Comparing Bamboo Fertilizers

We decided to do a comparison of Milorganite and Scott's Organic Choice Lawn Fertilizer for our bamboo (which is technically a grass!). We chose three Harbin Inversas and three Bissetii and randomly assigned one of each variety to receive either a cup of Milorganite, a cup of the Scott's Organic Choice, or no fertilizer. The before pictures are below, taken March 17, 2013.

Bissetii Before: (left-to-right)  No fertilizer, Organic Choice, Milorganite 

Harbin Inversas Before: (left-to-right) No fertilizer, Organic Choice, Milorganite

We don't know whether fertilizer makes much difference for bamboo. Some of the healthiest bamboo we have seen are growing wild in huge groves. It's such a hardy plant and our beds are supplemented with composted rabbit manure already. But after the winter, our plants are looking pretty beaten, and we wondered whether they might recover faster with the help of some fertilizer. 

Milorganite (NPK= 5-2-0) from the words Milwaukee Organic Nitrogen is recycled biowaste from the Milwaukee sewage treatment system. It has been around since the early 1920's and is popular as a lawn fertilizer. It contains iron, which leads to faster greening, although not necessarily faster growth. It's the nitrogen that helps the growth, as I understand it. Some tests show Milorganite is free of pathogens; it is heat-dried at a high temperature. I am all for supporting this kind of recycling effort, although I have not used it on my vegetables because there is some controversy about the safety of it for edibles. However, if you spend enough time on the internet, there is controversy about safety for just about anything (tap water, manure, wood mulch, watering cans, hoses, rain barrels, you get the idea), even products that are labeled as organic. I read as much as I can stand, but most of the time there is no clear answer and I make a pragmatic choice.

Scott's Organic Choice lawn fertilizer was the comparison (NPK=11-2-2). It is not a synthetic product, so won't burn plants. It is low on the odor factor (Milorganite is stronger). It's made mainly from feather meal, bone meal, and blood meal. Our dog loves to get into it. It costs about the same per pound as Milorganite. We used it last year on the bamboo, but since they all got a dose, we don't know if it made a difference.




We will post the results of our little experiment after shooting season. Does anyone have any experience with these two products? We'd love to hear your thoughts.