Every lawn, eventually over time, will develop dead spots. Maybe the dog has grown a bit too fond of a certain corner, or your watering system just doesn’t reach a particular area with enough moisture. Possibly you’ve discovered just where your children have established home base for the T-ball crowd. Whatever the cause, dead, sparse or severely yellowed spots in an otherwise lush, green lawn are not pretty. Fortunately, there’s an easy remedy.
Dead spots can appear in nearly any lawn – caused by fungal disease, pet damage, failed irrigation or excessive foot traffic. The easiest solution is to reseed the damaged area.
Photo Credit: ©2000 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Reseeding small patches of damaged grass is a painless and inexpensive way to renovate trouble spots in your lawn. First, clip the lawn as low as possible in the dead spot or dig out the dead turf and roots. Rake the area clear of dead grass, weeds, pebbles and leaves. If the ground is compacted, dig up some of the soil and mix it with fresh topsoil and compost. Be wary of making the patch soil extremely fertile – you may end up with exceptional growth in that one spot, making the rest of your lawn look pale by comparison.
Even if your soil in the reseeding area isn’t compacted, either loosen it 1 foot deep with a garden fork or spade, or dig it out and replace it entirely. Level the soil with the surrounding lawn surface. If the area you’re fixing is large, you may want to roll or tamp it flat. (The backside of a hoe or rake makes a good tamping tool.) Now seed the spot with the same turfgrass as the rest of your lawn. (If you’re unsure what type of lawn you have, take a small chunk of sod to your garden center or to the garden department of your local home improvement store.)
Next, follow the seeding directions on the turfgrass seed label. After sowing, topcoat the area, reroll or tamp down with a hoe or rake, then water gently with a fine-mist nozzle to prevent runoff. Protect the area with stakes and tape to prevent the new planting from being trampled, and keep the area moist until the grass is up. Withhold mowing until the new lawn reaches the right height for the variety.
Repairing Dead Spots
Repairing Dead Spot - Step 1
It may seem drastic, but begin by digging the entire dead spot out of the lawn with a shovel. The hole should be at least 12 inches deep, with straight, steep sides.
Photo Credit: ©2000 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Repairing Dead Spot - Step 2
Refill the hole, using fresh topsoil. While the replacement soil should be loam with good texture, it should have the same general characteristics as that of the rest of your lawn.
Photo Credit: ©2000 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Repairing Dead Spot - Step 3
Tamp the soil to compact it, using a tamping tool or the back of a hoe. Add additional soil as needed to bring it level with the turf.
Photo Credit: ©2000 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Reparing Dead Spot - Step 4
Seed the area with a seed variety or mix that matches the original turfgrass species of the lawn. (Avoid annual seed varieties – they’ll only live 1 year and then die.)
Photo Credit: ©2000 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Repairing Dead Spot - Step 5
Lightly topcoat the seed with soil to protect it from birds and to allow it to have complete soil contact as it germinates.
Photo Credit: ©2000 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Repairing Dead Spot - Step 6
Water the planted area with a light misting spray, taking care to avoid uncovering the grass seed.
Photo Credit: ©2000 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Repairing Dead Spot - Step 7
Protect your newly repaired area with a highly visible barrier to prevent any hazards and to block foot traffic from the repaired area.
Photo Credit: ©2000 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
