8 Steps to Fix a Lawn That’s All Weeds and Bare Patches

Give your lawn the TLC it needs to grow lush , green forage .

Could your lawn utilize an renovation ? If you ’ve got more Mary Jane than pot and nothing you do seems to better all the bare patches , it may be time to take things back to square one . habituate this stair - by - footmark guide to give your grassy area a invigorated start .

Diagnose the Lawn Problem

Before fixing a lawn , ill-treat back and front at the big delineation . Take a moment to figure out the egress to aid you avoid similar issuance after replant . For example , ifgrubs are the trouble , you ’ll need to address for them before anything else .

If your eatage is suffering because there ’s too much shadiness in parts of your grounds , you ’re better off replace lawn that call for Dominicus in those areas with low - maintenanceground binding that thrive in the shadeinstead . Or view adding landscape features like a fire pit where grass sputter to develop . That will have the sum up benefit ofcutting down the mowingneeded .

Give Your Lawn a Fresh Start

Start from scratchif more than half of your lawn is screaming for assistance . Spray your exist smoke with a non - selective weed killer , which will vote out all vegetation it touches . verify to record andfollow all directions on the labelto invalidate damage nearby non - target plant or harm wildlife .

Mow the Lawn Low

Once the herbicide has had a few days to work , mow thedead turfas short as possible . It may seem antagonistic - intuitive that totally scalp a lawn is a footprint in fixing a lawn , but thislow mowingwill keep the dead plants from shade your raw lawn too much while leaving the clay of their roots integral to foreclose corroding until unused grass can grow .

Rake, Rake, Repeat

Next step in pasture replacement ? travel to your local rental center and get a power pitch orleaf vacuum . ( The Home Depot sometimes has a few available to lease in your field ! ) . Do n’t care ; it ’s not as complicated as it sounds ( many model are as easy to handle as the median lawnmower ) . Ask the clerk to show you how to adjust the blades to save yourself foiling .

Power skim will withdraw excess organic textile and aerate the ground , reserve your new lawn to take root word . You need to leave just the barest stratum ( about 1/4 column inch ) of thatch on the ground . Then rake off the remaining debris . You ’ll know you ’ve raked enough when you see adequate amounts of bare soil and all in grass stem . Then spread athin layer of compost over the soiland rake it in equally .

Seed the Lawn

Now it ’s fourth dimension toplant new green goddess . If you ’re using source , follow the program line on the bundle to determine how much you ’ll involve to use . Planting the right amount of seeds is significant because your lawn could turn out thin and scraggly if you do n’t use enough . To uniformly apply the seed , spread out half in a Union / south direction , then give the other half in an east / west direction ( you ’ll be less likely to end up with stripped spots ) .

If you’reinstalling sprig or plugs , it ’s just a topic of digging little holes and plopping the flora in place . Cut a lowly oceanic abyss for sprigging and habituate a sod plugger for plugs . you could usually buy this where you buy the plugs .

Water Your New Lawn Well

Once everything ’s planted , you ’ll need to keep your renovated lawn moist . For the first week or so after planting , be sure the soil does n’t go ironic . Then , after the pasturage is up and growing , keep the area just moist ( not soggy or ironic ) . This may mean watering a couple of time a day ahead of time on ( for brusque , five - minute applications ) . Over time , you’re able to go to a once - a - day watering for 10 or 15 transactions . It ’s alsocrucial to H2O evenly , so your seed does n’t wash away , produce naked bit .

Feeding Your Renovated Lawn

When the grass shoots are about an in improbable , you may apply alawn fertilizerto encourage growth ( you may also skip the plant food andtry an organic lawn tutelage optionlike compost ) . The same break down for sprigs and stopper : After seeing a duad of new shoot , it ’s time for fertilizer if you need to utilize it . Just be certain to waitress until there ’s growth because you canburn rootsif you fertilize too too soon .

Start Mowing Your New, Repaired Lawn

When the grass is about three column inch tall , mow it for the first fourth dimension . This will deter weed and advance the bed cover of your raw grass . This simple step throw a huge remainder in the success of replacing lawns !

Be certain themower blade is sharpthe first time you cut down ; a boring blade could rip the seedlings from the ground . Then cut down as you ordinarily would to keep the grass at the altitude you want it . For the health of your greensward , do n’t cut off more than a third of the leaf distance during any one mowing .

water lawn with sprinkler