Spreaders For Fertilizer, Grass Seed, and Ice Melting Materials

Drop Spreader on the left and Rotary Spreader on the right

There are two kinds of spreaders illustrated below. One is called a “rotary” spreader (both on wheels or a hand model) and the other is called a “drop” spreader. The “spread” whatever material you are spreading in two different patterns as you can see in this line drawing.

We recommend having a hand-held spreader in the tool shed or garage because it is inexpensive and is handy for spot jobs. If we had to choose we would use the “rotary” type of spreader because it avoids missing spots in the lawn. The “drop” spreader is a bit more accurate in terms of knowing where your fertilizer or grass seed is going.






Scotts Speedy Green 3000™ Broadcast Spreader
This is a deluxe model broadcast spreader for large lawns; there are others for smaller lawns. Sometimes called a “rotary” spreader, it is effective in getting uniform coverage of either fertilizer or grass seed. With the rotary action the throw pattern of the fertilizer "feathers" out along the edges so that the margins of each pass blend together uniformly. This hopper holds more than 10,000 sq. ft. of lawn fertilizer.



Hand-Held Spreader by Scotts
This is also a “rotary” or “broadcast” spreader for spreading grass seed in small areas. This product comes fully assembled and ready-to-use. Uniformly spreads lawn fertilizer, grass seed, and ice melt. It is rustproof.






Drop Spreader By Scotts
This type of spreader is designed to “drop” seed or fertilizer straight down into the lawn It has variable holes and a turning agitator device that allows for adjusting to particle size or amount to be spread in one pass. It allows for more precise spreading of materials than does the rotary type spreader. To avoid making obvious "fertilizer stripes" in the lawn with a drop spreader divide the fertilizer supply in half and set the spreader to apply at one half the recommended rate. Then cover the lawn twice, pacing the pattern of the second application perpendicular to the first one. While it is not necessary with a rotary spreader, the technique of spreading half, then the other half of the fertilizer in different directions is still a good idea. It takes more time, but the coverage is much more uniform.

These spreader products can be found in most independent garden centers or home centers.

For More Information
See the file on Fertilizing The Lawn or the file on Overseeding The Lawn