DIY Lawn Care - Which Spreader Setting To Use For Fertilizer Applications

Spreader settings - how to choose the right one - for beginners and advanced lawn care enthusiasts alike.
Just during the editing of this, I can see where it may be confusing. I got lucky in that my first guess on setting hit the 3lb/1000 mark pretty close. And that is the point - as a very general rule, that 1/3 of max is going to be near that 3lb/1000 mark. It just kind of works that way but if yours does not, then you use the finding from your first test to dictate the setting you use for your second test... until you dial it in. Use Milo for these tests and use different sections of the lawn. Don't keep hammering the same spot!
anyway...
PPE, it's serious, wear it.
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[@Thelawncarenut]

This week's lawn care podcast kzbin.info/www/bejne/rpDEpKeBj5x7edE

[@rdzed3505]

I keep my Earthway on 12 for everything. Was one told that the easiest way to convert a Scott's spreader setting to an Earthway is add 8 to the setting. So if the suggest setting for a Scott's spreader is 5, add 8 to get the Earthway setting of 13. Never had issues with that rule of thumb. Cheers.

[@ggarza714]

Thanks for your response I just used my edgeguard for the first one today dropping lime & crabgrass preventer I had a 5000 square foot bag and a once over at the 5 setting didn’t seem like it used much. Even at 8 I traversed the yard 3-4 times to empty the spreader. I believe 10 is going to be the setting when I use it on Sunday

[@brickit26]

I wonder if any of your neighbors get anxiety when they see your garage door opening up just knowing they will be dominated all season long.

[@woodnyardjunkie]

Residential spreader for residential viewers! Smart man!

[@BradOffers]

Come on 20minvideo?

[@kevinstewart3778]

Maybe in the next video you can recommend or give your top 3 spreaders based on price and SQFT. Definitely would love to hear your thought process. Example: My lawn is 14k SQFT and I'm in the market for a new one. Quality, performance/Convenience, and price are the basic metrics most people look at. I mean Spyker's are nice, but do I/you really need to pay the premium over an earthway, which may be just as good...?

[@sunnyd6019]

I feel a little bit old school. I rip open the bag, grab handfuls of product and toss around my grass with a beer. No PPE or gloves just roll and go, seems to work for me for 30 years and all. Lawns are not rocket science and you will be just fine.

[@Thelawncarenut]

Here is the scale I used in the video to weigh the fert: amzn.to/2VWsQD1 works just fine for the price.

[@brianbierenga7009]

Thanks! Just ordered one

[@yomammy13]

Yep on order. And I have plenty of buckets to measure the products. Some of the easiest things can be so different for us. I was going to weigh the bag instead of dumping into a bucket...😏

[@Thelawncarenut]

@Robert Murphy smart! Just don't drop and spill the MILO in your bathroom ha ha!

[@benh580]

I never understood why hank hill was so obsessed with his lawn, but now that I have a house, I get it. Thanks for all these informative videos. My lawn is really starting to come together.

[@dougyankunas3104]

My lawn is about 5000 sq ft . I use 2 bags of miloganite for the yard . However, I use a 60 gallon trash can and make a tea . I put both bags in the trash can and add water and a air pump for circulation . Over the course of a week to 10 days, I send the tea through my sprinkler system.

[@bradleyryancreative5112]

How's that been working for you? I tend to throw down the milo but when I need a quick bump I'll dissolve some 34-0-0 and use a hose end sprayer

[@Jeff-ik3hn]

Bradley Ryan Creative what do you use for the 34 0 0?

[@bradleyryancreative5112]

I'll take a look when I get home. I know it was a generic white bag for about $15 from lowes. All I really cared about was the analysis

[@nyyanks2584]

so are we applying Milo always at 3 lbs/1000 sq ft? The bag says 32lbs/2500 sq ft. or is the 3lb rate just a starting point? thanks

[@Moe7133]

He was using the Milo first to set the Earthway. Milo doesn't burn so it's a good product to test for other Fertilizer. You can use Milo with any other fertilizer. Most people set Milo at 8.5 to 9 on the scott spreader. You can even set it max if you have the $$$. Milo now is about $16 per bag. :(

[@silvrbreez]

What do you set your Earthway on for the 12lbs/1000SF Milo app?

[@ShaunGrable]

So we shouldn't pay attention to the throw down rates on the bag. So One bag for my 6k sq ft yard is enough with milo and prio?

[@byronnix1628]

Shaun Grable no what you shouldn’t do is worry about how much the bag covers square feet wise. Because at the bag rate it’s 14.4Ibs/1000Sqf. 14.4x2=36 .864Ibs Nitrogen/1000Sqf Florida rates. 6Ibs/1000Sqf 6x6=36. .36Ibs Nitrogen/1000Sqf What you wanna do is worry about how much nitrogen/1000Sqf. 6-4-0. 12x.06=.72 Nitrogen/1000Sqf 9x.06= .54 Nitprogen/1000Sqf So now we have two Ibs/1000Sqf rates for our nitrogen. 3/4 nitrogen is 12Ibs/1000Sqf 1/2 nitrogen is 9Ibs/1000Sqf. If you live in Florida then your going by the 2500Sqf covers 6000Sqf. That translates to 6Ibs/1000Sqf. Which restricts you to only .36 Nitrogen/1000Sqf. So if you wanted 3/4 pound of nitrogen. Using The 6000Sqf rate for Florida then that’s two bags at 6Ibs/1000Sqf. :) Or 12Ibs/1000Sqf which is how I do in my area. For 3/4 N. Which in return, puts you at the same Ibs/1000 as anybody else would use. This rate puts you at 12Ibs times your square footage of 6000. So 12x6=72 72/36= 2 bags. Really you just go by the Ibs rates for how much nitrogen you want rather then what the bag says it covers. Because that way your using less then the bag rate of 14.4Ibs and therefore saving you money because your using less bags

[@PaulsPrimeCuts]

Excellent content! You’re the best in the business on KZbin! You’re a better man than I am I would have to say that that spreader is the biggest hunk of💩 since SunJoe... luv u man

[@Bluepittt20]

1 a.m bruh 🙂👍

[@mikehunt4465]

You're very good at babbling

[@lawnrebel]

Dirty first

[@trevormuggeridge4560]

Wash it and get a clean first.🧐

[@nicknorr6417]

The only thing I remember from this whole video was the comments putting some ass behind it

[@TheBlazinman]

I've heard that the numbers on the scott spreader is pounds per 1,000 sq ft. So if a particular bag specifies(depending the NPK ratio of the bag) 3.3 lbs per 1,000 sq, a 5,000 sq ft yard should take 16.5 lbs of that product. If I use a starting setting of 5 I would essentially run out before I complete the 5,000 sq ft area. How do you justify saying 5 setting as a good starting point if the spreader settings mean LBS per 1,000 sq?

[@aaronlothamer6618]

This is where I get confused too. Have you came to any conclusions?

[@SanJoseMA]

someone explain something to me please. My yard is 21k sqft I bought a 40lb bag that covers 15k sqft I put it in the mini spreader at the prescribed setting (3.25) I did my whole yard anr barely used a quarter of the bag Did i do something wrong ?

[@DaveD2488]

So I have about a 3000 sqft back yard, I'm putting down some pelletized lime, I could use that 5 to 5 1/2 setting and make sure the pellets reach the tire tracks from each pass I make?

[@raudijuan409]

Allyn love your videos. Another possible video you could make is for those of us without irrigation systems. How to use impact sprinklers and if water timers are useful or just snake oil. Thanks.

[@TheLawnGuardian]

Great tutorial, Allyn! You're an awesome teacher for this community.

[@100Aces]

There’s instructions on the bag for the spreader AND the product AND the type of grass….

[@runout74]

First, I want to say THANK YOU LCN for the updated warm season guide! I am neck deep in it and this is year two that I am using your methods. My neighbor has been working hard on her lawn all Fall and Winter. In just 6 days, my yard went from dormant to beautiful. DOMINATED!!! I just wish I could see her jaw drop. :-)

[@Thelawncarenut]

Thanks bro! glad you are seeing results. Great to hear!!!

[@pathunter7003]

So what I’ve seen on this vid it’s still a big guess on how much of anything you are putting down

[@spencerrogers8726]

I was getting worried we weren’t going to have a Sunday video

[@Thelawncarenut]

barely made it!

[@humanentity2214]

As soon as he said "I'll break this apart to show you this equipment" I left.

[@lawrencethomas7975]

Can you give me some advice why I put Scott weed and feed in my spreader and no matter even I set the hole to the larger the weed and feed fertilizer will not go threw the hole . You think the fertilizer is moist?

[@shawnohalloran1010]

Everyone please watch Scotts Broadcast Spreader Buyer Beware won't buy Scotts ever again!

[@samagnetfisher8405]

Hi Fellow youtuber..just love what your doing here.. Your vlogs are very interesting and quite educational. I love that you take the time to explain what you are doing. Showing my fellow youtubers some love all the way from South Africa 🇿🇦 keep them comming.

[@annettefinkelstein6225]

How do u clean my scotts broadcast spreader? It had residue from a former application.

[@redgar6467]

You think it might be a good idea to test walking at 3,5mph before the test? For those without a device, any tips on measuring that?

[@kevindowe]

Great to see you getting back to basics. Your growth has been phenomenal, but you still manage to tap into the needs of the budget conscious viewers 👍.

[@laurap9956]

THANK YOU for explaining this. It all makes sense now. Appreciate you!!

[@lushlawns8904]

Allyn your teaching to the D.I.Yer is top notch. They few always ruin things for the many. Especially in this day in age. Chin up and you keep doing you and Dominate your neighbors!

[@Thelawncarenut]

thanks bro!

[@lushlawns8904]

I'll support you any way I can. You and a few others really helped me when I got into this industry with the learning curve. I just bought your cool season program to help teach my son the business. He will be attending The LCN KZbin university to get himself started. Thank you for all you do and you make learning enjoyable.

[@tbdh20]

You are in Florida (south) now. Hell strip not parkway. Great content 👍

[@Marquie22]

But I thought it requires 12lbs of milo for 1000 square foot

[@phantomviewer]

It's not just wearing the PPE but practicing some common sense. When applying dusty granulars or liquids try not to be downwind. Stay upwind, don't give it a chance to blow onto you, PPE, or exposed skin/hair. If possible spay walking backwards, staying upwind. Eventually you gotta wash that PPE clothing most only have one washing machine and most will just toss that PPE with other clothing.

[@lushlawns8904]

Remove PPE as soon as you complete the tasks where you were exposed to the pesticide. Wash disposable OR reusable gloves with soap and water, and then remove other PPE while still wearing the gloves. Then wash the gloves again with soap and water before removing them. Clean reusable PPE according to the PPE instructions, without causing contamination to yourself. Washing gloves prior to removal, avoids the contamination shown at right Wash regular work clothes that have been exposed to pesticides as soon as possible to ensure maximum pesticide residue removal. Wash them separately from other laundry using detergent and hot water. Using an outdoor clothesline rather than a dryer may help break down any remaining pesticide residues. If no PPE is required on the pesticide label, it is still wise to wash clothes promptly

[@MichaelRei99]

You just wanted to see how late Connor Ward would wait up to be dirty first for your video! Lol

[@theone2698]

Way to much time talking about other things and not the spreader

[@RLWSNOOK410]

This is blowing my mind that the same setting works for both. So really if you don’t know your exact setting you can find a fert That puts the same weight out as what you’re putting out per 1,000 and use the setting for that to get pretty close 🤯

[@Thelawncarenut]

the idea is to get you in the neighborhood and then you can go by feel and common sense. Then verify that you are good by knowing your square footage and pounds on the ground. Simple!

[@AsLawnandLandscaping]

Not 1st but, 154. Nice video!

[@joeking6309]

I open it up all the way and throw it down!

[@ReelLowDad]

There is a trend lately in the community. It seems we all have our garages at a certain level of organized chaos.

[@Thelawncarenut]

oh yeah I see Connor is catching up too

[@trentburns1753]

You should do like Pan the Organizer and ask people to show their garage to get some organization ideas. Also, LCN can you do a quick video on “quick connect” garden hose connections? Obsessed Garage has some that I have been eying.

[@bigpicturethinking5620]

I just always give it a generous guess. I’ve never had a problem. With any product. Maybe it’s just me.

[@joemarchand8313]

I'm the same way....no need to be overly precise. I put down what I think the lawn needs (with any product). Always seems to work (for 30 years, anyway).

[@BertCollins]

Thanks Allyn for all you do. this is a great video hard to find settings for a Scotts spreader, it's always a challenge.

[@kathyrepak8333]

Annoying you don’t give the number setting

[@bryantlawnservicesunlimite2569]

Very good visual explanation.

[@grierzimmerman6464]

Spreader settings that makes sense!! Thanks for cracking the code for the rest of us!!

[@BakersDIYLifestyle]

Scott's spreaders are terrible. I broke 1 and thinking the pro model with pneumatic tires would be better, I spent 90 bucks I believe. Still plastic everything. Snapped a wheel off after the second application. Don't waste your money. Go with an earthway or other professional brand. You won't regret it

[@Gillysaurxx]

Allyn, watching your videos brings me comfort and reminds me of when i lived in Florida! Keep up the great work buddy, cant wait to see what you got in store for the rest of the year!

[@dorbeas]

This was fantastic. I’ve been so frustrated with my spreader but it’s the poor craftsman that blames their tools. I’m going to calibrate my spreader this weekend.

[@texasmh4973]

Great video Allyn. Thanks for your commitment to the DIY community!

[@bemerbrilliance9030]

I am learning so much from your videos, etc. So, being new to this and having an old lawn that need a lot of help, I plan on putting down my Milo at the 12#/1000 rate, does that mean I set my spreader at 15?...if I was using your spreader for example?

[@djlee1592]

Also interested in this same question

[@djlee1592]

Only thing I can think of is milorganite website says spread it over 2 passes for uniform coverage. So easy app would be to put the spreader to 10-11 for 6lbs/1000sqft and just fill it twice.

[@jareds7144]

Should the setting be a little lower to allow you to do a pass horizontally as well as vertically so you are doing a crisscross pattern for better coverage? Or does that not really matter as much with prodiamine?

[@btm9823]

Jared S I had the same question. Not sure if it is the correct way to use the spreader but that is the way I was taught to get good coverage and not get stripes in the yard.

[@robertb2744]

Yes lower the settings and make passes from several different directions. It will give you better coverage. You should not get all the product down in one pass!

[@jareds7144]

@@robertb2744 I understand that if the setting is too low then the product won't come out evenly, so I understand the setting Allyn has on this. I'm curious what his take on this would be regarding this.

[@robertb2744]

I'm sure too low isn't good. I keep my Scott's spreader on 4.5 or 5 and it seems to come out fine and allows me to make several passes from different directions.

[@usc529]

Can you liquid mix nitrogen+weed killer+bug killers+humic ? or is it better to separate certain application? thanks

[@chillwill97]

What a waste of time GEEZ

[@PJG1710]

HI, GREAT PRESENTATION... i HAVE SCOTT'S DLX EDGEGUARD.. I PUT DOWN BARRICADE THE OTHER DAY WITH A SETTING OF 4, per Southern States local store in ZIP 27253... iS THAT OK..? I have 12K yard. Secondly, pushing it in my yard was a task with those wheels. Can I change them out for larger wheels for a better roll? THANK YOU!

[@Jeppedy]

I must be missing something. Yes, I understand how to calibrate to 3# / 1000. And I’ll accept that large prill and small prill can use the same setting. (Though I don’t get it...) But that’s 3#/1000. Did I miss the pet where you identified how to adjust when you need 1# or 4# per 1000? Do I just do the same basic thing and find the right setting?

[@joW-u3c]

I can finally understand how it works. I will try all these techniques tomorrow.

[@robertjohnston25]

This year i decided to up my lawn-care game and bought a scotts-mini spreader.. Applied some milo and deep green streaked my yard.. yuck.. Tried again with a different fert, lower setting than recommended and did a double pass doing vertical and horizontal.. now i have squares in my yard lmfao.. come to find that the wheels on the spreader are actually blocking some of the spread and a lot of being dropped right in between the width of the wheels... A few youtube videos confirmed that this is a design flaw and not a fault of my own.. I am scared to even try again lmfao

[@davelemberg5602]

I'm confused...the Milo bag says 32lbs covers 2,500 sq. feet. That's way more than 3lbs per 1,000 sq. feet. Am I not understanding properly?

[@bburdine]

Awesome thanks LCN!

[@ronaldharman156]

Any more I can figure that out I want you yesterday it's those broads out there trying to fight it or sell their used spreader for premium price stay with Ace Hardware Home Depot and Lowe's that's a rip-off I'll be goddamn going to help I've got to pay 60 bucks for a used one

[@chrisyoung8062]

Biggest takeaway is the overlap. Seeing the prills land at the wheel marks of the previous pass.

[@grumpus1403]

Might as well be a doctor with the hours we keep in this business. And not to mention the phone calls at all hours with customers experiencing some kind of "emergency". Your yard looks great and the pavers are nice touch.

[@camcam1676]

Thank you so much, Scott’s is not sharing the conversion of the settings on there spreaders. You get by sub

[@edmora7662]

Yes. First

[@therealist1103]

You talk too much. Get to it😂

[@tonygoodwin08]

So, that's for 3 lbs/1000, what about when you need 10 lbs/1000? Do you have to recalibrate it with 10 lbs of product (Milo or whatever), or do you just basically open it up to the widest setting (since it's open 1/3 of the way to get 3 lb/1000) ?

[@neverstopneverstopcruising]

Curious if you would calibrate the "Dual Broadcast Spreader" by Scott's the same way? 4 sets of openings and two spreader wheels. Guessing yes just the spread is further? Hmmmm....

[@USAMark70]

Admittedly, I usually just sling the little leftover across the lawn. Is that horrible?

[@rok4277]

I'm only 4' 8" and an old lady. I can't cover 11.5k of lawn at that walking rate. In fact, probably MUCH less. How do I figure it out? Thanks

[@matthewcampanile6193]

Can you tell us what are good fertilizers to use for the seasons. Such as winter, early spring, late spring, and summer! Even for weed / feed and when to apply. I live in California and have fescue. Thank you!

[@harrycutler6282]

I have a yard work spreader but I just don't know what setting to set it on for the fall fertilizer can you please help me

[@arielrodriguez6980]

The idea is if I can spread 3lbs on 1k sq ft and have a little left or none I can complete the entire job on that spreader setting correct?

[@MrRockBluff]

Have you had any problems with the agitator on that Scott’s? I just got one 2 weeks ago and half way through my yard the agitator broke off. Scott’s is sending me a replacement. Hopefully it a little tougher!

[@tylerhair9067]

My Earthway has to be set around 18 to get 3lb/1k. But this is a single pass across the lawn.

[@emiliaescobar7652]

Ty so much for this detailed video, just spent $89 & no manual, I need to see how it's used. Thanks for your time.

[@AsLawnandLandscaping]

Is enjoy the “throw” a new thing? For the spreader!

[@stevenorcio307]

LCN you always have great reference videos to come back to, thank you. Just got a house in southwest Florida and the lawn is so so. I have lots of chick weed and others so today, 1.2.2022, I put down Sunniland 20 0 6, I'll be back down in two weeks to see the outcome. Depending on what I see I bought some Spectracide Weed Stop for St Aug lawns to get the problem areas. Then we'll see. ??? Thoughts? Thank you

[@jantzenclaybaugh7272]

So if your application rate is 3ils/100 sq. ft. on setting 5, does that mean you can increase your setting to 10 for 6lb/100 sq. ft. or even max out at 9lb/1000 sq. ft. at setting 15?

[@BladeRunner-td8be]

Only 3 minutes into this and I know this video is top notch. I'm here because as usual I had to learn the hard way. Scotts weed and feed (emphasis on "weed".) dumped out of my spreader after I manhandled it a little :) no damage. The spreader was set so badly was using WAY too much is what happened to get me going heh but actually did get about 1/3 of my lawn finished and went to my little hand weeder and it took some time and quite certain not a good coverage and wasted it too. First time doing this so I get a little bit of a pass. 62 years old and taking care of disabled father it's his lawn. "Doctor - Street Cred ?" lol I just noticed you weighed 3 pounds of practice application but take into account the weight of the bucket. Wouldn't surprise me if that bucket is aprox. 1/2 pound + or - a few ounces. Never mind about this if you already set the pull scale to account for this and I'll bet you did based on seeing the scale now. Btw gorgeous neighborhood. Cheers, John Noe

[@johnclarke6647]

I use the cheapest one I can find because lime and ferterlizer will eat one up. I usually use a speedy green spreader from Scott, which I can catch on sale for less than $20 in the fall when Walmart unloads their summer products. My latest is the Eazy-Green, Edge Guard, just like you have. I set it on 5 for lime and 7 for Milo. Two bags of lime will cover about 2,500 square feet and will hold about 20# at a time of lime without getting unstable on uneven ground, garden hoses, Or a rake you left in the yard. I roll one bag of Milo on my front yard, 2,500 square feet, with the 7 setting. I set the spreader on whatever a bag of Scott’s Turf Builder if it has a setting identified on the bag. I think the last I rolled of Turf Builder said 3 and 1/4 and it would cover 5,000 feet, so I put one bag of it on the whole yard. I do not weigh anything. I just throw ‘er down, as you say. If I run out I get more or skip an area or two, until the next time -next month. You have to please all kinds of folks and I only have to please me. If I ever changed spreaders then I would have to recalculate my settings.

[@mark33545]

are the edgeguard dlx MINI spreads settings the same as the full size? I have the mini and they never include settings for it, but they always include the settings for the full size edgeguard.

[@Methodical2]

Speaking of Milo. I noticed the bags are only 32lbs now, $2 higher, but still covers 2500 sq'.

[@sesty1919]

waiting on spring.... similar to a watched pot doesnt boil.. checking soil temps everyday doesnt make them heat up any faster.

[@turboflush]

PPE is important with this stuff. Maybe a quick spot would be fine without. You don't want to breath these particles. Especially if you use a hand spreader.. look at your arms after. Lol

[@colleenpalmer8416]

You explain things very well better than most,thanks.

[@dwmedley06]

Ha I applied fertilizer this past weekend. Same spreader, setting 10 and went over my yard twice. I’ll be mowing 6 days a week ha

[@tkskagen]

Its ALL ABOUT walking speed when it comes to coverage! *Just pay attention to where your product is actually going!

[@jinx0192]

Yard work then head to Ted Peters for lunch for a killer burger, German potato salad and a cold soda! Not a bad afternoon!

[@ColonelK0rn1]

When are we going to see a LCN garage organization tutorial? Hand tools are also very cool too, show us your arsenal. I haven't stepped up to a scabbard for my clippers, so what would you recommend? Also, I noticed your spray tanks always look clean, I've been using GCF's products for two years, they always seem to stain my tanks. Any recommendations?

[@Thelawncarenut]

you ask for so much! I better get to work ha ha!

[@windsorontario]

what would be the spreader setting be for 10lbs/1000 for MILO

[@christopherortiz8713]

Thank you sir.. been getting education by your videos..just subscribed..

[@bolit4641]

That's the information I was looking for. Thank you. Great video.

[@charlottesumner2337]

Dude that was an excellent video! I actually understand how to start taking care of my lawn. 😂

[@TheBlazinman]

What would be the reason someone would use the 2 setting? How about the reason for the 15 setting?

[@trevormuggeridge4560]

Aussie First😁👍👍 you should get a spreader like the Rebel, he nearly gets 4 bags of milo in it.Throw Er Down.Great information Al on spreader use .