What Is A Grass Seed Spreader?
Maintaining a healthy lawn can be as simple as taking a few walks through your yard each year with a grass seed spreader. In fact, it is the most efficient way to distribute grass seed fertilizer, weed killer, and other lawn products in your yard quickly and evenly.
To ensure perfect results on your lawn, it is essential that granular lawn care products are applied uniformly and accurately over the whole lawn. This is where a spreader will come in handy. Otherwise, there is the chance of under-application and, even worse, over-application, which can lead to burning and damage to the grass.
Therefore, regardless of whether preparing or maintaining a garden, consider using it to distribute your seeds, plant food, and fertilizer which will be more uniformly than spreading them by hand. You can find many selections available online or at the stores from famous brands like Home Depot spreader, Lowes spreader, and Scotts spreader.
Main 2 Types
Lawn spreaders come in a variety of shapes and sizes with different features. They range from the more basic drop type with a low number of settings to the more professional style drop and rotary type with a wide selection of settings. Each one works well for different kinds of jobs. Some are designed to cover large areas, while others work well for smaller sections.
There are mainly 2 types: broadcast or rotary, and drop spreaders. Both broadcast and drop have bucket-like “hoppers” with adjustable holes that control the volume of seed that goes through. But, these 2 types are different in the way they distribute seed and types of lawn that suit them best.
Both types are push-powered workhorses that share several attributes alike. At the heart of both is a hopper with modifiable holes in the bottom. A gauge installed on the handlebar enables you to establish accurately the dimension of these openings (adhering to the recommended setting noted on the yard products bags), permitting the appropriate quantity of content to exit the hopper uniformly. Alongside the scale, a flow lever controls when the product drops onto the yard by opening up and also closing a plate under the hopper holes. However, both machines have their differences, as well.
Broadcast Spreader
Broadcast spreaders are the best, easiest and most versatile of all the types used in both commercial applications and for the homeowner. They are the choice of the pros. They work best for yards larger than 4,000 sq. ft. They deliver their payload more quickly over a wider area—and without striping the lawn.
All broadcasters work mainly the same way. They have a “hopper” where the grass seed or dry granular fertilizer is loaded. As you push the broadcaster, the drive wheel or spinner turns a rotating impeller plate under the hopper that catches and throws the payload. When the shutoff plate is open, the impeller throws and distributes the grass seed over a wide area. This gives good and even distribution.
Since the yard seed is “thrown” over a wide area, a few trips backward and forward on the lawn are needed to complete the application. It is a smart idea to determine the “throw size” at the beginning. This can be done by taking the spreader for a test run over a dark sidewalk.
Hand-Held, Self-Powered, Push, and Pull behind grass seed spreader
There are 4 types of Broadcasters, from application on small to large areas, which are Hand-Held, Self-Powered, Push, and Pull behind grass seed spreader.
Tow or Pull Behind – Pull behind grass seed spreader works ideally for vast areas of lawns, meadows or sports fields (e.g. golf course). They are designed to broadcast seed over a large area in a relatively short amount of time. Most are designed to attach quickly to lawn and small tractors or ATV. A nice feature of the large units is they can do double duty and put out sand and even some compost.
Push – The push spreader is ideal for larger yards
Hand-Held – This is a perfect one for the homeowner with a small yard and limited storage space. A small hand-crank turns the spinner. The small “hopper” means more refills, but for small applications, it is not an issue.
Self-Powered – These units are found in commercial applications where large areas are being fertilized, but the turning areas may not handle a pull/tow behind or where a push unit would be undersized.
Drop Spreader
Drop spreader applies seed and lawn-care products with greater accuracy. Just like the broadcaster, drop type also have a “hopper”. They lay a trail of material the width of their hopper (less than 24 in.). They work best on small lawns and in yards with numerous flowerbeds, sidewalks or patios where you need to control the spread pattern carefully.
The seed falls straight down to the lawn at a particular application width, so it’s simpler to manage and keep track of the treated area. Its increased accuracy makes them good candidates for lawns that contain planting beds, but the distribution pattern is relatively small, so you may need to make more passes to cover a garden. Remember to align each pass so you do not apply too much product or leave gaps. A distinctive pattern known as striping occurs if you do not cover the area equally. It is good to pay attention to the width of the hopper on a drop spreader. A wider hopper dispenses material in fewer passes.
Grass Seed Spreader Settings
A good grass seed spreader settings can apply just the right amount of seed. The key is to select a model that has a modifiable spread rate setting to deliver the product evenly as well as in exact amounts to the left, right, and center, while applying the recommended volume for your yard size.
To obtain the best results, set the opening size so that the seed can come through at a proper rate. The settings might be numbers or letters; the higher the setup, the bigger the hole. For walk-behind type, their settings are based upon a strolling rate of around 3.5 miles per hour. A consistent speed is necessary for uniform coverage.
Coverage:
To identify just how much you should cover the location, multiply the length of your lawn by its width. This equals your total square footage. Then deduct any non-lawn areas, i.e. home, garden, etc.
Broadcast Spreader Path
For best results, apply in a round path beginning with outside and working towards the center. A little overlap of the product will make certain of full coverage.
Drop Spreader Path
First, use boundary strips along the edge of each end of the yard. After that, apply product along the length of the lawn, overlapping slightly and also shutting off the spreader before turning as you reach the edge of the border strips.
Some of the variables that can influence the rate of application are like spreader problem, the price of a stroll, as well as moisture. Always refer to the product label on the package, together with the application rates and preventive declarations. You may have to readjust settings for proper coverage if scenarios explained on the label are applicable. In all cases, the user ought to review and comply with label instructions before applying any product, and presumes all responsibility when using this setups tool.