What Causes Bare Spots In Lawn

How Do You Fix Patchy Grass

Once you find out what is causing the patchy grass, you can see here how to reseed lawn if you need new grass in patches.

One of the first things you need to be sure of before overseeding lawns is that the soil temperature is around 52 degrees Fahrenheit. Besides this, you need good seed-to-soil contact so that the seed can germinate quickly.

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What If You Plan To Add A Lot Of Topsoil To Your Bare Patch

If youre adding a fair amount of topsoil, you will be better off seeding in the late Summer or early Fall. The reason for this is that topsoil carries a lot of weed seeds that will sprout prolifically in the Spring and Summer. Keep the area wet for 3-4 weeks to get the grass to sprout and water it a couple times per week until it is fully established.

Kick Back & Enjoy The Results

Repairing bare spots in your lawn is a quick and easy project that reaps many rewards. Its the perfect weekend task that you can finish in no time, so you can get back out in the hammock and enjoy the results! Dont forget to improve the lushness and color of your whole lawn with regular feeding and proper maintenance.

For more on bare spot lawn repair, check out this helpful video from Scotts Lawn:

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Does Your Lawn Have Bare Patches

Spring is a common time for lawns to show their bare patches – like bald spots. This is most likely due to the lawn having been in a dormant state where there has been no growth and it’s not been able to repair itself.

Although, there are other reasons your lawn could be getting bare patches like if your lawn gets a lot of shade.

In most cases, there are simple solutions to get your full lawn back again.

Keeping A Full Lawn Year

To have a full lawn year round, adopt a regular lawn maintenance program consisting of:

Your lawn maintenance program will vary depending on your turf variety, area and climate. It’s always a good idea to select turf that is sustainable and requires lower inputs.

Find out which variety of turf suits your yard best:

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Lawn Care And Repair With Gecko Green

As a locally-owned and operated lawn care and pest control business based in Dallas Fort Worth, we prioritize giving you the individualized and personalized attention you deserve.

When pesky issues like bare spots plague your lawn, our experts can help you discover the cause and design an effective plan to fix the problem for good.

With over 30 years of experience in the industry, the professionals at Gecko Green make lawn care easy from a team you can trust. Experience the Gecko Green difference for yourself!

How To Prevent Bald Spots On Your Lawn

The best way to prevent bald spots in your lawn is to continuously care for it throughout the year. There are a few preventative measures you can take to help reduce the risk of disease and weeds spreading through your lawn. Continuous care includes mowing regularly, applying fertilizer, and watering. These are the best ways to prevent lawn diseases and weeds from taking over and promote healthy, green grass. Other ways to prevent bald spots are to:

• Ensure adequate, uniform irrigation coverage with the proper amount.
• Pull weeds up by their roots whenever you find them.
• Avoid having heavy foot traffic in certain areas of your lawn.
• Dont let pets urinate on your lawn.
• Fight off pests as soon as you think theyve come to live in your grass.

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Reseeding To Fix Bare Spots

This method is very simple and doesnât take much time. The downside is that it will take a little while for the patches to disappear because you have to wait for the seeds to germinate and grow.

First you need to rake the area. This will remove dead grass and other debris. A normal rake works fine. Then you will want to use an aerator or cultivator to loosen the soil. It is best to rake and aerate in straight lines, then go back over it a second time going perpendicular to the first lines.

Now you will add a few inches of compost on top. Mix it in gently with a rake. You can use the pole part of the rake to even out clumps and spread it evenly.

Now, use a spreader to spread your chosen type of grass seed. It should cover the surface evenly without ever piling. If you want a fast germinating type, perennial ryegrass is a good choice.

Now, go over the area with a rake again. This will help even out any seeds that are more than one layer thick. It will also mix them into the soil which can help keep them there and protect them from birds and wind.

Now you need to lightly water the area a couple times a day to keep the area moist, but not soaked. Once the grass grows long, you can return to regular lawn care. It may take a couple times before it fully blends into the existing grass.

What To Do If Your Bare Spot Is Exposed Soil

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Brown Spots In Grass: Identification And Prevention

No one wants unsightly brown spots taking over their once-green stretch of lush, green lawn. But in order to solve this problem, you have to know exactly what youre dealing with. There are multiple causes of brown spots, from poor soil quality to dog urine and over-fertilization. But dont fret. This Old House will show you how to identify the brown spots in your grass, repair them, and prevent them.

Once youve taken care of your brown spot, This Old House Reviews Team recommends hiring a professional lawn care company to handle all of your lawn care needs to keep your grass hardy and robust. TruGreen offers five annual plans with options like overseeding and aeration that can help you avoid brown spots.

Apply Your Grass Seed

Apply grass seed at the rate recommended on the grass seed bag label. Avoid applying too much seed as the seedlings can die out due to too much competition for water and nutrients. Use a high quality mixture of seed that is appropriate for the amount of sunlight in the area you are repairing. Look for improved varieties, or types of grass seed that is drought and/or disease resistant. For newer, full sun yards that were established from sod, use a pure Kentucky Bluegrass blend. For older sunny lawns, use a mixture of Kentucky Bluegrass and Perennial Ryegrass. For shady lawn, use a shade mixture.

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How To Avoid Dead Grass In The Future

Once you have revived your lawn from dead grass, take care of it properly with these things in mind:

• Irrigate the newly seeded patches with a low amount of water 2-3 times a day to keep it moist in the beginning, then gradually reduce the frequency by increasing the amount of water.

• Make a proper schedule for mowing your lawn. Mowing once a week will promote the growth of the grass as well as make your lawn look good. Do keep in mind that dont cut the grass more than 1/3rd of the total height as it can harm the grass and make it stressed out.

• For the initial period fertilize your lawn every 2 months and after one year, when your lawn is established fertilize it every 6 months.

• Aeration and dethatching are very necessary for a healthy lawn so try to aerate and dethatch your lawn every 1.5 to 2 years.

• Keep your pets out of the lawn or try to create a specific spot where they can urinate as the urine can harm the lawn and make it acidic.

Get The Most Out Of Lawn Patch And Repair Mixes This Spring

We often see dead patches or bare spots as the snow disappears and lawns green up. This can be caused by a number of winter stresses. If patches are greater than a few inches wide, recovery will require the addition of seed or sod. Consider the following when choosing retail-available products or DIY approaches to patching these areas.

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Approach : Apply Sulfur

The other cause of bald, dead patches is pH imbalance in the soil the grass is planted on- low/high soil pH may have started to inhibit the uptake of nutrients leading to yellowing and potential browning of grass.

But to be sure, you need to measure your soils pH first- use this soil pH home testing kit.

If you get a starting pH of 7.2 , you should apply sulfur to the lawn to lower soil pH balance in the quantities suggested below:

Quick Note: While soil pH preferences tend to vary from one grass type to the next, most grasses thrive when the soil pH is in the range of 5.8 to 7.2. That said, a soil pH of 6.5 is tolerable for most grasses .

Grubs Or Other Pests Below The Turf

Grubs are the larvae of various hard-shelled beetles, such as the Japanese beetle or June bug. A lawn can tolerate some degree of grub infestation, but if the concentration is high, dead patches will appear in your lawn. A strong sign that you are dealing with grubs is if the dead patch lifts away from the ground easily when you tug on the grass. Grubs eat the roots of grass and leave nothing to hold the grass in place. Addressing this problem involves reseeding or resodding and preferably after you have dealt with the grub infestation.

The Spruce / K. Dave

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Why Are There Bare Spots In My Grass

There are several possibilities, Churchill says, and chief among them are dogs, turf disease and human error.

If a dog is relieving itself on your lawn, that can create so-called dog spots, or dead patches of grass that turn into bare spots. And turf diseases such as patch diseases kill grass in circular shapes. Over-fertilizing in one spot, spilling gas while filling the mower and using a grill hot enough to toast the grass underneath are all typical ways you might accidentally cause bare spots yourself.

Generally, spots dont just show up without any reason, explains Churchill. A bare spot is a dead spot, and its a remnant of something else thats gone wrong its almost like bare spots are scars.

Benefits Of Overseeding Summary

A naturally thick and healthy lawn is the best defense against weeds, so taking care of those bare patches is vital. Not only do you want a healthy lawn, but youre defending your grass against weeds taking up residence in your yard. It cant be emphasized enough your newly seeded grass needs water. Do not neglect your daily watering schedule. Sun and wind can quickly suck up the moisture from the soil. Remember: if it dries, it dies. Your overseeding journey will go well if you follow these simple instructions, continue with regular care and maintenance after the seed has been spread, and treat it with care until the grass has fully germinated in those areas.

Once your lawn begins its return, and you start to notice thick and healthy grass sprouting throughout your front and back yard, be sure to get outside and take advantage of the sun. Invite friends over for a dinner party on your fresh grass, reap the rewards of your labour.

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A Lush Lawn Can Still Be Prone To Bare Spots We Take A Look At The Causes How To Repair Them And Cover The Bare Spots

You finally have your lawn just how you want it green and lush and thriving. Then, all of a sudden, a bare spot appears. What to do? To find out why bare spots occur, and how to fix them to return your lawn to its splendor, we checked in with Joe Churchill, senior turf specialist with Reinders, Inc. to share his insights and tips.

How To Care For A Growing Lawn

Like all seeds, grass seed must have a regular supply of water to germinate. After sowing, water the area well, with a fine rose on the watering can, and continue to water if theres no rain. Many of the repair kits come complete with extra ingredients, to hold onto moisture and help the seed imbibe water.

Once it has germinated, take care when mowing to avoid cutting the new grass too short. Just keep it lightly trimmed until it has had a chance to establish and thicken out. You can also fix a bare patch with turf either bought new, or cut from another part of the garden. Lay the piece of new turf over the bare patch and cut around its outline through the grass below. Put the new turf aside and lift the square of old grass out, lightly forking over the soil surface. The new piece of grass will be the same size and shape as the hole so you can simply put it in place, firm it down and water it in.

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Approach : Apply Anti

The brown patch strikes could be symptoms of a serious fungal infection in your yard and you may need to treat the yard with an appropriate anti-fungal treatment.

However, you need to be sure that your lawn is indeed infected with a fungal disease before thinking of an effective treatment.

Your local garden center or cooperative extension center can help you figure out the actual lawn disease .

Bare Spots In Bermuda Grass Reasons And Fixes

Bermuda grass is a popular lawn grass that has been planted for decades. Its often used in conjunction with other types of grass, and has gained popularity because it doesnt require much maintenance once established.

However, bermuda does need to be cut on occasion to maintain its look. One issue that can arise with bermuda is bare spots due to disease or pests such as chinch bugs. In this blog post well explore how to identify and treat these problems so you dont end up with an unsightly yard!

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Repair Your Patchy Lawn

Even if your lawn is in poor condition, it is possible to achieve a healthy, dark green expanse of perfect lawn by overseeding, or introducing some fresh seed into the sparse or thinning areas.

Your lawn will never be better than the grass seed you plant, so we recommend overseeding with either Black Beauty® Ultra grass seed mixture or Black Beauty® Fall Magic grass seed mixture after Labor Day:

• Black Beauty® Ultra is most similar to what is found on sod farms. The seed mixture contains three grass types for species diversity and these are tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass. These grasses grow a naturally dark-green and beautiful lawn with excellent heat and drought tolerance. Black Beauty Ultra® grass seed germinates in about 14 days and will improve any lawn it is overseeded into.
• Black Beauty® Fall Magic has been specially formulated for successful fall seeding and contains several grass types, including Black Beauty® tall fescues. It can be used in sun and shade lawn areas on established lawns or to start new lawns from scratch. Black Beauty® Fall Magic repairs summer damage and provides an attractive, thicker, greener lawn, with germination in 10 to 14 days.

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