Lawn feed , liquid V granules ?

I have boxes of Evergreen 4:1 and Autumn feed. I also have a small wheeled applicator. But I really do prefer to apply a diluted feed through a large watering can. Is it possible to dilute the granules in warm water and make up a correct concentration liquid feed? This would not affect it's 4 in 1 properties? I am OK at converting Gm per sq metre to litres/sq metre, so the dosage would be correct.
TIA

 

No, some granules break down over time hence the slow release so trying to dilute it would not achieve the same results.
Liquid ferts are quick release, 2 weeks of intended use, the evergreen granules are 6 weeks.
You can’t simply covert weight to ltr, it’s the NPK that needs to be converted but first measured.

The 4in1 herbicide will fail to work if diluted, you will have broken down the herbicide to a degree where it fails to activate. This is why the granules break down slowly with light rain so that the herbicide enters the plant.

A simple question is to ask yourself how do I know the content rates, ie the amount of material needed to cover an area and what is the NPK rate. More complex equation is what are the measurements for the Fe and herbicide.

Yes you could break down the granules, yes it may make the grass green, it might scotch, it might apply to little, too much, that’s the gamble you take if you try to use the product this way.

 

Thanks for the quick reply Liz the Pot I'll take the answer as a firm no! I just need to develop my granular feeding technique, so I don't overdose on the spreader turns.

 

I use a very simple evergreen evendrop spreader for small lawns, it’s a very nice little spreader which tends to last a few years and is cheap enough to warrant it.
The settings are easy, Evergreen supply them on the product and you just have to work out as you say the technique.
My only complaint is you have to overlap as the wheel base is wider than the drop area and they have some arrows to indicate the drop width but those arrows are simply Grover into the green plastic so it pays to mark them with tape or paint to make life easier.
It has a nice trigger application which means you can stop and move about without continuous drop.
You simply make 2 lines each end of the lawn and then move across the lawn using the W line width as the start the walk and starting the application walking at a quick rate.
It’s the spreader I recommend for people who want to have a go with evergreen products.

 

i've never had a lawn spreader that could ever produce an even spread of granules. Or maybe that's just me.

So for years I've used a soluble one. The one I liked was Evergreen Complete three in one. But they don't make it any more, (although it was still on B&Q's website for a couple years after they had stopped selling it).

I'm not really fussy what I use, iron sulphate for moss control and any other soluble lawnfood.

I used Wilko's this year.

 

What other spreaders do you recommended @Liz the pot ? I can't think of a fert spreader I've been 100% happy with. Just got a earthway shoulder spreader, its taking at bit of getting used to.

 

Just given the lawn a liquid feed.......a neat granular feed by hand in early spring then a couple of booster liquid feeds in summer works for me
I now find spreading granules by hand is better than using a spreader

 

I have tried feeding the lawn but the dogs eat it before its had a chance to work.

G.

 

to be honest the evergreen one is good for domestic and many a commercial chap uses them, moving to the more commercial based broadcast spreader costs a lot more and you need the ones with a collection tray to calibrate the amount plus they really are made for the larger more basic uniform lawn areas.
You can do a large lawn in no time with the evergreen but for large areas a broadcast spreader is quicker.
once you use them quite often its a doddle and you get a nice even spread so the colour is uniform from start to finish.

Drop spreaders for larger areas range from £500 to £1000 and broadcast spreader from £200 to £600. way to much for domestic use but there is a larger version of Evergreen(scotts which is now ICL) drop spreader which is about £100 and its the same as the small one but just holds more.
Some use a foam applicator to show where they have been, dye is used on liquid to show whats sprayed.

 

This is the type use. As Liz said the feed qty settings are on the website.

 

right now we are using liquid feed on our lawn. seems to be working well .

 

This can always be something of a controvercial subject.

If I may. Speaking as a plant and soil scientist. Of cource the basicis rule the day. Whether you are using liquid or soluble, granular etc. If what you are doing is working. Then stick with it.

Applying liquid feeds. The proprieters wil set out, tried and tested standards. Perhaps, what you have to dtermine is. Is my lawn etc ready for this. Here you have to decide. Is now the time to water/feed? May i mention an important point. NEVER ATTEMPT TO FEED A SICK OR AILING PLANT.
Using liquid feeds. So you spray, scan or doese your area with liquid feed. Now. Your area may be parched. In this case. Good old mother earth will cry out. Uggh! moisture. The moisture will simply water the area. The surrounding soil area will perhaps, say. What was that?
IMO granular feeding is best.

 

Both granular and liquid have their plus and negative points.
If your grass is showing signs it’s in need of feed, ie a yellowing and the weather is fairly settled with no rain forecast a liquid feed and watering will help. Here we see a plant showing signs of being stressed but this can be corrected.

Granular offer longer term availability of the nutrients, from 6 weeks to 3 months so you can cater in a lower N for long term if you wish.
liquids have a quicker uptake which may be needed.

If you look at Red Thread, a common disease, the best way to counter this is with a fairly high N feed but balanced and to continue to monitor its progress. Here if we were to leave it the disease would increase in size.