Key takeaway: Dynamic Lifter is pelletised, composted poultry manure made by Yates. The standard Organic Lawn Food goes down at 60g per square metre in spring and autumn, while the Concentrated Lawn Food version is applied at a lower 28g per square metre, three times a year. Check the analysis panel on your own bag first, since the two are not the same strength.
Dynamic Lifter is the pelletised, composted poultry manure fertiliser Yates has sold in Australia for decades, and it works just as well on an established lawn as on a vegie patch. It is made by composting chicken manure with blood and bone, fishmeal and seaweed, then pressing the mix into pellets that spread evenly and break down slowly rather than washing straight through the soil. Applied at the right rate and season, it feeds the lawn gradually, without the fast green flush, or the burn risk, that a soluble nitrogen fertiliser can bring.
A quick handling note first. Dynamic Lifter is an organic fertiliser, not a registered agricultural chemical, so it carries no APVMA approval number the way a herbicide does. It can still make a dog sick if it eats a mouthful of pellets, so do not leave it heaped on the surface, and water it in straightaway. Keep bags away from children and pets.
Dynamic Lifter Application Rates
| Product | NPK (N:P:K) | Lawn application rate | Frequency | Grass types |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dynamic Lifter Organic Lawn Food | 3.7 : 2 : 1.8 | 60g per square metre (6kg per 100m²) | Spring and autumn | All lawn types |
| Dynamic Lifter Concentrated Lawn Food | 10 : 0.8 : 5 | 28g per square metre (2.8kg per 100m²) | Spring, early summer and early autumn | Buffalo, couch, kikuyu and other lawn types |
| Yates Blood & Bone (comparison only, not a lawn-specific product) | 5.4 : 4 : 1 | 120g per square metre | General garden use | Not marketed as a lawn feed |
Rates and analyses are from the current Yates product labels, checked 13 September 2026. Yates also sells a Western Australian formulation of the standard Organic Lawn Food with a different analysis, so read the bag in front of you rather than assuming every state gets the same mix. As a guide, a 100m² lawn takes 6kg of the standard product per feed, or 2.8kg of the concentrated version, since it is stronger to start with.
How to Apply Dynamic Lifter to an Established Lawn
- Mow first so pellets land on soil and thatch, not up in long grass.
- Confirm the product. Standard and concentrated apply at very different rates.
- Spread it evenly, by hand on a small lawn or with a calibrated spreader on anything larger.
- Do not heap it. A pile of pellets is what attracts a dog, and breaks down unevenly.
- Water it in straightaway to soften the pellets and start nutrient release.
- Hold off mowing for about a week, so the pellets break down before they end up in the catcher.
- Repeat at the next window from the table above, rather than feeding whenever the lawn looks hungry.
Dynamic Lifter vs Blood and Bone
Check the actual numbers rather than assuming one is just a stronger version of the other. Yates Blood & Bone Organically Based Plant Food carries an NPK of 5.4 : 4 : 1, higher in nitrogen and phosphorus than Dynamic Lifter Organic Lawn Food’s 3.7 : 2 : 1.8, though lower in potassium. Swap in the Concentrated Lawn Food and the comparison flips: at 10 : 0.8 : 5, it carries far more nitrogen and potassium than blood and bone, and less phosphorus. So the common line that blood and bone always runs higher in phosphorus does not hold across every Dynamic Lifter product, and blood and bone’s 120g rate is a general garden figure, not a turf-tested one.
Want the fuller explanation of what those N, P and K numbers mean, and when organic beats synthetic? Lawn Fertiliser Explained: NPK, Organics and How Much to Use covers that ground, so it is not repeated here. For help choosing between an organic feed like this one and a synthetic blend for your specific grass type, see choosing a lawn fertiliser for your grass type.
Is Dynamic Lifter Safe on Buffalo, Couch and Kikuyu?
Yes. Yates lists the Concentrated Lawn Food as suitable for all lawn types including buffalo, couch and kikuyu, and markets the standard Organic Lawn Food the same way. Because the nutrient releases slowly rather than hitting the leaf in soluble form, there is no equivalent to the buffalo-safe caveat you would check for on a broadleaf herbicide label, though overapplying any organic fertiliser still risks a thatch layer building up faster than it breaks down.
The wider case for composted manures like this one holds up against government soil science too. The NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development notes that organic matter such as manure supplies nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur slowly over time, and improves the soil’s cation exchange capacity, letting it hold and release nutrients more efficiently. That is the same mechanism Yates markets Dynamic Lifter on, and it is not just a brand claim.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Guessing the rate. Standard and concentrated differ, so read the bag rather than working from memory.
- Skipping the water-in step. Dry pellets left on the surface do little, and are what a dog is most likely to find.
- Expecting an instant green-up. It will not green a hungry lawn overnight the way a soluble feed can. Give it two to three weeks.
- Feeding brand-new turf too early. Follow the turf supplier’s own establishment schedule first.
If you are feeding correctly and the lawn is still patchy or yellowing in one section rather than greening up evenly, the cause is more likely grubs, disease or compaction than a fertiliser problem. Our guide to diagnosing and fixing a patchy lawn works through those causes before you reach for another bag.
Timing and Season
Spring and autumn are the two windows every Dynamic Lifter label calls for, lining up with when most warm-season Australian lawns are actually growing. For the fuller seasonal calendar, including mowing and watering changes, see when to fertilise your lawn rather than treating this post as the seasonal guide.
FAQs About Using Dynamic Lifter on Lawns
What is Dynamic Lifter actually made of?
Dynamic Lifter is composted poultry manure, pelletised with blood and bone, fishmeal and seaweed.
How often should you put Dynamic Lifter on a lawn?
It depends on the product. The standard Organic Lawn Food goes down twice a year at 60g per square metre, and the Concentrated Lawn Food three times a year at a lower 28g per square metre.
Is Dynamic Lifter safe to use on buffalo grass?
Yes. Yates lists its Concentrated Lawn Food as suitable for buffalo, couch and kikuyu, and markets the standard Organic Lawn Food for all lawn types.
Is Dynamic Lifter better than blood and bone for a lawn?
Neither is simply better. Their NPK ratios differ depending on which specific product you compare, and only the Dynamic Lifter range is rate-tested for lawn use.
Do you need to water Dynamic Lifter into the lawn after applying it?
Yes, straightaway. Watering in softens the pellets, starts nutrient release and washes any surface residue off the leaf, reducing the risk to pets.
Can Dynamic Lifter burn a lawn?
It is far less likely to than a soluble synthetic fertiliser, since the nutrient releases slowly rather than all at once.
Dynamic Lifter is a solid, low-risk base feed for most Australian lawns once you match the rate to the product in your hand. It is one part of a wider feeding and fertilising routine rather than the whole story, and getting the rate and season right keeps it well clear of the burn risk that comes with rushing a synthetic feed on instead.
Sources
- Yates Australia, Dynamic Lifter Organic Lawn Food product label (checked 13 September 2026)
- Yates Australia, Dynamic Lifter Concentrated Lawn Food product label (checked 13 September 2026)
- Yates Australia, Blood & Bone Organically Based Plant Food product label (checked 13 September 2026)
- NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Soil organic matter (checked 13 September 2026)
- Agriculture Victoria, Compost (checked 13 September 2026)
