Fertilizer Density Calculator: How Much Do I Need?

🌿 Fertilizer Density Calculator

Calculate exactly how much fertilizer you need based on area, depth, and material type

Quick Presets
📐 Enter Your Dimensions
Fertilizer Density Reference (lbs per cubic yard)
60–80
Granular 10-10-10
48–56
Urea 46-0-0
62–72
Ammonium Sulfate
55–65
Milorganite
70–90
Bone Meal
800–1100
Compost Blend
1400–1800
Pelletized Lime
1200–1500
Gypsum
📏 Coverage by Application Depth
Depth (in) Depth (cm) Sq Ft per Yd³ M² per M³
0.250.641,296157.5
0.51.2764878.7
12.5432439.4
25.0816219.7
37.6210813.1
410.16819.8
615.24546.6
📦 Bags vs Bulk Conversion
Bag Size Volume per Bag Bags per Cubic Yard Coverage at 0.5 in
2 cu ft bag0.074 yd³13.548 sq ft
3 cu ft bag0.111 yd³972 sq ft
40 lb bag (granular)~0.55 cu ft49~18 sq ft
50 lb bag (lime)~0.45 cu ft60~15 sq ft
1 cu ft bag0.037 yd³2724 sq ft
🏡 Common Project Sizes (at 0.5 in depth)
Project Area (sq ft) Cubic Yards Bags (2 cu ft)
Small Flower Bed1000.152
Garden Plot2500.396
Medium Lawn1,0001.5421
Quarter Acre Lawn2,5003.8653
Half Acre Lawn5,0007.72105
Large Property10,00015.43209
💡 Calculation Tips
✅ Granular vs. Compost: Granular fertilizers (like 10-10-10 or urea) are applied thinly at 0.25–0.5 inches, while compost and organic blends are spread thicker at 1–3 inches. Make sure your depth setting matches your material type — using compost depth for granular fertilizer will result in massive over-application.
✅ Overage Matters: A 10% overage buffer is the industry norm for broadcast and drop spreaders because uneven terrain, overlapping passes, and edge waste all consume extra material. For irregularly shaped beds, bump to 15%. For uniform rectangular lawns with a calibrated spreader, 5% may be enough.

fertilizer weighs much more lightly than many folks imagine. The granular 10-10-10 kinds have weight of around 60 to 80 pounds per cubic yard, much more easily than compost or garden soil, that you probably used to handle. Urea are even lighter, almost 48 to 56 pounds per yard.

That fully differs from the 800 to 1,100 pounds per yard, that give compost. For typical lawn of 1,000 square feet, that requires half inch covering, I noticed, that around 1.5 cubic yards, give or take commonly suffice. Correctly 21 normal bags of 2 cubic feet, if you count exactly.

Fertilizer Weights and How to Use Them

Weight of other common soil extras can genuinely surprise you. For instance, granular lime weighs around 1,400 pounds per yard. Plaster ranges between 1,200 and 1,500, like this for 5,000 square feet area in only half inch depth, it matcehs to 7.7 cubic yards, before consider some surplus.

If the swelling surpasses 10 percent, you face more than 8.5 yards, genuinely. Useful to recall the conversions. One cubic yard is around 0.76 cubic metres, and one square foot matches roughly 0.093 square metres, especially during buying of organic mixes sold according to liters.

In basic words, fertilizer simply feeds the plants. It is anything, natural or artificial, what applies to soil or plants to provide the main nutrients, that they require to grow and stay healthy. Without such help, those elements disappear slowly as the ground runs out because of years of farming.

The three main nutrients are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), they form the three figures on every package. Nitrogen helps general growth and thick, green foliage. Phosphorus helps to move nutrients to the places, where they require.

Potassium matters for whole plant health, except that it strengthens resistance against severe conditions and diseases.

Like this 10-20-10 fertilizer stores 10 pounds of nitrogen, 20 of phosphorus and 10 of potassium… Fully 40 pounds of nutrients in 100 pound bag. Formula 10-5-5 stress nitrogen, while 5-10-5 helps flowering.

For general care of lawn, proportion 3-1-2, as 15-5-10, give good balanced choice. Good soil usually does not require additional phosphorus.

fertilizer comes in many forms (granules), dusts, liquids, crystals. Granular are the most used, you spread them above the surface. Liquids you can apply directly on the plants.

Incredibly, part of it always ends without reaching the roots, wear it most would be useful.

There is clearly difference between organic and chemical fertilizer. Organic feeds plants and simultaneously improves the soil structure, keeping it open, light and better for holding moisture with nutrients. Urea, for instance, counts as organic, but it breaks down so quickly, that it works almost as liquid.

Balanced 5-5-5 organic well answers for flowers and vegetables, but soil testing is the only safe way to know the needs of your plants.

The main nutrients, that commonly lack, are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Results of soil test will point, how much to apply of each for 1,000 square feet. Right usage of lawn fertilizer is key for thick, healthy meadow, that resists heavy foot traffic.

It is not something bad, only practicalresource to help plants and lawns appear at their best.

Fertilizer Density Calculator: How Much Do I Need?

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