Just sift though it and bust up any clumps by hand. I've bought fertilizer in the past that had apparently been wet and had to do this with no issues.

Just sift though it and bust up any clumps by hand. I've bought fertilizer in the past that had apparently been wet and had to do this with no issues.

Thanks, ForsheeMS, for your suggestion. There are no lumps in these saved bags, and the granules do not appear damp. But, the clogs in the spreader holes do seem to be somewhat damp, causing the holes to become plugged. My assumption is that this happens gradually, apparently due to accumulated moisture in the saved material.

I guess we've all had that happen. Since you are doing everything you can to keep the moisture out might I suggest you double bag...put the fertilizer in the bag....into another bag...plasitc garbage bag can work and tie it securely.
Or, put the contents into a plastic pail that has a tight fitting lid.

Now...I'm going to assume a fact. You are placing this bag of fertilizer on the garage floor.....maybe off in a corner...out of sight.
GET IT UP OFF THE FLOOR....garage floors (cement) can leach out the nitrogen from the bag of fertilizer to the extent its usefulness is affected the next time you use it.
Put it on a wood surface....a pallet or a shelf will protect it.

Use the large bag first. If the small bag is then what's left, there is not as much possible waste.

For 1000 sq. ft. of lawn, you're good to go if you apply 1 - 1.5 pounds of nitrogen -- not fertilizer -- NITROGEN. So if the stuff is 21% N, you'll need 5-7 pounds of fertilizer per 1000 sq. ft.

If Scott's isn't recommending that rate, you can increase the rate of application on your lawn and use all of both bags. Cool season lawns (fescue, ryegrass, bluegrass) need quite a dose of nitrogen going into winter.

This post was edited by MulchMama on Sun, Sep 29, 13 at 13:38

Just got off the phone with Scotts. The agent tells me that the bags have tiny holes in them, this means that I am wasting my effort to try and seal up the open bags. She suggested, as did goren, to rebag or double bag the leftovers, I like MulchMama's suggestion as well. Does anyone know how the numbered settings on a Scott drop spreader relate to spread rate? ( e.g. if I go from "5" to "6", how much more is used?) For the record, these bags live on a wooden shelf, but I think I'll try keeping them in the (heated) basement.

This post was edited by slow-poke on Mon, Sep 30, 13 at 11:17