Lawn Numbers

By lawn size

How much fertilizer for 5,000 sq ft?

5,000 sq ft is 50 by 100 ft. At the usual 1 lb of nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft, that is 5.0 lb of nitrogen, or 17.2 lb of a 29-0-4 lawn food.

The short answer

  • Lawn food 29-0-417.2 lbat 1 lb N per 1,000 sq ft
  • Complete 16-4-831.3 lbat 1 lb N per 1,000 sq ft
  • All-purpose 10-10-1050.0 lbat 1 lb N per 1,000 sq ft
  • Urea 46-0-010.9 lbat 1 lb N per 1,000 sq ft

Pounds to spread

Fertilizer for 5,000 sq ft, by rate

One feeding usually carries 0.5 to 1 lb of nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft. Pick the row for your bag's first number.

Bag numbers0.5 lb N / 1,0000.75 lb N / 1,0001.0 lb N / 1,000
29-0-4 lawn food8.6 lb12.9 lb17.2 lb
16-4-8 complete15.6 lb23.4 lb31.3 lb
10-10-10 all-purpose25.0 lb37.5 lb50.0 lb
46-0-0 urea5.4 lb8.2 lb10.9 lb

Bags to buy

Whole bags at 1 lb of nitrogen

Bag numbers15 lb bags30 lb bags50 lb bags
29-0-4211
16-4-8321
10-10-10421
46-0-0111

A whole year

Nitrogen a year for 5,000 sq ft, by grass

Typical yearly ranges from university extension guides, multiplied out for 5,000 sq ft. Spread the total over several feedings.

Grasslb of nitrogen a yearlb of 29-0-4 a year
Kentucky bluegrass5.0–20.017.2–69.0
Tall fescue5.0–20.017.2–69.0
Bermudagrass15.0–25.051.7–86.2
St. Augustinegrass10.0–20.034.5–69.0
Zoysiagrass10.0–15.034.5–51.7
Centipedegrass2.0–10.06.9–34.5

Calculator

Your bag, your rate

The calculator starts at 5,000 sq ft. Type the numbers from your own bag for an exact answer.

sq ft

Measure it: length × width

Measure each rectangle of grass and add them up. Leave out the house, drive and beds.

Numbers on the bag

lb

Nitrogen this feeding
0.75 lb / 1,000 sq ft

Spread this much

12.9lb

Buy 1 bag of 15 lb, with 2.1 lb left over.

Spreader target
2.59 lb per 1,000 sq ft
Nitrogen applied
3.8 lb in total

A standard feeding, inside the usual 0.5–1 lb per 1,000 sq ft.

Other sizes

Fertilizer by lawn size

Questions

5,000 sq ft, answered

How much fertilizer do I need for 5,000 sq ft?

At the usual 1 lb of nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft, 5,000 sq ft takes 5.0 lb of nitrogen. That is 17.2 lb of a 29-0-4 lawn food, 31.3 lb of 16-4-8 or 50.0 lb of 10-10-10.

How many bags of fertilizer for 5,000 sq ft?

With 29-0-4 at 1 lb of nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft, you need 17.2 lb: 2 bags of 15 lb or 1 of 50 lb. Bags round up, so check what is left over in the calculator above.

How big is 5,000 sq ft?

5,000 sq ft is 50 by 100 ft. Measure your own lawn with the lawn measuring tool, leaving out the house, drive and beds.

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