How To Patch Bare Spots With Sod
For a quicker fix than reseeding, try using sod. Sod is a fairly inexpensive way to repair bare spots of dead grass.
Similar to reseeding, remove any leaves, dead grass, weeds, or debris from the brown patch area before getting started.
Using a garden hoe or rake, till the soil a few inches deep to break up the solid pieces of dirt.
- Measure the Area of the Brown Patch
Use a tape measure to evaluate the width and length of your brown patch. Then, purchase a piece of sod from your local gardening store that will fully cover the area.
- Select the Right Turfgrass
Be sure to select the correct turfgrass sod for your lawn, identify the grass you have growing, and try to match this when buying pieces of sod.
Using a sharp shovel or garden tool, cut a piece of sod that is slightly larger than the area you are covering.
- Lightly Fertilize
Applying a small amount of fertilizer to the soil before laying sod will encourage the roots to establish and anchor down the sod piece.
- Firmly Place the Sod Piece
Place the sod on top of the brown patch matching the shape as best you can. Compress the sod down into the lawn by tamping it down with a rake and then immediately walking on it.
- Water the Sod Immediately
The sod will need more water than regular seed grass. Keep the area moist by watering two to three times a day if needed. Monitor the edges of the new sod they will dry out first.
- Hold Off on Weed Control
- Assume Regular Lawn Treatment
How To Fix Bare Spots In Lawn
A complete guide to grass patch repair and how to fix bare spots in lawn.
As a homeowner, the last thing you want to see is bare patches in your lawn. Bare spots can appear for many reasons, including disease, pest infestation, shade and excessive foot traffic. For whatever reason, your lush lawn has been replaced with ugly bare patches.
Its important to provide your yard with proper care to restore its health and beauty. Here are the best ways to fixing bare spots in lawns. Plus, we will cover grass patch repair and how to identify the cause of these patches.
Do Not Use A Weed Killer
Weedkillers are designed to kill weeds and grasses alike, so using them on your lawn will just kill all of your grass and leave you with a patchy lawn that may never grow back.
If you want to get rid of weeds without killing everything else, try spot treating them with an herbicide instead of spraying your entire lawn with weedkiller.
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Urine From Pets Or Wild Animals
Dogs, cats, and wild animals urinating on your lawn will usually leave a telltale brown, straw-like patch due to the high concentration of urea that burns the grass. But just around this dead spot, there may a ring of very dark green, unusually healthy grassthe result of a higher-than-normal nitrogen level. If you catch an animal urinating, then you may be able to prevent the burn by watering the spot thoroughly immediately afterward.
Remove Dead Patches Of Grass As They Appear
If you let dead grass patches stay on your lawn, they will eventually turn into large dead areas that are hard to fix.
If you spot a patch of dead grass, remove it as soon as you can so it doesnt spread.
You can use a weed whacker, shovel or rake to remove the dead grass and then cover the area with fresh soil or compost.
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How To Fix Brown Patches In Your Lawn
Posted on May 1, 2020 by Lawn Doctor
Your lush green grass has been overtaken by dead brown patches and you need to know how to fix dead grass. These unsightly patches of dead spots in your lawn threaten to ruin the beautiful outdoor aesthetic of all your hot summer barbecues and events and spread disease to your grass.
Brown patches are caused by factors including, but not limited to foot traffic, lack of fertilization, fungus, grub infestation, animal urine, chemical spills, and/or drought. Dead grass patches are also more likely to occur in older lawns than younger ones.
Before you start repairing the brown patches on your lawn, study the growth patterns of these areas to see what might be contributing to the dead grass conditions. Understanding the underlying factors will help you avoid recurring brown patches in your yard.
While repairing brown patches is not particularly difficult, you should be aware of best practices and recommendations for the optimal grass regrowth. We are going to equip you with the tools and knowledge for how to fix a brown patch in your lawn through two main methods: reseeding bare spots and patching with sod.
Spills Toxic To Grass
Any areas where a chemical, pesticide, or gasoline spilled on your grass can kill it. Even high concentrations of weed killer can be too much for your lawn to handle. Chemical spills will most often create a dead patch in the shape of the spill.
How to Prevent It
To avoid this problem, keep fill devices like spreaders away from grass. A spreader is a tool similar to a wheelbarrow you can use todistribute weed killers and other lawn care products.
If you do spill, remove the dead grass with a rake and dig up the first 4-5 inches of soil and remove that as well.
Saturate the area with water from a hose for about 20 minutes. This should diffuse any concentrated chemicals left in the ground. Reseed and sod if needed.
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What To Do When Your Grass Is Dormant
If the weather is getting cooler and you notice brown spots growing across your bermudagrass lawn, there may be nothing wrong at all. As the seasons run from fall into winter, your lawn will go completely dormant. During this dormant period, it will look dead, but it is actually still living. The roots underground are healthy, and new green blades will grow in the spring. A lawn that is dormant in the winter needs only minimal watering to stay healthy until the spring.
If it is still mid-summer and your grass is going dormant, look at the weather. If it is excessively hot and dry, your turf may be dormant to conserve nutrients and energy. It may be time to increase your irrigation schedule to guarantee that your turf has the water it needs to grow healthy green blades.
S To Repair Dead Patches In Your Lawn
1. Prepare the Soil: Begin by removing thatch from the area of dead grass using a garden rake or hand rake. Once you get below the layer of thatch, rake the soil to loosen it for the seeds.
2. Spread the Seed Mixture: Following manufacturers instructions on the product, spread the product over the area, being careful not to overseed. The seeds will germinate best when daytime temperatures are between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit .
3. Gently Water: With a garden hose and spray nozzle set to the gentlest setting, water deeply and thoroughly to give the seed the best possible start. Keep moist for up to two weeks when germination occurs. Keep pets and people away from the seeded areas until the grass is restored.
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How To Repair Bald Spots In Your Lawn
Learn how to fix bald spots in your lawn by repairing with seed or patching with sod.
Does your lawn have bald spots that need repair? We can help you with some easy steps for patching or seeding those problem areas and getting the lush lawn youâre after.
Shutterstock/Dean Clarke
Before turf can be treated, you need to determine the cause of the problem. If you eliminate fungi, bugs, grubs or other pests as causes, you may just need some seeds.
Once the ground temperature warms to about 52 degrees Fahrenheit, seeds will grow. Good seed-to-soil contact will get the seeds germinating fast.
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How To Fix Dead Patches In The Lawn
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A dead patch in the lawn is something that plagues every homeowner at some point and time. Dead patches can be tough to avoid as sometimes it really just comes down to the weather and other underlying issues that you cannot control such as water restrictions and root infections. For some homeowners, they occur every year in different areas of the lawn. For others, its just a huge dead spot where green grass used to thrive. Lucky for all of us, fixing the problem is pretty easy to do. Follow this article on how to fix dead patches in your lawn.
The next step is to sow grass seed across the damaged area. Grab good quality seed from the hardware store and scatter them across the patch. Cover them up gently with your hands or a rake and lightly packed the soil down. Dont forget to add a little fertilizer to help spark new growth and add nutrients to the soil. Since its getting warmer, I recommend using a weed free mulch to cover the area from the harshness of the sun. Some good mulch options for this situation include dry grass clippings, straw, or even a light layer of sand. Be careful not to use too much as it can damage the area and prevent growth. You want just enough mulch to provide protection and to prevent excessive evaporation of moisture from the sun.
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Identify The Cause Then Fix Bare Spots In Lawn
While it may seem difficult to find the true cause of bare spots and patchy grass, diagnosing the issue is quite simple. If your yard has bare spots due to pet urine, you will likely notice a dark green ring around the dead spot. On the other hand, dead grass patches from pest infestation, such as grub worms, will easily lift from the ground when gently tugged on.
If the bare spots are the result of fungal disease, you might see a coat of white covering the grass. Fungus can also cause a yellow ring expanding from the dead spot in the turf.
Other signs to look for are irregularly shaped bare patches . Bare spots that normally grow back in the spring are typically caused by cold weather. And bare spots near shady areas are often found under trees.
On most occasions, bare spots are the result of an underlying issue in your lawn. Perhaps your lawn is infested with pests, or maybe it simply receives heavy foot traffic. Whatever the case may be, correcting the issue is the first step to fixing bare spots on your lawn.
Consider collecting and submitting a soil analysis. You can also send a soil sample to your local extension office to identify what might be causing the problem. After all, you dont want to spend a lot of time and money on applying products that might not work.
How Do I Make My Patchy Lawn Thicker
Making a patchy lawn grow thicker grass is not complicated at all. The quickest solutions to this problem are overseeding and fertilizing.
Overseeding can help you recover the dead patches of grass, as well as fill up the area with lush and healthy grass. Fertilizing will give you even better results when you combine it with overseeding.
After all, your lawn needs nutrients, and a good fertilizer will deliver that.
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Dont Just Wish For The Best
Ignoring your problem and hoping it will get better isnt going to get you anywhere. In fact, chances are, if you already have some brown and dead spots, they are only going to get worse.
These dead areas are an indicator that something is wrong and you need to take action. A problem that is causing your grass to die needs remedying.
What Causes Brown Spots In The Lawn
Discover the most common causes of brown patches in your yard and how to treat them.
It can be alarming and frustrating to see brown spots ruining what would otherwise be a beautiful green stretch of grass, especially if youre not sure how they got there or what to do about them. Brown spots in the lawn can show up for many different reasons, so the first step toward treating them is to identify the cause of the problem. Below are the most common causes of brown spots in the lawn and how to treat them so you can get your lush green lawn back.
Fungus
Brown spots due to fungal problems usually show up as irregular patches. If the disease has been active for a while, the inside of the patch may recover, leaving a ring of dead grass around it. Extremely rainy or humid weather can encourage fungal outbreaks, as can lack of sunlight and poor air circulation. Although you cant control the weather, there is something you can do to protect against fungus. ApplyScotts® DiseaseExLawn Fungicide according to the label directions to not only treat active diseases, but also to prevent future problems from listed fungi.
Grubs
Dog Urine Burns
Weed Dieback
Dead spots can also occur in the lawn when annual weeds like crabgrass, annual bluegrass, and foxtail begin to die back. This is a natural cycle that can be avoided with proper lawn maintenance and quickly patched withScotts® EZ Seed® Patch & Repair. As always, be sure to follow the directions on the label.
Thatch
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How To Repair Green Spots From Dog Urine
In some cases, green spots can appear on your grass, the opposite of lawn damage. Since your dogs urine has a high concentration of nitrogen, the macronutrient can improve your plant growth if it has a low nitrogen content from fertilizer.
If this is the case, we recommend taking a soil sample to have tested for pH or other issues that could be preventing proper absorption of nutrients. If you need more nitrogen, consider improving low levels in your lawn by administering lawn fertilizer according to the soil testing lab recommendations.
Evening Out Minor Bumps And Hollows
- Cut through the uneven patch with an H-shaped incision and peel back the turf.
- Fork over the base and either remove excess soil or add new top soil to raise the level.
- Firm down the soil and make sure the patch is level before replacing the turf.
- Check the lawn is level and adjust again if necessary.
- Brush a sandy lawn top-dressing into the crevices between the turves.
- Compress the turf edges with the back of a rake.
- Water in with a watering can fitted with a fine rose.
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How Do You Reseed Bare Patches In A Lawn
Reseeding bare patches is quite easy, and it wont take too much of your time.
The first thing you need to do is to assess the damage and rake the patchy area.
Then loosen up the soil either by using a cultivator or a sturdier rake. Cover the area with compost and mix it up with the ground.
Then grab the seeds and sprinkle generously over the bare patch. Use the rake once again to cover the seeds with the soil.
Then continue to water the area for the next two weeks.
Do your best to maintain the moisture if the temperatures are too high.
Spray The Area With The Soil Penetrant
How to fix dead grass spots. If it is cool and still, the soil will retain more moisture. A dead lawn can be caused by any number of things. Its the result of an underlying problem that needs to be corrected before you can restore the area to its original healthy condition.
Heres how to cut out damaged grass and cut a sod patch that fits perfectly in its place: What does dry grass look like? How to fix dead grass is by mowing the lawn even if it looks dry.
Prevention of this problem consists in reducing the amount of nitrogen that comes into contact with the grass. How to repair brown dead grass dormancy spots. When soil is rehydrated and grass plants turn green, so will the weeds.
Lay a piece of sod over the bad spot and slice through both the sod. Infestations of insects can damage your lawn. Once you get below the layer of thatch, rake the soil to loosen it for the seeds.
One way to determine if grass. Instructions to fix dog urine spots in your grass. Following manufacturers instructions on the product, spread the product over the area, being careful not to overseed.
Otherwise, soil contaminants left by fertilizer spills or pets may kill the new grass. I also discuss my above ground sprinkler system and you ca. Scatter grass seed over the loosened soil.
Dormant lawn faqs how can i tell if my grass is dormant or dead? Lightly tamp for good seed/soil contact. Your grass needs around one to two inches of water each week, dependent upon air temperature and movement.
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Dont Let Your Lawn Get Too Dry In The Summer
Watering is only half the battle when it comes to growing healthy grass in hot weather.
If you dont water often enough, your lawn will be more likely to get dry and die out in places than if you were watering it regularly.
Make sure to check how often and how much water your lawn needs before deciding how often to water it.