Weighing The Cost of Fertilizer

I’ve been very humbled by the attention my video, “No More Milorganite (For Me),” has received. It’s been very interesting to see the responses it’s garnered in the comments section.

One comment that’s been consistent has been around the points I mentioned about price. Price was definitely a factor in my decision to stop using Milorganite, but not usurped by the fact that my soil test indicated high levels of phosphorus. I take full responsibility for those high levels, because admittedly, I was over-applying Milorganite. I was eager to use the product, and I was absolutely addicted to the results. But, like I said in the video, I still think it’s a great product, and I have no problem with it or the company.

Now, back to price. When you consider your options for fertilizer, there are two general ways you can look at it. The most common way is this:

Calculating By Cost Per Pound of Product

When I filmed the video, Milorganite was on average $16 for the 32 pound bag.

$16 / 32lb = $0.50/pound of product

By comparison, Yard Mastery’s Flagship fertilizer sells at $65 for a 45lb bag.

$65 / 45lb = $1.44/pound of product

Now, at first glance that might seem like a drastic price difference. However, I think there is a much clearer way to calculate what you are actually paying for when it comes to fertilizer.

Calculating By Cost Per 1,000 Square Feet

When we apply fertilizer, or really anything to the lawn, we calculate how much we use against increments of 1,000 square foot areas. Let’s take the same products, but calculate how we are paying to cover each 1,000 square foot section. Same products. Milorganite and Flagship.

A $16 bag of Milorganite covers 2,500 square feet.

$16 / 2,500 sq. ft X 1,000 sq. ft = $6.40/1,000 sq. ft.

A $65 bag of Flagship covers 15,000 square feet.

$65 / 15,000 sq. ft X 1,000 sq. ft = $4.33/1,000 sq. ft.

See the difference? Now of course the cost per 1,000 sq. ft. will fluctuate with the price of the bag, but in my opinion this (the cost per 1,000 sq. ft.) is really what’s worth considering.

To bring this home, if you, like me, are taking care of roughly 10,000 square feet of grass, that calculates to $64 per application for Milorganite and $43 per application of Flagship.

One other thing to consider with the Flagship, or any other product found on my website, is that the price also includes shipping costs. So on top of paying less per 1,000 square feet compared to Milorganite, that lower cost is also buying you the shipping to your front door. Pretty good, ya?

Now, the main point of that video was much more than price. I wanted to convey what I had learned from my soil test, and what steps I am taking to fix the surpluses and deficiencies found therein. Knowing what my soil needs, and further learning to apply those products properly gives me much more confidence knowing that I can potentially get similar if not better results with less input, and that’s the desired outcome I’m going for.

Applying fertilizer is gratifying and therapeutic for me. I’m always interested to learn about and have opportunities to try new products. There is great value in learning, and that’s part of the fun.

*Special thanks to Justin, The Lawn Whisperer, for some math assistance and for providing inspiration for this post.