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Lawn Fertilizer Spreaders are easy to use and help Improve the Health of your Lawn.
Lawn Fertilizer Spreaders are an easy piece of lawn care equipment to use. By using a spreader you can improve the health of your lawn in 2 ways. By using a Lawn Fertilizer spreader you can spread fertilizer pellets or you can spread grass seed. (if you live in area that has snow or ice storms then it can also be used to spread rock salt or ice melt) A good quality spreader will be able to provide you with many years of good service. To find the benefits of fertilizing your lawn click here . If you’re interested on the benefits of seeding your lawn please click here . There is more than one kind of spreader available. So team how do you decide what is best for you? It depends on the size of the area that you wish spread your fertilizer or seed on. There are two main types of spreaders for homeowner use they are broadcast style spreaders or drop style spreaders. In the case of using a broadcast spreader the material to be spread is put in a hopper (open tank) on the top of the spreader. This material then is funneled down to the bottom of the hopper.
As it falls from the bottom of the hopper the seed/fertilizer drops onto a large square plate (not unlike a dinner plate). This plate has slightly tapered outer edges. This plate also has fins attached to it that spiral out from a center point on the plate. This plate spins at a very high rate of speed. As the material drops onto the plate it is thrown off by the plates’ spinning motion. This motion disperses the seed/fertilizer in a circular shaped pattern. The spinning motion is powered by the revolutions of wheels that the spreader rides on. The diameter of this pattern the lawn fertilizer spreader makes can be adjusted to create a larger or smaller zone of coverage.
Due to the forces of gravity there is a greater concentration of seed/fertilizer nearer the center of the zone of coverage than at its’ outer edge. This makes slightly overlapping passes necessary to get an even coverage of the material being spread. A broadcast spreader greatest advantage is the flexibility the pattern size. This size can be as little as a couple of inches or as wide as 12 ft or more. Adjusting the coverage diameter is controlled by numbered gauge. This type of Lawn Fertilizer Spreader is much faster and efficient on larger lawns. There are 2 types of broadcast spreaders. They are powered by gear/wheel combination as discussed above. This combo can be powered by pushing the spreader or by towing behind a lawn tractor. The second type of broadcast spreader is in the form of a hand held version. It operates on the same principals as noted above except that it is powered by hand crank mounted to the side of the spreader. These hand held versions are much smaller than wheel driven models, therefore can only hold a fraction of material in its much smaller hopper. These hand held spreaders are most useful on small lawns. The second type of Lawn Fertilizer Spreader is what is known as a drop spreader. These types of spreaders drop the material directly down from the hopper evenly onto the lawn. Therefore the coverage in any given pass is limited to the width of the drop spreader. (which can be anywhere from 12” to 24” or greater) As an even pattern is achieved, there is no need to overlap passes as indicated when using a broadcast spreader. When it comes to drop spreaders there are only push or tow models. Another drawback of drop spreaders is their smaller pattern of coverage, which greatly increases the amount of effort to cover the lawn. Drop spreaders are not as effective on uneven surfaces their broadcast brothers. The best feature of a drop spreader is the ability to spread material along garden edges and sidewalks with accuracy therefore not wasting material by depositing on areas which don’t require any seed or fertilizer. Special notes for spreading fertilizer/seed: -Make gauge is in the off position. -Adjust the rate material is dropped (gauge) to the required number according to setting indicated on the bag of material being applied.
-Remember to fill the hopper on a sidewalk, driveway or other area than the lawn itself in the event that material is spilled Special notes in spreader patterns: -When using a broadcast spreader make sure to overlap the outer edge of the material spread during the previous pass to prevent missing any areas. -When using a drop spreader use wheel marks left from the previous pass as a guide and overlap the wheel marks to insure that no areas of lawn have been missed. Always remember to clean out the hopper and power wash the spreader. Especially when switching from spreading fertilizer with weed killer to grass seed as it will effect your seed. Always wear rubber gloves when handling any fertilizers or pesticides. The brand I found that has performed very well over the years for me is Agri-fab . It has spread many pounds of fertilizer as well as grass seed. “Keep It Simple to Succeed” lets get out there and make our lawns healthy and green!
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