Best Organic Lawn Fertilizers: Manure, Meal, and Milorganite

Reader Question: Organic Fertilizer Recommendations for Lawns

"What organic fertilizers do you recommend for lawns? Also, how to use coffee grounds effectively?"

Expert Answer: Coffee Grounds Are Weak—Use These Instead

Coffee grounds contain only ~2% nitrogen and require about 1 cubic yard per 1,000 sq ft (a ⅓-inch layer) to make a measurable impact. Better to compost them with leaves and garden waste, then use the compost in flower beds.

Top Organic Lawn Fertilizers

• Pelleted manure products – Espoma Organic Lawn Food (cow manure), Ringer Lawn Restorer (chicken manure). Easy to spread, low burn risk.
• Composted horse manure – Excellent if well-aged; apply thinly and water in.
• Blood meal – High nitrogen (12-0-0); use sparingly to avoid burn.
• Bone meal – Provides phosphorus for root development.
• Corn gluten meal – 9-1-0 nitrogen source; also suppresses seed germination (natural pre-emergent). Do not use when overseeding.
• Milorganite – Heat-dried microbes from wastewater treatment; 6-4-0 analysis, slow-release, non-burning, adds iron for color.

Application Tips

Apply organic fertilizers in early spring and early fall. Water after application to move nutrients into the root zone. Organics feed soil microbes, which then feed the grass—results are slower but longer-lasting than synthetics.