Home > Lawn & Garden > Commercial Horticulture > Equipment > Spreaders > Spreader Setting Recommendations [Image: spreader test stand] When you buy a bag of fertilizer or granular pesticide to spread on your lawn, it will usually have a label on the back of the bag with settings for several common fertilizer spreaders. Do you know where those settings come from, how they were developed or how reliable they are? Rotary Spreaders With Pattern Cut-Off [Image: left port closed] Rotary spreaders offer the advantages of wide, fast coverage and forgiving patterns, but they are not well suited to working along turf edges. Some spreaders offer a pattern cut-off mechanism to address this problem. Distribution Patterns from Homeowner Rotary Spreaders [Image: spreader pattern] Some rotary spreaders can deliver a reasonably uniform distribution pattern with some products, but not with others, and some homeowner rotary spreaders don’t deliver a good pattern with any product. Self-Propelled Spreaders And Sprayers For Turfgrass [Image: self-propelled spreader] A relatively new class of products in the commercial grounds maintenance industry is the self-propelled spreader and/or sprayer. This kind of equipment can potentially reduce the effort required to apply fertilizer or pesticides to lawns, but it comes at a substantial cost and will require some trade-offs in operating mode.  more articles... Avoid Right-angle Patterns with Rotary Spreaders [Image: Normal Spreader Operating Mode] Some spreader experts and some spreader and granular material operating instructions advise you to go over your lawn twice when spreading fertilizer or granular products, with the two trips over the lawn made at right angles to each other. Don’t do it! Calibrating Your Lawn Spreader [Image: calibration of homeowner rotary spreader] To obtain the best results from your granular fertilizers and pesticides, you have to apply them at the correct rate. One easy step you can take to help assure that your spreader delivers the correct rate of material is to calibrate your spreader. Applying Controlled-release Fertilizer [Image: controlled-release fertilizer] Most turf fertilizers contain controlled-release nitrogen fertilizer. There are two types of controlled-release fertilizer and one type can be damaged by your spreader. For More Information on Lawn Spreaders The more you learn about lawn spreaders, the more you realize how complicated they really are. The LSU AgCenter has published a bulletin that summarizes 24 years of research on spreaders. Hand-cranked Spreaders [Image: hand-carried, hand-cranked spreader] In some situations, a hand-cranked spreader is more practical than a wheeled model. When spreading granules in nurseries, beds of flowers and ornamentals, and other restricted areas, a wheeled spreader can be difficult or impossible to use. Hand- or strap-carried, hand-cranked spreaders are a viable option in such cases. A Simple Hand Spreader for Gardens [Image: hand garden spreader] A simple hand spreader is often the best tool for applying granular fertilizer or pesticides. Fertilizer Spreaders - Rotary or Drop? [Image: rotary spreader] Drop spreaders are best suited to small lawns where you want uniform patterns or have many obstacles to trim around. Rotary spreaders are generally best for large, open areas. Problems with Pulling Spreaders Backward [Image: pulling spreader backwards] Walk-behind lawn spreaders are designed to be pushed, not pulled. The delivery rate from drop spreaders and the pattern from rotary spreaders are distorted if a spreader is pulled backward. Pendulum-action Spreaders [Image: pendulum spreader] Rotary broadcast spreaders offer many advantages for turf professionals. There are also some disadvantages including pattern skewing and the need to develop pattern settings for each product to center the pattern. Pendulum-action spreaders overcome those problems. Fertilizer Spreaders - Metal or Plastic [Image: drop spreader with steel hopper] Some high-quality plastic spreaders have precision equivalent to the better homeowner metal spreaders. There is a tremendous difference in performance among brands and models. Click for more information...