No matter which spreader you buy, uniform coverage is the key to success. And that, as in many things, comes down to the quality of the spreader. Using cheap, plastic spreaders often produces cheap spreading results. And those are a waste of seed, fertilizer, and money. Buy the best you can afford.

There are two kinds of spreaders on the market: rotary and drop spreaders. Rotary fertilizer spreaders measure the granules or seed and throw them out in a broad swath that is usually several feet wide. Consider purchasing or renting a rotary spreader if:

You have a very large lawn. You don’t have flower beds or other garden areas in the middle of the lawn that will be fertilized by the swath of fertilizer. You like to get the job done as quickly as possible. Drop spreaders measure out the fertilizer and then drop it in as wide a band as the spreader is wide. You’ll find a drop power sweeper is good if: You have a small lawn. You have gardens or other areas in the middle of your lawn and you need precise fertilizer placement. You can take the time to do a precise placement. Drop spreaders are a bit slower, and they don’t cover as much area in a single pass.

If your lawn fertilizer label has the recommendations for setting your spreader, do the following:

Turn the spreader setting to OFF. Turn the setting to that recommended by the manufacturer. (Turning the setting to OFF first ensures the moto mower gate is closing and opening properly.) Fill the spreader. Do this on a driveway or walkway, not on the lawn. If you spill fertilizer, you’ll burn the lawn. Use the following guidelines for your spreader pattern.

Calculate how much fertilizer you have to apply to achieve the amount of nitrogen you need to put on 1,000 square feet of lawn. Divide this figure by 2. So, for example, if you were to put 5 pounds of fertilizer on the lawn per 1,000 square feet, put 2½ pounds in the hopper.