Its high solubility in water makes it useful for liquid application, and it has a much lower risk of causing fertilizer burn than other chemicals such as calcium cyanide or ammonium nitrate.
[1] Sulfur-coated urea, or SCU, fertilizers release nitrogen via water penetration through cracks and micropores in the coating.
The particles of fertilizer may in turn be sealed with wax to slow release further still, making microbial degradation necessary to permit water penetration.
Another disadvantage has to do with the relatively large particle size of sulfur-coated urea fertilizers, which makes their use on closely mown surfaces like putting greens impractical.
However, more recently, materials with smaller particle sizes have been developed, permitting the use of sulfur-coated ureas on putting greens.