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These expert-recommended lawn spreaders help you keep your lawn lush and healthy. 3 Point Hitch Rototiller
To grow a lush and verdant yard that’s the envy of your neighbors, you’ll need to feed your grass a heaping helping of fertilizer. A fertilizer spreader can help make sure that your plant fuel reaches every inch of your lawn and nourishes every blade of grass.
If you’re in the market for a new spreader this year, there are plenty of options to choose from, including small handheld models for fertilizing garden beds, push-behind broadcast and drop spreaders for front and back yards, and large tow-behind models for those NFL-sized fields. If that sounds daunting, don’t sweat it: We’ve fertilized our fair share of lawns, and we can help you pick the best fertilizer spreader for your home.
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Broadly speaking, fertilizer spreaders fall into one of three categories–broadcast spreaders, drop spreaders, and handhelds. Like its winter weather twin, the salt spreader, the right fertilizer spreader for any specific job largely depends on the size of the yard or field you plan to fertilize.
Broadcast spreaders get their name from the rotating plate that throws or “broadcasts” fertilizer all around as you push or tow it. A good broadcast spreader sends fertilizer several feet to either side as you walk, so it covers a lot of ground with each pass. That said, their power and size can vary quite a bit. There are versions for small yards, large yards, and even towable models you can attach to a lawn tractor or ATV for very large fields.
We primarily recommend rotary spreaders for tending to wide-open spaces like yards. While they allow you to cover a lot of ground quickly, the rotating spinner on a broadcast spreader isn’t very precise. If you buy one that’s too powerful, you might find yourself cleaning fertilizer or seed off nearby walkways, patios, flower beds, and vegetable gardens. Thus, most broadcast spreaders are best suited for lawns that have few flower beds, gardens, and walks to navigate around.
Drop Spreaders release a wave of fertilizer or seed directly below them, creating a path as you push them around the yard. As a result, they’re much more precise than broadcasting rotary spreaders, but it may take longer to fully cover an area.
That said, it’s definitely the better option if you want to make sure to cover your yard “wall-to-wall.” You can easily fertilize or reseed grass along the edges of driveways, flower beds, and gardens without worrying about overspraying. Like rotary spreaders, there are push-behind drop spreaders for larger and smaller yards, including towable options for gigantic spaces.
Handheld spreaders are the smallest and most affordable option. They’re very easy to use and light enough to carry around, but have limited range. To use one, you simply lift the spreader above the area you want to reseed or fertilize and turn a crank or pull a trigger to disperse the materials. This spreader’s small size, manual operation, and limited coverage make it ideal if you’re treating small patches of grass, landscaping beds, or gardens. Obviously, though, it’s not a great fit for treating a lawn.
Finding a spreader that can hold enough material to manage your lawn without frequent stops for refills can be a bit confusing. Manufacturers measure fertilizer spreader capacity, or how much material they can carry, using two units of measurement–the weight of the fertilizer or seed, and/or the approximate amount of soil you can cover with a full load, measured in square feet.
Picking a spreader based on how much land you need to cover requires a little bit of planning. Generally speaking, if you’re treating small swaths of grass, gardens, or individual landscaping beds that span no more than a couple hundred square feet, a handheld spreader will do. The smallest push-behind spreaders, which carry around 15 pounds, will work for small to medium-sized lawns of around 5,000 square feet. Mid-sized push-behind spreaders that carry 60 lbs are suitable for yards and lawns of up to 15,000 square feet.
The largest push-behind models, which can hold up to 80 lbs, can handle up to 20,000 square feet, or enough to handle the grass on a half-acre property. Large 40-inch wide towable spreaders, of course, can hold much, much more. Look for one if you need to seed or fertilize an acre or more.
Before you go out and measure your lawn, keep in mind that these measurements are approximations, not guarantees. The amount of soil you fertilize on a single run will vary based on your distribution setting. The more fertilizer you spread with each step or turn of the crank, the less ground you’ll be able to cover before needing a refill.
A spreader’s capacity and physical size are obviously linked, but make sure to take an extra moment to look at the overall size of the spreader. It might be tempting to buy a large, powerful spreader that can cover every green area on your property without refilling, but keep in mind that a larger spreader may not be as precise, and will take more space to store. We recommend looking for a unit that’s large enough to cover your yard after a few refills.
To pick the best fertilizer spreaders, I used my experience with a broad range of models, including numerous Scotts broadcast spreaders for small to medium-sized yards, up to larger tow-behind drop spreaders for acre-sized swaths of grass. To complement my first-hand testing, I scoured product guides from home and garden experts at publications like Better Homes & Gardens and The Spruce. Whether you only need to fertilize a few small garden beds in your yard or are treating a lawn that qualifies as a pasture, our list includes the best fertilizer spreader for the job.
The Scotts Turf Builder EdgeGuard DLX gives you greater control over where you’re distributing fertilizer or seed than most broadcast spreaders. Its namesake “EdgeGuard'' feature allows you to cut flow to the right side of the hopper so you can reach the edges of your yard without spreading seed or fertilizer on gardens and walkways as you pass by.
Scotts offers EdgeGuard on many of its spreaders, but this model stands out because it allows you to easily toggle it on the fly with a lever on the handlebar. This way you don’t have to stop and change settings as you approach a walk, driveway, or flower bed.
We also like Scotts simple controls, which prevent you from releasing too much fertilizer. With all that, and a reasonable sub-$100 price tag, the Turf Builder EdgeGuard DLX is an easy choice for many homeowners.
This push-behind model from Scotts is very affordable, but still delivers a decent amount of material, thanks to its 5,000-square-foot capacity hopper. As with our top pick, this model features Scotts EdgeGuard, which allows you to run the machine along the edge of your yard without sending seed or fertilizer onto the street or landscaping.
Unlike more upscale models, however, you’ll have to stop to turn this feature on or off. We also love the easy-to-read instructions on the rear of the unit, eliminating any confusion about its operation. The EdgeGuard Mini is compact, inexpensive, and very effective.
If you have a large yard to feed then you’ll need a spreader that’s up to the task, and the Chapin Professional Turf Spreader has got the goods. Its large hopper can cover up to 20,000 square feet with fertilizer in a single run, so you won’t have to make frequent pit stops to reload fertilizer or seed.
Its 14-inch pneumatic tires roll more smoothly and easily over terrain than those equipped with plastic wheels. It also features controls that allow you to widen the spread pattern for large swaths of grass or tighten it to avoid hitting garden beds and walkways. A heavy-duty steel frame will keep it rolling for many seasons, though some customers complain it makes the spreader heavier and harder to maneuver.
You’ll pay a premium for this pro-level broadcast spreader, but its performance, capacity, and sturdy construction make it a worthy investment for anyone with a vast yard to fertilize.
If you’re looking for a straight-forward drop spreader, the Scotts classic keeps it traditional. Releasing a 22-inch-wide wave of material, you can control exactly where you’re seeding or fertilizing, which makes it a great fit for smaller yards broken up by walkways and flower beds. After the initial calibration process, it’s easy to control the flow using a dial right on the handle, which allows you to easily make any adjustments without bending over.
While it doesn’t have the capacity of larger walk-behind options, the battery-powered Scotts Wizz is far and away the easiest spreader to use among our picks. Just load up, grab the handle, and squeeze the trigger to spray your lawn and garden. Like our top picks from Scotts, it features EdgeGuard, which allows you to drop fertilizer or seed precisely in your flower beds without getting messy.
It’s one drawback is power: The Wizz requires four AA batteries, so you need to make sure you keep a good stock of batteries handy. That said, if you only have a small amount of green on your property or you’re short on space, the Wizz is a perfect handheld spreader.
This gigantic spreader from Agri-Fab is designed specifically for huge jobs that require lots of seed and fertilizer. The universal tow hitch makes it easy to connect to nearly any lawn tractor or ATV. The hopper holds 130 pounds of fertilizer, seed, or ice melt, which is enough to cover 25,000 square feet (roughly half an acre) without a refill.
Its control lever can also be reached from your mower seat, so you won’t need to stop and get off your machine whenever you want to adjust the flow. If you have the need—and the heavy machinery to tow it—a huge spreader like this should save you a lot of time.
This Scotts broadcast spreader uses two spinning rotors instead of one to evenly spread material while you push. The dual rotors give it a broader spread pattern–up to 6 feet wide–so you can cover more ground with each pass. It has incredible capacity, storing enough fertilizer or seed to treat up to 20,000 square feet.
While the plastic tires don’t have the bounce and stability of the pneumatic rubber alternatives on other spreaders, they have enough tread to keep you upright. Plus, you won’t have to worry about them getting punctured and deflating.
The integrated phone holder on the handle is also a nice touch. Scott’s largest broadcast spreader is a great option for those who need to fertilize a larger yard, but don’t want to spring for an expensive professional-grade spreader to do it.
According to lawn care experts, it pays to aerate your yard before you fertilize. Aerating helps to loosen the soil, allowing the fertilizer (along with air and water) to reach the grass roots.
Many homeowners skip aerating because you normally need a second piece of equipment to till the soil, and the extra step takes extra time. Luckily, Brinly makes a combination lawn aerator-fertilizer spreader that should cut down lawnwork by simultaneously boring holes and spreading fertilizer or seed as you tow it.
The Brinly holds up to 100 pounds of fertilizer and measures some 40 inches wide, so it’s an ideal choice for aerating, seeding, and fertilizing large yards–think half an acre or more. Just be careful about over-fertilizing: While it has controls for controlling release rate, they aren’t as user-friendly as the controls you’ll find on other spreaders.
PM: When is the best time of year to fertilize your lawn?
TC: You should fertilize your lawn four times a year to ensure it builds a strong root system that can endure drought, extreme temperatures, mowing, and foot traffic. Starting in the early spring, you should fertilize your lawn every 6-8 weeks. If you time it right, they should take place in the early spring, late spring, summer, and fall. It helps to pick your fertilizer based on the season and condition of the soil each time.
Resist the urge to fertilize too frequently, even if you wind up seeding late. Adding too much fertilizer can dehydrate your grass and burn out your lawn, rather than helping it grow.
PM: Before you fertilize, do you need to prepare your lawn in any way?
TC: There are a few things you can do to prep your lawn for fertilizer. Start by mowing it about three or four days ahead of time. Aerating the yard beforehand will also help the fertilizer better reach your grass’ roots. Consider dethatching your lawn ahead of time, as well, if there’s a heavy layer of straw or anything other than grass. Finally, give the lawn a good watering the night before you fertilize.
PM: What should you do after fertilizing?
TC: After you apply the fertilizer, wait 24 hours to allow it to settle into the lawn then give it a thorough watering. The water will activate the fertilizer and allow it to better absorb into the soil. Watering will also prevent the fertilizer from burning individual blades of grass.
If possible, we recommend waiting until the day after that first watering before you let your kids, pets, or anyone else walk on your freshly fertilized yard.
Tony Carrick is a full-time freelance writer who specializes in technology, home improvement, DIY, home security, and outdoor recreation. He’s tested and written about everything from home security systems to power tools to gas grills. His product guides, how-to articles, and feature stories can be found in such publications as Bob Vila, Angi, U.S. News and World Report, Field & Stream, Futurism, and Switchful. When Tony isn’t writing, he can be found working on his latest home improvement effort at his home in North Carolina.
Bobbi Dempsey is the former owner of a construction and property maintenance business and a die-hard DIYer whose main project these days is her 100-plus-year-old home that’s a never-ending series of home improvement challenges and adventures; she has written reviews, product roundups, and shopping guides about drain snakes, all manner of saws, nostalgic toys, and more. She’s an economic justice fellow at Community Change and a reporting fellow at Economic Hardship Reporting Project. In addition to Popular Mechanics, she has written for a range of publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Muscle & Fitness, and Parade.
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