Several factors influence the amount of fertilizer your lawn needs, including climate, species and whether or not you return cuttings after mowing. Having the soil tested in late fall or winter helps you determine the nutrients you need to add in the spring and to plan a regimen for the growing season. After determining how much fertilizer the lawn needs in a single session, based on the fertilizer analysis and the size of the lawn, you need to spread it as evenly as possible, avoiding over- or under-fertilizing any particular area. This is difficult to do by hand, but doable.
Fertilize when the lawn is damp but not soaked, such as in the morning when dew is present or after a light rain. Avoid fertilizing before or after a heavy storm when the fertilizer can be washed away and wasted.
Calculate how much fertilizer you need to spread over the entire lawn, prepare that amount and divide it in two so you can spread it in two separate passes.
Put on gloves to protect your hands from the fertilizer chemicals and transfer the fertilizer to a bucket that you can carry.
Start fertilizing at one corner of the lawn. Walk backward from that corner in a straight line while reaching into the bucket, grasping a handful of fertilizer and spreading it with a sweeping motion. Synchronize your walking and spreading speeds so that the fertilizer will last for the entire lawn and you spread as evenly as possible.
Reverse direction when you reach the other end of the lawn and move over far enough so that you can spread another line without overlapping the one you just did.
Repeat the entire spreading procedure with the second batch of fertilizer, walking in a perpendicular direction, once you've finished spreading the first batch.
Water the lawn after you've finished fertilizing to wash the chemicals off the grass and help them soak into the soil.
Things You Will Need
- Lawn clippings increase the nitrogen in the soil. If you leave the clippings after mowing, you can reduce the amount of nitrogen you use by one pound per 1,000 square foot per year.
- If you have to mix the fertilizer or transfer it from one container to another, do it over a concrete surface such as the driveway. That way you won't burn the lawn if you spill any.
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