[bashfullnb]

I have recently been told by a member of the CFIA that Milorganite can cause salmonella (sp.?). It's got to do with whether or not the particular bags of Milorganite I am using were heated to a high enough temperature in their decontamination process. What I'd like to know is what is everyone else using for an organic fertilizer. I've heard of a fertilizer called Sustane. Is it as good as everyone says it is?

[Hamons]

I feel completely safe using Milorganite. However, I also use a product called naturesafe. I also use a product called nutrients plus.

Nothing magical about sustane. Good product though.

[Mark Oomkes]

TRying to remember exactly who, but I know someone who got a nasty staph infection after spreading Milorganite and had an open cut on his hand\arm.

[pineapple]

I imagine you could get germs from any manure-type fert that is 'live'.

I have decided to stop using Milorganite because of concerns about mercury levels.

Human sewage is supposed to have high levels of heavy metals. I don't need to be absorbing that or letting it leach into the environment.

I know their website says that 'the powers that be' say they have safe levels of heavy metals, but don't really trust 'the powers' to look out for me or the environment!

[FungusMudGrub]

I use products from North Country Organics.

I avoid Milorganite and their ilk for the same reasons as Pineapple, although to be excessively precise, municiple sewage can have high heavy metals contamination, not straight human manure. A lot of stuff other than poo ends up in the sewage treatment plant.

[spiderlily]

Sustane is food quality organic.

[Mark Oomkes]

BTW, another vote for Nature Safe here. Other than dusty, I am thoroughly impressed with it so far.

[LandArts]

Ummm, I don't think Sustane is "food quality". It's mostly composted turkey poop.

The thing I have against Milorganite and Sustane is the odor and the fact that they both are basically manures.

We used to blend our own organic ferts but now use Espoma products. The base for Hollytone is cottonseed meal (which is acidic) and the base for Plantone is soybean meal. I've also used pure soybean meal straight from the feed bag to the spreader. Espoma makes a Lawn Food that used to be good until they increased the amount of urea in it to the point where it causes excessive lawn growth when it's applied.

[GLAN]

I can get either Espoma or North Country Organics

This being my first year of turning a couple lawns totaly to organics.....I am kinda feeling my way through the products available to me.........and there isn't many...........Truth be told. I haven't realy looked to hard......just what is available where I get all my other chemicals.

I will say this though........I am totaly impressed with organics

And Compost tea is the cats meow

[LandArts]

Go organic for a year and turf disease problems will usually disappear completely.

[Fine Edge]

Well, I hate to throw a kink in things but I live in the country next to fields of corn, wheat and soybeans. These crops are fertilized with turkey and chicken poop, just broadcast over the entire field.
They are also fertilized with some type of liquid fertilizer a couple of times which I don't believe is totally organic.
So, now your wheat, corn and soybeans are used to make many products that we all stick right in our mouths, chew up & swallow.
How does that "organic" soybean burger taste now?

I'm not sure of the quantity of manure that is processed by these plants but all the fields I pass seem to be growing just fine.

So.... Are the organic fertilizers really organic? Probably mostly organic but let's not forget where some of the base products come from.

[Lanelle]

There's also a brand of products called Cockadoodle Doo made from, yup, you guessed it. It is gaining some popularity here.