How to Spread Fertilizer on a Lawn by Mowing

Set the blades of your lawn mower to 1 to 3 inches high. Ideally, you should be mowing frequently enough that you do not have to cut off more than the top 1/3 of each grass blade, so set your blade height accordingly.

Remove the grass catcher if your mower has one, sharpen the mower's blades if they are dull and fill the tank with gas or plug in the mower if it is electric.

Mow your lawn as you normally would. Aiming to cut no more than 1/3 from the top of each blade of grass every time you mow may mean you're cutting the lawn more often than you'd like. However, it will take you less time since you are not bagging your clippings or raking them from your lawn afterward.

Allow the grass clippings to remain on your lawn, falling down onto the soil to fertilize the grass and hold moisture, until the next time you mow.

Mow over the extra-long clippings or clumps of clipping left sitting on top of your lawn. This will help them fall down into the soil.

Bag the clippings or rake them if your grass is very long and you must cut more than 1/3 from the top of each blade. Use the clippings as mulch around plants throughout your yard or garden in 1-inch layers. Allow each layer of grass mulch to dry before adding another layer.