Best Fertilizer Spreader – Reviews & Buyer’s Guide

It is always eye soothing to have a green and fresh, and beautiful lawn in your yard. However, keeping the lawn green and beautiful isn’t always easy unless you’re using the best fertilizer spreader there is. You have to keep it in check so that the weeds don’t take over your lawn so that insects don’t start breeding so that it always looks green and fresh. However easy it might sound, the work is anything but. Hence, we are here to lend a helping hand to you. We will be providing you with a proper guideline, so the daunting work of looking after your lawn becomes easy and joyful.

So first things first, what does your body need to function properly? The answer is food. The grass in your lawn isn’t much different. It needs food as well. However, since it can make its own food through the process of photosynthesis, all you need to provide them with a little bit of nudge, AKA fertilizers. But why? Let’s answer that fundamental question first.

Does Your Lawn Need Fertilizers?

The answer is yes. For optimum growth, plants need various elements from the environment, and not all of them can be found everywhere. Even when your lawn’s soil is absolutely perfect and contains everything that a plant (or grass) could ever ask for, with time, the plants will absorb all the nutrients from the soil, and slowly the ground will become barren. To prevent that from happening, you need to provide the lawn with adequate fertilizers, and you need to follow a fertilizing schedule.

That is the only way your grass will remain healthy and fresh, which is the first thing you need to have a clean and beautiful lawn. After all, what is a lawn without green, healthy and juicy grass?

What Kind Of Fertilizer Spreader Do You Need?

To fertilize your lawn, the only thing you need except for fertilizers is a good fertilizer spreader. There are three types of fertilizer spreaders available in the market. They are as follows:

1. Push Spreader
2. Tow behind spreader
3. Handheld spreader

Now the question is, what type do you need? If you have a very, very big lawn (Like a golf course, maybe?), it would help if you had a tow-behind spreader. These spreaders are attached to a compatible tow truck or a similar vehicle, and the spreading mechanism starts working when the wheels turn. Hence these spreaders are very suitable for people who have vast lawns.

If you have a tiny weeny lawn, the best option for you is a handheld spreader. These are very handy when it comes to fertilizing a small lawn, and they are great for covering missed spots.

To sum up, you need to consider your lawn’s size before buying an actual fertilizer spreader. It is always important for your fertilizer spreader to be compatible with your lawn.

The Biggest Brand Names

There are some top-rated brands in the market of fertilizer spreaders. These include Scotts, Agri-fab, Earthway, Buyers, Chapin, Brinly, Field Tuff, etc. All of these brands have their own features, and they are all good. But since we don’t want to settle for simply good products, we will be reviewing three of the very best spreaders.

Scotts Wizz – Best Handheld Spreader

Just as we mentioned, this spreader is for small lawns. So if you have a lawn that is 2500 sq-ft or less, then this product is made for you. It is a good, lightweight product that is very easy to use. The spreader is designed to contain just enough fertilizer to cover a 2500 sq-ft lawn. It gives you great control in the tight spots; hence you will be able to fertilize every nook and cranny of your beautiful lawn.

The Scotts Wizz is a great fertilizer spreader. It has all of Scotts’ newest technologies, including the edge guard and handy lock. It has great versatility; hence, it can spread four gardening products- Feed, Seed, Weed, and Melt. It holds enough gardening products to cover a 2500 sq-ft area, and it is battery-powered. Fertilizing your lawn has never been easier.

This product has a user-friendly design that lets you take care of your lawn in four simple steps. Make sure you know the grass type and what sort of fertilizer you should be using. Then fill the spreader with enough product. Set the suitable setting by turning the big, orange dial, and to protect the areas that do not belong to your lawn, turn on edge guard. No, it would help if you walked around while pulling the trigger. It’s easy, isn’t it?

Try using this spreader. It should be worth every penny. And for a spreader costing about 20 dollars, it will do a great job.

Agri-Fab 45-0463 130-Pound – Best Tow-Behind Spreader

Tow behind spreaders is most suitable for huge lawns. After all, it would help if you had a tractor or a suitable vehicle to move this thing. So if your personal golf course needs fertilizers, you could consider using the Agri-Fab 45-0463.

Agri-Fab products are particularly noted for their durability. In that arena, the Agri-Fab 45-0463 is no big exception. It has a sturdy rod linked on/off control with perfect settings. As a result, controlling the machine is very, very easy. It comes with an enclosed gearbox equipped with tapered gears, which help you spread your lawn care products evenly and precisely. To achieve stability on rough terrains, the spreader has large diameter tires equipped with a wide wheelbase.

This particular spreader’s best feature is holding up to 130 pounds of lawn care products. It may not seem much, but the amount is more than enough to cover an area of 25000 sq-ft. In other words, you can fertilize almost half an acre with this spreader. Astounding, isn’t it?

Professional farmers can easily use the Agri-Fab 45-0463. But that does not mean that it is tough for non-professionals to use. In fact, even home gardeners can use this spreader for the perfect growth of their plants. It works with any seeds and fertilizer, and it doesn’t stain or damage your tractor. The metal gears, along with the metal frame, ensures a lasting life. And all of this comes for around one hundred and seventy dollars. All in all, this spreader can be your comrade in your fight for a healthy and beautiful lawn.

Earthway 2150 Commercial 50-Pound – Best Walk-Behind Spreader

Just like any other walk-behind fertilizer spreader, the earthway 2150 is suitable for medium-sized lawns. Like all earthway products, this spreader comes with some features that can blow any gardener’s mind. It has an extended handle, which makes it very easy to walk around while pushing the spreader. The tires roll very smoothly, and since they are big and pneumatic, they can even roll over uneven turfs quite smoothly. Made in the USA, the earthway 2150 has a very well-calibrated setting control, which maximizes the satisfaction from your gardening experience. And as a bonus, you get the looks.

The Earthway 2150 comes with unique EVE-N-Spread technology to ensure the even spreading of your fertilizing products. You can adjust the spreading rate control, and you can adjust the handle according to your height. The spreader can hold 50 pounds of gardening material.

The only con that you might be concerning yourselves with is the expense of this particular product. True, this spreader is a wee bit more expensive than other spreaders available in the market. But when you think of the service, it will provide you with it, and the cost does not seem to be all that much.

To be precise, the earthway 2150 is a really great spreader with great functions. It is definitely worth a try if you want to have a healthy, beautiful lawn.

Scotts Turf Builder EdgeGuard Deluxe Broadcast Spreader

Another fantastic walk behind the fertilizer spreader you might want to look into is the Scotts Turf Builder. It is a very handy and useful fertilizer that will make your work a hundred times easier. Equipped with Scotts supreme EdgeGuard technology, the Scotts Turf Builder will ensure that you are getting maximum efficiency. If you are a perfectionist to your very core, this product is perfect for you. Why? Because it has an ultra-modern control panel with precision rate settings, which will help you control your spreading rate even more accurately. And if you use this with Scott’s lawn food, it can be guaranteed that you will be awed at the efficiency rate.

The Turf Builder is not only technologically advanced. It is beneficial for somewhat big lawns. Since it can hold up to fifteen thousand square feet of lawn care products, it goes without saying that this product is good enough for lawns that size.

Calibration is often an important factor for fertilizer spreaders. All fertilizer spreaders need to be calibrated to perfection. But if you purchase the Turf Builder, you will not have to worry about calibration- because the product is already calibrated and perfectly ready to use.

All in all, Scotts Turf builder is a great choice when it comes to fertilizer spreaders. Give it a try!

Buyer’s Guide – Best Fertilizer Spreader

Using Fertilizer On Your Lawn

We have already discussed why you should fertilize your lawn. But how frequently should you do it? When it comes to fertilizing your lawn, you should always follow a competent schedule. But before you begin, you must know what type of grass you have on your lawn. Depending on your grass type, your fertilizing schedule might vary. Also, determine your lawn size, and you must do a soil test. After you have done all this, it should be easy to determine what kind of fertilizer your lawn actually needs and then fertilize accordingly.

Quick tip- if you have cold season grasses, fertilize heavily in the fall and lightly in spring. If you have warm-season grasses, then start fertilizing when the grass starts to turn green in the spring. For more information, google.

To maximize the fertilizing effect, you should follow a regular schedule. Just google it, and you will find tons of resources on the internet. Always use the internet to your benefit, and pave your way to a greener lawn.

Advantage/Disadvantage of a Fertilizer Spreader

Like everything else, fertilizer spreaders have their own pros and cons. Let’s look a little more into it:

Pros:

1. Fertilizer spreaders are fast and reliable. Suppose it will save you a lot of time and manual labor for a minimal cost. So it is always better to use a spreader to fertilize your lawn.
2. It is always essential to spread your fertilizer evenly. Fertilizer spreaders help you do exactly that. That way, your grass will get the maximum benefit from the fertilizer you are using.
3. You can find great spreaders for minimal cost. Hence, it makes your work a whole lot easier without you having to spend a lot of money. That’s a bonus, don’t you think?

Cons:

1. Fertilizer spreaders aren’t very great when it comes to that little blind spot you have in your garden. To avoid that trouble, keep a handheld spreader handy, or use your hands.
2. Fertilizer spreaders do not work well with clumpy or grainy fertilizers. The mechanism clogs, and you will have to go through extra trouble to make it work again. That is a big disadvantage of fertilizer spreaders.

Nonetheless, these spreaders are definitely worth it.

How to buy:

Buying the perfect fertilizer spreader is not a very hard task. You can look into Amazon.com. They have a wide range of fertilizer spreaders. If that’s not an option, then try your local dealer who sells gardening appliances.

However, before you buy your fertilizer spreader, make sure to explore your options. Determine your budget- decide whether you want a cheap one or an expensive one. Discuss it with experienced gardeners, and check out customer reviews. All these steps will help you find a suitable fertilizer spreader for your lawn.

Maintenance and Troubleshooting:

Maintaining your fertilizer spreader, along with troubleshooting it wherever necessary, can be a somewhat daunting job. But follow the following rules, and you’ll be fine.

1. Oil the moving parts regularly: Parts like grease fittings, chains, and sprockets should be oiled regularly to keep your spreader up and running. Otherwise, there’s a chance that it will get stuck. Doing this properly will also ensure that you’d able to avoid troubleshooting in this regard as well.
2. Empty it before storing: Never leave your spreader out in the open. Before storing it away, make sure that you have emptied the remaining fertilizers and other materials.
3. Keep it dry and clean: Watery residues might make your spreader rusty. So always keep it clean and dry.
4. Keep the chains in check: Chains are a vital part of your pull behind spreader. Oil, fasten or loosen the chains if needed.
5. Change the worn-out parts: For your spreader’s longevity, make sure to check the parts regularly and change them if needed.

FAQ

Conclusion

All in all, a great fertilizer spreader will your greatest friend who will always be with you on your journey to a great lawn. So, it would help if you spent your time deliberating which spreader will suit you the most and get that spreader without hesitation. Think of it as an investment in your lawn. Also, it is better to be safe than sorry.

We hope you can find the best fertilizer spreader for your lawn. May the force be with you.