Milk causes gut problems in birds and although some can eat fermented dairy - robins love mild grated cheddar - it’s best to err on the side of caution and avoid dairy products. In autumn, your grass should be fed so it grows at a slow rate and so the roots can be strengthened against the cold. That’s when a specialised autumn feed is needed. You should also rake well during autumn to remove dead grass and weeds.

This reasonably-priced rotary spreader offers quite a lot of features, especially compared to other lawn spreaders at the same price-point, and it also works reliably. Because of its small size, it can’t hold large quantities of fertiliser so even a full tank would only add about another 1.6 kilograms to the weight you need to carry, and even young kids could handle that easily. Finally, if you’re particularly keen to work rain or shine, look for a spreader with a lid or cover . Open-top spreaders can get clogged or jammed if the contents get wet. Anyone that’s new to garden needs to learn about the importance of adding nutrients to your lawn. Nutrients increase your lawn’s ability to process water and sunlight, giving them a healthy root structure that avoids diseases and premature death of the grass. When your garden starts to develop deficiencies in nutrients, it will turn up in patches of discolored lawn. By treating it with fertilizer, you restore these burned or spare patches to normal health. It may seem like all the products in this review are similar, but they all have unique formulations. These companies invest millions into research and development of the best nutrient combinations and weedkiller formulations.

Simply scatter around 35g of the granular feed per 1m² patch of lawn and water it thoroughly straight after application. If you’re keen to help the germination of the added grass seed present in the feed then keep the lawn well watered for the next fortnight. The organic matter won’t stain like other fertilisers if you happen to step across it, and won’t scorch your lawn either, even if it’s over-applied.

Generally, a lightweight, durable metal frame and a hopper made from plastic or lightweight steel signify a high-quality spreader. The professionals don’t use combined ‘weed and feed’ fertiliser products containing pesticides or weed killers. They use a quality grass fertiliser and a separate weed killer or pesticide. This Scotts Turf Builder Triple Action features a specific formulation for use in northern lawns. The potent herbicide kills dandelion, clover and prevents crabgrass from establishing itself on your lawn. Get a lawn feeder and weeder product designed for your climate conditions and grass type.

But that’s it really – fully assembled in minutes and ready to start spreading lawn feed or grass seed! Testing lawn spreaders If you are seeding in mildspring or autumn weather, when rain is reliably expected, or you can water frequently, then feed directly before sowing the seed or wait until germination. The choice is yours. Mowing also helps to control weed growth in newly-established lawns, as the grass grows stronger and crowds out more weeds. In fact, it’s advisable to refrain from spraying weed and feed on your new turf until after the third mowing. By then, the grass will be strong enough to withstand herbicides. Pre-emergent herbicides, on the other hand, are formulated to inhibit seed germination by forming a chemical barricade atop the soil. Thus, if you plant your grass seed soon after applying a weed and feed with a pre-emergent herbicide, they won’t sprout as the herbicide will still be in the soil.

In addition, timing is critical with all gardening tasks and the best time to feed is rarely the best time to weed. For example in spring, April is the ideal fertilising month, yet many weeds including clover don't fully appear until late May, so applying a weed killer with your feed in April misses most of the weeds, adds unnecessary chemicals into the ground and is a waste of money. It also prevents you from seeding as most products recommend a 2 month gap between their use and seeding. Even though I said it’s okay to apply weed and feed to your lawn again come fall, there are a couple of critical considerations you must think about before doing so.Scotts Turf Builder’s granular formulation makes it easy to spread using a manual or electric spreading machine. As a result, this lawn spreader is versatile to use with a lot of different lawn products, and for a variety of uses too. The Handy 50lb Wheeled Lawn and Fertiliser Spreader– Professionals choice and designed for commercial / heavy duty work If, after reading the end of that previous review, you think you would prefer something that is much simpler to put together, the Scotts EvenGreen drop spreader might be something that piques your interest. In terms of capacity I have laid in easily a good couple of kilo of seed, maybe even two! – reloading every few minutes doesn’t feel a burden at all when you’re covering so much ground:

As always, there are things I didn’t think were so great. For example, the handle that you turn on the side to operate the spreader is very small and has to be pinched between two fingers. I would have much preferred a decent-sized handle like on the Gardena handheld model instead. Rotary/broadcast spreaders can be either handheld, or have wheels and need to be pushed manually. Handheld spreaders are better suited to a small garden. Different species of grass respond better to different fertilizer formulations. If you don’t know what kind of grass you have growing in your yard, then take a sample along to your nursery when you go for the soil test. An experienced gardener will be able to tell you what kind of grass it is with a simple look at your sample. While most lawn feed spreaders are quite basic tools, with few moving parts, there’s nothing wrong with going a bit more ‘hi-tech’ with the Power X-change feeder from Einhell. Specification: Spreading width: 53 cm , Capacity: N/A , Recommended lawn area: least 100 m² , When to use: March to NovemberUnlike our other Scotts product review, this one is a drop spreader and works in a slightly different way. Where a rotary spreader will use a turntable to throw the fertiliser, weed killer, etc. out in multiple directions, a drop spreader distributes the contents of the hopper straight down. And it’s not only fertiliser that can be used with this spreader. You can also use it for distributing road salt on your drive and path in winter, for spreading seeds, and even sand. MOOWY gives an all-round nutrient boost for your grass, no matter what the season. It’s a slow-release fertiliser that keeps working for 60 days, strengthening plant roots and boosting the chlorophyll in your grass thanks to its high nitrogen content. MOOWY suggests mowing your lawn no shorter than 5cm before spreading the granules evenly and then lightly watering in, regardless of the time of year you’re using it. You should see greener grass within seven days, although bear in mind that there’s no weed or moss killer in this feed. The hopper has been made out of polypropylene for durability reasons and is a very resilient and hard-wearing material in of itself, so there’s no reason why it shouldn’t last as long as the rest of this robust tool. A rotary lawn spreader, sometimes referred to as a ‘broadcast spreader’, works by flinging fertiliser/grass seed out as its rotator spins. A rotary lawn seed spreader will allow you to cover more area in less time, quite desirable if you have a larger lawn.