for the replies and advice... so it sounds like there is some difference amongst you in terms of fertilizing before shooting (Brad at 8-10 weeks prior) and during. I'm in a colder climate than you up here Brad so I may wait until Feb., we occasionally have snow and freezes in March and even April (although not common) so I wouldn't want them to get going to early I'd think.
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Re: When to Fertilize with Urea?

Post by needmore »

My guess is that you are on a similar pattern to my Indiana place, which warmed up very quickly and bamboo starts shooting fairly early, always a few in late March and the Phy the first week of April, exploding by mid-Aril, done by mid-May when the Phy atrovaginata would be the last.

I started feeding there in Feb, thinned groves in late Feb early-March.
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Re: When to Fertilize with Urea?

Post by dependable »

mountainbamboonut wrote: so it sounds like there is some difference amongst you in terms of fertilizing before shooting
Not so much difference, Brad uses a mix of organics with the N, so it would release more slowly and eavenly, similar to my recommendations to mix with carbonaceous material.

If using straight up urea, or other highly soluble form of N, it will be available to plant as soon as it reaches roots, hence recommendation for modrate applications throughout the time it is being used most.
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Re: When to Fertilize with Urea?

Post by danjcla »

mountainbamboonut wrote:When to Fertilize with Urea?
After a long night at the bar?

<ducks>

:blackeye:
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Re: When to Fertilize with Urea?

Post by mountainbamboonut »

Makes sense, good advice. I appreciate it.
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