# Milorganite anybody?



## Tracker83 (Jun 21, 2005)

There was an article in a previous issue of Quality Whitetails about putting milorganite on food plots to keep the deer out for the first couple weeks of growth. If you missed the article, I'll give a quick summary. Milorganite is a fertilizer that is made from human waste. It has a composition rating of 6-2-0. Apparently deer will not frequent a food plot for a few weeks after this fertilizer is put down. Standard practice is to spread it 1-2 weeks after planting as the new plants begin to emerge from the soil. Then you put it down and it protects the plants when they're vunerable. Also it adds nutritional value to the soil. That's the claim.

Has anybody here ever actually tried this approach? The article in QW was backed up by some convincing data, but I'm looking for honest opinions from other sources. Seems to me that if this works it would be an attractive alternative to using something like plotsaver on a small plot that is vunerable to over-grazing. I was thinking about doing all of my planting next weekend and then spreading this stuff on some of my smaller plots in the middle of September. That way by the start of bow season the plots have had a head-start on establishing themselves without heavy grazing, and by then the deer will be starting to use them more frequently.

Any thoughts?


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## chuckinduck (May 28, 2003)

Tracker, I've never used it but I'd be willing to give it a try.........where can you find it?


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## sporty (Jun 24, 2004)

It is not recommended for Ag. application or animal consumption because of the heavy metal contents.


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## answerguy8 (Oct 15, 2001)

sporty said:


> It is not recommended for Ag. application or animal consumption because of the heavy metal contents.


Bay County Waste Water and I suspect others sell off the sludge from their sewage treatment facilities and farmers inject this into their soils.

Why would Milorganite be any different?

BTW: Milorganite = MIL-waukee-ORGAnic-NITrogEn

And if you want to know more of the history of Milorganite try this:
http://www.milorganite.com/residential/about/history.cfm


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## sporty (Jun 24, 2004)

I must be honest, my name isn't the Answerguy8, I'm just reading the packaging. As for Raw sewage being dumped onto fields from septics haulers, I believe that would be a different situation being not processed with chemicals. If it is stated the deer will stay away then think why, maybe there is a reason sorry to have taken the time


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## answerguy8 (Oct 15, 2001)

sporty said:


> I must be honest, my name isn't the Answerguy8, I'm just reading the packaging. As for Raw sewage being dumped onto fields from septics haulers, I believe that would be a different situation being not processed with chemicals. If it is stated the deer will stay away then think why, maybe there is a reason sorry to have taken the time


I wasn't doubting you there Sporty; just wondering what's different about Milwaukee poop.


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## sporty (Jun 24, 2004)

Hello Answerguy,

Sorry about the delay regarding our poop conversation, if you have a chance check this segment out. It is just pros/cons and poop for thought. :tdo12: 
http://www.prwatch.org/prwissues/1995Q3/sludge.html


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## bishs (Aug 30, 2000)

I use Milorganite every year. Meijers sells it. I put it on my lawn a month ago, and it greened up nice. Its often used on golf courses. I put it around my dogwood to keep the deer off. The deer seem to stay off the shrubs. My deer have a lot of farmland and good browse. Heavy deer areas may be a different story.


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## ThumbBum (Oct 13, 2003)

I have used it on my lawn also, I have some buddies who swear by the stuff

When it gets wet it smells pretty bad. So bad in fact that my wife has banned it for household use, so I can believe that deer would avoid a field that was treated with the stuff. 

I spread the remaining bag on one of my BFO attractant plots as fertilizer. *Take a little friendly advise at this point, if you plan to use a large PTO driven spreader with an internal auger to apply this stuff, wear a respirator and get a cover for the hopper * There was a lot of dust, and considering what the stuff is made from :yikes: 

Now that I think about it though, I spread the stuff in early Sept and that plot was a real dud that year. I was atributing it to deer not going for BFO in my area, but now I wonder.


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