Bowhunter
Gold Member
I've been fertilizing and de-weeding my own lawn for a while. First by hand, now with an electric seeder and 25 gallon sprayer on my atv. Now that I have a tractor, a bigger seeder and sprayer are on the wish list. Larger capacity = less stops to refill. I also maintain a 3 acre food plot and the higher capacities would help there too.
-As tchri stated, spreading twice perpindicular to each other will give you the best coverage, whether sewing, fertilizer, lime or anything.
-Spread width will depend on the material you are sewing. Fescue seed may only have a 10 to 15 foot width, whereas pelletized lime and fertilizer could reach 50 feet. For narrow areas a drop spreader would work as previously mentioned, or a hand spreader could too. You could turn the crank slower to lessen the spread width.
-Buy your fertilizer and lime where the farmers get theirs. I get mine at a local feed mill and pay around $5 for 50 lbs. of pelletized lime and $6 to $6.50 for 50 lbs. of fertilizer, depending on the grade. I used to spread high-nitrogen like 27-3-3, but it all goes to the top and doesn't seem to help the roots as much. I've since started using more low-nitrogen, like a 6-24-24. The lawn seems healthier and it doesn't need mowed near as often. I used to fertilize once in fall and once in the spring. This year I'm skipping the spring to see what happens. I read that it's healthier for the lawn.
-For spraying weeds, I get 2-4-D at Rural King (similar to TSC). I mix 1.5 ounces per gallon of water. For stubborn weeds, add 1.5 ounces of brush killer per gallon. I spray the yard 2 to 3 times per year as needed.
-As tchri stated, spreading twice perpindicular to each other will give you the best coverage, whether sewing, fertilizer, lime or anything.
-Spread width will depend on the material you are sewing. Fescue seed may only have a 10 to 15 foot width, whereas pelletized lime and fertilizer could reach 50 feet. For narrow areas a drop spreader would work as previously mentioned, or a hand spreader could too. You could turn the crank slower to lessen the spread width.
-Buy your fertilizer and lime where the farmers get theirs. I get mine at a local feed mill and pay around $5 for 50 lbs. of pelletized lime and $6 to $6.50 for 50 lbs. of fertilizer, depending on the grade. I used to spread high-nitrogen like 27-3-3, but it all goes to the top and doesn't seem to help the roots as much. I've since started using more low-nitrogen, like a 6-24-24. The lawn seems healthier and it doesn't need mowed near as often. I used to fertilize once in fall and once in the spring. This year I'm skipping the spring to see what happens. I read that it's healthier for the lawn.
-For spraying weeds, I get 2-4-D at Rural King (similar to TSC). I mix 1.5 ounces per gallon of water. For stubborn weeds, add 1.5 ounces of brush killer per gallon. I spray the yard 2 to 3 times per year as needed.
