FERTILIZER
SPREADER INFORMATION:
You have a choice in the way you can spread fertilizer on turf grass:
- With
a drop spreader that you push like a lawnmower.
- A
broadcast spreader that can either be pushed like a lawnmower
or hand-held and "cranked" like an old-fashioned coffee grinder.
- By
the handfuls.
We
recommend either of the first two: the drop spreaders. With them,
you have reasonably certain control over the amount of fertilizer
being dis tributed on the lawn. With hand broadcast method, distribution
is almost a guessing game and there is a wide margin for error-such
as burning out the grass from too much nitrogen.
The
push-type spreaders have adjustable settings which amount to a notched
bar that sets the opening for the fertilizer in the bottom of the
hopper. You simply match the setting (a number) on the hopper to
that on the fertilizer package. Some hand-held spreaders can be
set in a similar way.
Spreader
maintenance is extremely important. After each use-without fail-the
spreader must be washed thoroughly with a garden hose at full blast
and then dried. Fertilizer attracts corrosion and if the spreader
is not completely cleaned, the parts will rust almost immediately.
Even if the hopper of the spreader is plastic, the working parts
are metal and need to be cleaned and then dried before the spreader
is stored.
Drop
Spreader-
With a drop spreader, first lay two strips of fertilizer at each
end of the area. Then, in single strips, distribute or "fill" in
the area with the fertilizer. The trick is not to overlap or underlap
the strip series. Shut off the hopper at the end of each strip laid.
The
completed end strips lets you turn the spreader, after you shut
it off, without overlapping the end areas. We recommend that you
use moveable stakes that you drive into the ground for the proper
spreader alignment as you strip lawn.
Avoid
overlapping strips and take special care so you don't. Use stakes
and even chalk line, if necessary. Some spreaders are equipped with
a powdered chalk marker that keeps rows even. Although it costs
extra, it's well worth the money.
When
you start with a strip, keep moving at an even gait. If you don't
the fertilizer will be thick in one spot and thin in another spot.
The grass won't grow properly in the thin spots; the grass will
burn out and turn yellow or brown in the thick spots.
Your
lawn will look like a series of hairpin turns if you do not keep
the rows even. One trick to know is to keep one spreader wheel inside
the previous track. The spreader will crush grass slightly so you
can see.
Hand
broadcasting-
Walk the lawn slowly, marking with stakes or your eye where you've
cast the fertilizer. Work in parallel strips first. Then criss-cross
these strips at right angles. Try to keep the application as even
as you possibly can.
Hand-held
broadcasting machine. This inexpensive equipment flips out the fertilizer
as you turn a hand crank device. The trick is to walk in straight
parallel lines and turn the crank at an even rate. The equipment
will throw fertilizer 15 ft. or so.
Fertilizing
via sprayer-
You can use a liquid fertilizer and distribute it with a garden
hose connected to a spraying device. Here, walk in a straight line
and spray the liquid back and forth as you go down the line at a
fairly slow pace.
