Drop Spreader Vs. Broadcast Spreader: Which One Should You Choose for Your Lawn?

If you have a new garden or take care of the existing one, you’ll need a spreader at any given situation. A spreader helps you spread grass seed or fertilizer on the ground and keeps them even while spreading. However, when you go shopping for a spreader, you’ll get confused between two types of spreaders. 

The dilemma will spin your head between the drop spreader vs broadcast spreader. As the spreader is a crucial part of gardening, you must choose the best one for your needs.

There are numerous criteria to take into account and evaluate if the spreader is suitable for your ground or not. For both types, our expert team has made a full guide that will help you understand them and pick the right one. 

Stick to the article to decide what and which spreader you’re going with your next shopping.

Drop Spreader Vs Broadcast Spreader: What Is The Difference?

Spreaders don’t just help you spread the seeds, salt, or fertilizer, and they also help you keep the material even. Not all spreaders will do the job as efficiently as you want. Therefore, you should know both drop spreader vs broadcast spreader and what they have to offer:

About Drop Spreader

A drop spreader works using a combination of vibration and the gravity force towards the ground. After putting in the seeds or fertilizers, you have to go forward using the wheels underneath the spreader. As you move it forward, the seeds will go through some holes lined up in the bottom and drop on the ground. 

It will drop the seeds or fertilizer evenly on the surface with the holes by keeping a constant distance from each other.

Benefits Of A Drop Spreader

Drop spreaders work great when it comes to spreading almost anything; here are the benefits of using a drop spreader that they come with:

• When you’re using a drop spreader, it will work faster than the other ones as the drop spreaders have a longer spreading area.
• If you require super precision of spreading, and less is enough, a drop spreader will work like a charm in that case.
• It will cover a wide range of space in a single pass on the ground, so you’ll save a lot of time, especially if you have a big area to cover.
• Drop spreaders help you stay out of the waste of material, whether it’s seed or fertilizer or other things you don’t want to spread out of the line.
• You’ll have more control over the spreader while doing the seeding or fertilizing on the surface as it doesn’t aggressively spread the material around.

1. Scotts Turf Builder Classic Drop Spreader

The Turf Builder drop spreader from Scotts can cover up to 10,000 square feet, perfect for personal and professional use. The spread pattern is 22 inches wide to make sure that you’re getting the maximum coverage with higher accuracy.

It has sturdy construction with heavy-duty material on the hopper, including the spread pattern in the bottom of the hopper above the 2 wheels. The handle of this drop spreader is made with high-quality metal and covered with soft foam for extra comfort while spreading the material.

You’ll get a calibration settings adjustment handle along with a tension lever to help you recalibrate the spreader according to your lawn planning. However, it comes pre-calibrated and fully assembled, ready to go on the field to spread the lawn care materials.

Scotts Turf Builder Features:

• This spreader has a big hopper that holds material enough for 10,000 sq. Feet.
• It comes with a 22-inches long spread pattern to spread materials widely and precisely.
• You’ll get it fully assembled and calibrated prior so that you can start using it right away.
• It has a hopper pattern calibration dial and tension lever for customizing the calibration.
• Its body has a sturdy build with a high-quality hopper and handle, wrapped with foam.

Also read: How To Fix A Scotts Broadcast Spreader

About Broadcast Spreader

A broadcast spreader works like a lawnmower where you’ll have a hopper underneath a basket. When you put the materials in the basket, they go on the hopper through a hole at the bottom. 

The hopper, on the other hand, comes attached to the wheels under the spreader. When the wheels go forward, the hopper rotates like a chopper’s blades. After the seeds or fertilizer go on the hopper, the hoppers rotate in a circular motion and spread them around. 

You can control the amount of material going on the hopper by controlling the hole diameter of the basket.

Benefits Of A Broadcast Spreader

Broadcast spreaders are different from drop spreaders, and they come with their distinguished features as well. Here are the benefits and advantages of using a broadcast spreader instead of a drop spreader:

• Broadcast spreaders are capable of very fast spreading the materials as their hoppers are rotating fast, and the amount of material can be higher.
• You won’t have to worry about the preciseness because that depends on how constant your walking speed is, so focusing on the line gets easier.
• A Broadcast spreader can cover a large area if you walk fast and open the valve of material to the hopper; it will spread the material to a longer distance.
• You can save a lot of time using a broadcast spreader as it works on a bigger diameter and spreads really fast along the line.
• If you use a broadcast spreader, the seeds, and the fertilizers spread in angular motion, so you can reach the places where a perpendicular machine cannot.

2. Scotts Turf Builder EdgeGuard Mini Broadcast Spreader

This walk-behind broadcast spreader from Scotts comes with the EdgeGuard Technology to make the spreading without wasting. It’s a tension lever that keeps the spreader spread the materials go off the lawn, sidewalks, and driveways.

It has a control panel with precision spreading rate settings that you can use for controlling how much material you want to let spread. You can block off the spreading with a hand lever or the break that it comes with on the handle to prevent uneven or over-spreading.

The hopper of this spreader can hold up to 5000 square feet of equivalent materials to spread around efficiently. Its body has a high-quality build with a sturdy metal handle and 2 large wheels to stay off the grass and spread to a wide range.

Scotts Turf Builder Features:

• This spreader has EdgeGuard Technology to keep the materials on the lawn.
• Its hopper can hold up to 5000 sq. Feet of lawn or garden material.
• You can control the amount of the material being spread with its control panel.
• It has a break-off lever to shut off spreading while walking on the lawn.
• The spreader comes pre-calibrated and assembled, ready to go right on the lawn.

My Opinion: Which Is A Better Drop Spreader Or Broadcast Spreader?

When it comes to choosing the right spreader for your lawn, the answer depends on two different perspectives. If you’re okay with a little slower spreading but need a precise job, go for the Drop Spreader. 

It will give you a bigger hopper with a longer spreader underneath to make sure you have a wide-spreading area. However, if you need more speed and extra control over the spreader, go for the Broadcast Spreader. It has an extra feature in it, the EdgeGuard Technology, which eliminates the drawback that the other broadcast spreaders have.

Final Thought

Depending on how efficient you want to be with your spreader and how much spreading capability you want, selecting the right one is now easier for you. 

I hope, now you know which spreader you’re going with between the drop spreader vs broadcast spreader. However, if you’re still confused and need an expert suggestion on the best overall, my suggestion is for the Broadcast Spreader.

The EdgeGuard technology and the break-off lever make it unbeatable from any angle. Whether you’re getting it for personal use or professional use, you can get the job done with extra preciseness with its control panel. The wheels are elevated to keep the spreader long off the ground and spread in a wider area in front, not backward.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the most frequently asked questions about spreaders for gardening that you might have an interest in: