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Information about selecting and calibrating commonly available lawn spreaders.
The information should make it easier for anyone using a fertilizer spreader to select an appropriate type of spreader and to obtain optimum performance from the selected spreader. This bulletin summarizes 24 years of design, study, research and teaching about fertilizer spreaders. (PDF format only)
A relatively new class of products in the commercial grounds maintenance industry is the self-propelled spreader and/or sprayer. This kind of equipment can potentially reduce the effort required to apply fertilizer or pesticides to lawns, but it comes at a substantial cost and will require some trade-offs in operating mode.
When you buy a bag of fertilizer or granular pesticide to spread on your lawn, it will usually have a label on the back of the bag with settings for several common fertilizer spreaders. Do you know where those settings come from, how they were developed or how reliable they are?
Some rotary spreaders can deliver a reasonably uniform distribution pattern with some products, but not with others, and some homeowner rotary spreaders don’t deliver a good pattern with any product.
A relatively new class of products in the commercial grounds maintenance industry is the self-propelled spreader and/or sprayer. This kind of equipment can potentially reduce the effort required to apply fertilizer or pesticides to lawns, but it comes at a substantial cost and will require some trade-offs in operating mode.
Some spreader experts and some spreader and granular material operating instructions advise you to go over your lawn twice when spreading fertilizer or granular products, with the two trips over the lawn made at right angles to each other. Don’t do it!
In some situations, a hand-cranked spreader is more practical than a wheeled model. When spreading granules in nurseries, beds of flowers and ornamentals, and other restricted areas, a wheeled spreader can be difficult or impossible to use. Hand- or strap-carried, hand-cranked spreaders are a viable option in such cases.
A simple hand spreader is often the best tool for applying granular fertilizer or pesticides.
People tend to walk at different speeds. When you are pushing a spreader, this difference in walking speed can cause problems.
Some high-quality plastic spreaders have precision equivalent to the better homeowner metal spreaders. There is a tremendous difference in performance among brands and models.
A good lawn spreader is a precision tool and should be treated accordingly. Your lawn spreader doesn’t need a great deal of time-consuming maintenance, but a few simple steps can preserve the life and precision of your spreader.
The information should make it easier for anyone using a fertilizer spreader to select an appropriate type of spreader and to obtain optimum performance from the selected spreader. This bulletin summarizes 24 years of design, study, research and teaching about fertilizer spreaders. (PDF format only)
