Hi - new member and daylily gardener here. I have some new plants coming, plus some existing ones already in the garden, and wondered what is folks favorite fertiliser? It seems a slow release granular is preferred, what brand and ratio do you like? Thanks! - Russ

Soil tests are recommended by almost everyone, and done by almost no one.
I have been recommended 16-4-8 with minors more than any other fertilizer by several hybridizers. Still, the general goal these days for use in the garden for daylilies seems to be a high nitrogen low phosphorous low potassium fertilizer with minors added, and the ph is normally recommended in the 6.6 range. Things like 24-0-5, just an example, I look for what is on sale and reduced the most in lawn fertilizer type products (of course no weed-n-feed products). If you have a few plants costs will not be a problem, but with prices these days if you have a few hundred or a thousand or more daylilies price really matters.
Water will be the key to growing great daylilies and adding organic matter to your soil will also be of great benefit. Those are the two best things I can advise a person to add to their daylily gardens. Fertilizers will help in most cases.

Thanks Larry, I haven't tested the soil yet but will put that on the "to do" list. Soil is very loamy with a lot of organic matter, and I'm sure on the acidic side do to Leyland Cypress and Black Pines being there for years. Other daylilies around the yard planted after a major re-landscaping by the contractor a few years ago do very well, looking to give a little boost to both old and new

For an organic version, I add a combo of alfalfa dust, mixed with lobster compost and Milorganite. I could use alfalfa pellets buts I don't want to encourage any digging among the plants for snacks.

Zoia said: For an organic version, I add a combo of alfalfa dust, mixed with lobster compost and Milorganite.

I'm searching around New Mexico for lobster compost.

Charley

Charley, only in Zoia's world!!
@ras61
I use Alfalfa pellets and meal. Milorganite, slow release varying brands. Adding the lawn fertilizer this year as well.
Depending on how much I paid for a plant, I would throw in a little Mycorrhizae

I use Milorganite on my lawn, so that makes things easy

I place a handful of Alfalfa Pellets and Milorganite in the hole when planting and a bit of Osmocote to the garden soil as well. In early spring I add Osmocote to the entire bed. I have small beds making the Osmocote cost effective.

Pat236 said: I place a handful of Alfalfa Pellets and Milorganite in the hole when planting and a bit of Osmocote to the garden soil as well. In early spring I add Osmocote to the entire bed. I have small beds making the Osmocote cost effective.

Why both Milorganite and Osmocote?

Hey, you lobster compost naysayers! It actually has a pretty wide distribution on the Upper East coast, I've seen it from Maine down to NJ. I'm not sure how much farther or further West though. It also has crab in it! Lovely stuff…

Zoia,
I decided to give some a go this year. Not the compost, but soil amendment.
I figure you must be adding something to your soil to get Stephanie Returns to go wild, so I figured this may be the secret ingredient. (it is high in calcium - perhaps calcium is the key to spotty daylilies?).

I think I got one similar to this:
https://www.groundworkshydro.c...
The problem is this one actually smells like lobster. So the squirrels like to dig, thinking there is food there.

OMG, I am glad I can't get anywhere near lobster compost. I am allergic to lobster (and crab and shrimp), and the smell makes me sick.

I use homemade compost spring and fall to feed daylilies. When I plant a new one, I amend the soil with horse manure. I get plenty of that free.

This year I added a handful of Milorganite to each plant--first time I've ever tried any commercial fertilizer.

I also tried Milorganite for the first time this year, Nan.
Although, I did not add it by hand (made from human poop ).
That stuff also stinks really badly. Still, that may cancel out the lobster food smell for some animals, I hope.

I wore gloves. I don't touch anything like that with my bare hands, but I assume the stuff is sterilized before being sold.

It is ( Milorganite ).The lobster compost ( made by the same people) is compost so it doesn't smell like anything except nice dirt, as compost should.

I also use Milorganite and it's very useful as a deer repellent (that smell serves a purpose). And yes, I believe there's a high temp process used when manufacturing it. Some even use it on their vegetable gardens.🤨

In reading up on Milorganite, it is actually the dried microbes from waste water, so it's not human poop, but that's where the microbes are pulling the NPK from. It also contains "forever chemicals" (PFAS) and heavy metals like lead. Whether this is dangerous on your lawn or flower bed seems debatable, but I personally wouldn't use in fruit or vegetable gardens

ras61 said: Why both Milorganite and Osmocote?

Osmocote has a NPK ratio of 15-9-12 which my daylilies love. It also has trace elements and minerals. The Milorganite which helps my foliage maintain the green healthy leaves has a NPK ratio of 6-4-0 which means it doesn't contain phosphorus.

Sometimes my local Home Depot doesn't have Milorganite in stock , but they always have Osmocote.

I wouldn't use Milorganite on any edibles either. Forever chemicals is all over the planet. Good old man doing his thing to the ecosystem.