DEF as lawn fertilizer? DEF vs liquid fertilizer and liquid iron

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

Cheaper than DEF! The cheapest fertilizer! kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXmvf2tugc2go68

[@pats300zx]

Always add in iron with my DEF sprays. I typically spray early evening and let it sit overnight and run my irrigation in the morning.

[@dnotso4574]

I've put on 2 light doses of DEF over the past 3 weeks. I have NOTICEABLE improvement. And I'm doing 5 acres of yard. Probably the best looking yard I've had in 5 years. Lighter coats with a little more frequency is better than a heavy dose. (you never know what mother nature will throw at you). Also...you need to water it in. Nitrogen is not absorbed by the leaves, but rather thru the roots.

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

That’s what I figured, how long did you wait after application to water? I just gave it a quick squirt with the hose. And I did have a lot of rain that week I think everything got washed out

[@kbrown4023]

@dnotso4574 what are you using to spray and how much are you mixing? I have about 4 acres I treat wanting to switch to DEF and iron. I have a 25 gallon pull behind sprayer

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

@@kbrown4023your better off mixing up your own urea for an area that large, it’ll be cheaper too check this new video Cheaper than DEF! The cheapest fertilizer! kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXmvf2tugc2go68

[@stevewalker9888]

I would consider cutting the grass. You have approx 4 inch’s of grass length if not more. That would stop the product from reaching the ground. Also I concur what another commenter said about the iron in one mix but not both. But I’d defo cut the grass short. Thanks for taking the time to share your content. I have wondered as I’ve seen the same about the def or ad blue ( uk). Thanks for

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

Thank you for the comment I’ll consider cutting it shorter when I retry the experiment though I was under the impression that the def was supposed to be absorbed by the grass leaves instead of the ground. I’ll do a little more research for the next video. Thanks for watching!

[@localppc242]

@@AllDIYNoSkills You are correct. DEF does not need to get down to the roots. Its a fast release, fast acting, fert. Does not last very long.

[@johnbyington5039]

Please do consider rechecking and/or repeating the experiment. Did you say where you are and when you did the experiment? Thanks for sharing.

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

Jersey lawn, application was 5/13, checked back on 5/17

[@peterscanlon9727]

I’d like to see next week’s results!

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

Honestly I think the results got screwed up because I ended up with a ton of rain that week and I think it messes up the whole test. I may have to redo the experiment

[@JoshOBryan]

walmart sales a cheaper version of DEF, same concentration and size for $8.88.

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

Yes I did a video comparing the costs including the Walmart version

[@DetroitLew]

Confirmed. My mid-Michigan Walmart was $9 in June '24 for the familiar blue jug.

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

@@DetroitLew agreed I did a follow up video with the Walmart def as well comparing the prices

[@patricksquires77]

Tractor Supply has “Traveler” 2.5 gallons for 7.00$ Thats close to buying the granuals but easier storage.

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

Is that the same as DEF? I just never heard of it that’s why I’m asking

[@patricksquires77]

@@AllDIYNoSkills google “traveller def”

[@StratOvation]

I'm curious why you added the iron to the fert but not to the DEF? It would be a better comparison to either use iron on all 3 or none. Thanks for the cost per oz. breakdown, I was surprised to see such a wide margin in cost/1k sq. ft.

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

So I wanted to see how the DEF compares to what I normally put down but I think everything got screwed up because it ended up raining all week so it might have washed everything out. I also want to clarify the math a little more because it may not be a clear reflection of the nitrogen costs and comparison

[@billiebobbienorton2556]

OK, looks like no change.

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

Yup I didn’t see a difference

[@manuelvelasco8394]

Did the fert and iron plot also get watered in? From several videos i've watched, its been said that the IRON should not be watered in. Otherwise it will take longer to see results. But DEF has to be watered in ASAP.

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

So no the fert and iron plots did not get watered in initially. The recommended application rate of the fert I used is pretty low nitrogen for the area but that night and the rest of the week it rained a lot so my guess is everything got washed out and ruined the experiment which is why there was no noticeable difference.

[@manuelvelasco8394]

@@AllDIYNoSkills any chance of re doing the experiment? or have you noticed any different results after the rain?.

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

@@manuelvelasco8394 yes I am planning on redoing the experiment in the future. I also made a video with more accurate math on the nitrogen in fertilizers

[@CTheTechGuru]

Yea I didn't chance letting DEF sit, however i did apply with some chelated iron along with DEF and a little surfactant and watered it in immediately. A month ago I also previously in the evening did a foliage app of iron and watered it in in the morning. Honestly the green up was almost the same when i watered the iron in with the DEF. I did 12 Ounces for 2500 sq feet. They recommend 8 oz per 1000 sq feet, expensive lol.

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

@@CTheTechGuru see when I do liquid iron and my other liquid fertilizer I don’t worry about watering in right away. I did video with the math but I am also planning on going over more math.

[@Caulmare]

You need to use a high volume sprayer I think maybe. Those low pressure back packs are good for weeds and pests but not enough volume for fertilizer use. Just my opinion though

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

Actually if you practice your pacing you can put down the right amount of product which is usually measured in gallons per 1000 square feet

[@pacman1792]

Not even close to a fair comparison since DEF is only Nitrogen.... So you sprayed just Nitrogen in one plot & super charged the already good fertilizer with Iron which is where you get most of your dark green from 😂😂

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

Agreed which is why I’m in the works to make a more correct video in terms of the math and also in comparison results

[@SmooveBee1]

It has about .9 lb of N per gallon, this DEF, assuming that the 'urea' is UAN28. The rest is water.

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

@@SmooveBee1 correct that’s what the new math I did works out to about

[@bretmizera9600]

The fact we saw no conclusive results means your experiment was skewed by the rain. You added iron to your "fertilizer" but not the DEF. There should have been a clear difference since iron will boost photosynthesis (making the grass greener). Next time take out the iron from both leaving an actual apples to apples comparison and do it with no rain in the forecast.

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

Correct the rain screwed it all up. Already planning a follow up video, maybe just def alone to see if there is a difference between treated and not

[@bretmizera9600]

@@AllDIYNoSkills I've been using DEF in my lawn spoon feeding every two to three weeks the last two seasons. I wouldn't say they're extraordinary results but it's been good. Then add iron and I've got the best looking lawn on the block. It's a good "poor man's" lawn regimen.

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

@@bretmizera9600 try getting some urea and mixing your own def, 0.5 pounds urea per gallon gives you same nitrogen content per 1000 sq ft and much cheaper. Probably going to do a video tomorrow about that and the cost

[@fallingspeaker]

Is your comparison taking into account pounds of nitrogen per 1000sf? Looks like you’re only comparing application rates?

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

So it was by application rate which upon reflection does not accurately represent the nitrogen per pound which I will remedy with a new video and more accurate numbers

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

Cheaper than DEF! The cheapest fertilizer! kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXmvf2tugc2go68

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

Cheaper than DEF! The cheapest fertilizer! kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXmvf2tugc2go68

[@PhilDietz]

DEF looks darker than the control for sure.

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

Hmm I didn’t notice I’ll have to check back this week. I think I’m going to redo the experiment in a couple weeks to see if there’s better results

[@Efferri]

Why would you add iron to the fertilizer but not to the DEF? DEF doesn't contain iron.

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

I wanted to compare just def to what I normally use, but the experiment was tainted by too much rain over the week

[@Efferri]

@@AllDIYNoSkills Ahh, I gotcha. It happens👍

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

@@Efferri I’m going to retry in a couple weeks but I’m going to do just def vs no treatment to see if we can notice a difference

[@Efferri]

@@AllDIYNoSkills I'll be interested to see the results

[@AllDIYNoSkills]

@@Efferri me too because everyone keeps claiming that DEF is like a cheap wonder drug for the lawn but I did a cost analysis video which shows it’s not the cheapest. Compared to urea even the Walmart brand is a lot more. In that video I used the granular application rate for urea which yields 4x more nitrogen per 1000 square feet. If you dilute it and do a liquid application for the same rate of nitrogen per 1000 of 0.2 lbs nitrogen as DEF your at less than half the price of the Walmart brand