Now that you have eliminated pesky weeds from your lawn, you may be left with bare spots or holes in your turf. Weeds are unsightly, but barren areas can be a detriment to your yard. Luckily, there are a few easy steps that you can take to repair your yard to its former glory.
Step 1: Remove Debris and Thatch
It is essential to remove dead grass and roots from the area that you are trying to repair. Using a rake, make several passes over the dead or bare spots in your yard, removing pine straw along with dead leaves or grass.
Remove any thatch that is in your lawn. You can remove it by raking the area intensely. This will remove the underlayer of organic debris. If your lawn has a widespread thatch problem, aerating your yard may be beneficial.
If you have lost all of the grass in an area, you can remove the dead blades and roots with a shovel. Make sure to dig deep enough to remove the root system of the dead grass. Do not dig too deeply, as this can create a hole that will have to be filled in later.
Preserve the soil under the grass roots so that regrowth will be accelerated. Also, remove any obstructions from the repair area. Removing obstructions like rocks and sticks increases soil to seed contact and maximize nutrient absorption. This is a crucial part of repairing a lawn.
Step 2: Sand and Soil
Once the area has been cleared, it is time to prepare for planting seed or laying sod.
Building a base in which your new grass will grow is one of the more critical steps in the repair process. Break up any hard soil or ground that is in the area. You can use a spade, shovel, or any had tool to loosen compact dirt. It may be helpful to moisten the soil before breaking it up.
Spread a layer of soil or sand between ¼ of an inch to ½ of an inch in the repair area. If your yard has hard or clay-like soil, it may be beneficial to use soil or compost instead of sand to avoid future compaction issues.
Step 3: Choosing Seed or Sod
It is crucial to identify the species of grass that you currently have in your yard. When deciding to either repair using seed or sod, try to use the same type of grass as the rest of your lawn.
| Seed | Sod |
|---|---|
| ✅ Ideal for larger areas | ✅ Fully establishes in a few weeks |
| ✅ Cheaper than sod | ✅ Better protection from weeds |
| ❌ Takes 10 - 12 weeks to fully establish | ❌ More expensive than seed |
| ❌ Can wash away in heavy rains | ❌ More labor intensive than seed |
| ❌ More easily overtaken by weeds |
4. Install Seed or Sod
If you have chosen to repair your lawn with seed, place a layer of seeds on top of your freshly prepared soil. Once the seed has been applied, add a small amount of Scotts Turf Starter fertilizer on top of the seed. Cover the seed and fertilizer mixture with a thin layer of soil. Do not tamp down or compact the soil while covering the seed. Loose soil will allow for growth and nutrient absorption by the seeds.
If you are using sod, apply Scotts Turf Starter to the prepared soil before laying the strips of sod. When installing sod, ensure that the edges and corners of one sod piece make contact with the next strip's edges that are laid down.
Step 5: Water
Water is essential to the growth process for new grass. After planting seed or laying sod, you should water the area daily, if not more, depending on temperature and the time of year.
It would be best if you never let the top 2.5 inches of soil become dry for the first few weeks after planting. Allowing your soil to dry out can stun or damage newly planted grass seeds or sod.
After you have seen approximately 2.5 to 3 inches of growth from your newly planted lawn, you can stop watering it daily and switch to watering more heavily 2 to 3 times a week.
Always make sure to never over water or flood your new lawn. Excess moisture can lead to fungus growth and disease.
