Repairing Bare Spots In The Lawn And Reseeding

Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 08:32 pm

Bare spots in the lawn are very annoying, as they can disrupt the overall appearance and make the green look unkempt. However, “holes” occur in the best lawn and can appear even if carefully nurtured and cared for. The only thing that can help here is repairing and reseeding. Our instructions tell you how to proceed. And to prevent bare patches, we also provide the appropriate tips for care.

Causes

Bald spots in lawns can appear for a variety of reasons. These include, but are not limited to:

1. age of the plants.

Grass also ages and can die over time. Especially in winter, older plants often can no longer withstand frost. By spring at the latest, yellowed and brown areas or even bare patches will show. This cannot be avoided even with the best care and only reseeding will help.

2. missing or wrong care

If the grass lacks water and nutrients, it is weakened. This not only affects its growth, but also makes it more susceptible to damage, for example, from frost or drought. Regular fertilization, adapted watering and frequent mowing from spring to fall prevent and keep the lawn healthy and strong.

3. burns caused by the sun

Bare spots in the lawn can also form when the grass burns. It is important to water it sufficiently and choose the right time to mow.

4. garden furniture

Garden furniture but also other foreign objects on the grass leave not only pressure marks. If they stand in the same place for a long time, the grass in this area first turns yellow or even whitish and eventually dies.
The standing surfaces of flower pots, benches, chairs and tables, but also, for example, cuttings left lying around by shrubs and trees, can produce such stains. It therefore makes sense to keep changing the locations and to remove cuttings as quickly as possible.

Repair lawn – step by step

When bald spots appear on the lawn, they can be repaired comparatively easily. To do this, simply observe the following points:

1. when the outside temperature is consistently around 10 °C and no more heavy night frosts are expected, the ideal time for reseeding has come. A hardy grass variety should be chosen that matches the color of the rest of the lawn. Of course, it would be ideal to use the same seeds for reseeding as for the rest of the grass. This way there will be no noticeable differences.
2. in the bare spots, first remove dead plant parts and roots. Moss and weeds should also be removed.
3. the soil is lightly raked or roughened so that the seeds can penetrate well into the soil. It is important that reseeding is also done beyond the boundary of the bare patch. Otherwise, there could be clearly visible gaps.
4. if necessary, the seed is watered lightly to promote germination and growth. In addition, the growth can be helped with fertilizer. It is also beneficial to cover the newly sown area with very tightly woven netting to protect the seeds from birds and other animals.

Correct sowing

When sowing, it is not only the right time that matters, but also the way of sowing. That is, both when and how. After all, to repair the hole in the grass, the seed must be distributed as evenly as possible. To do this, there are two types of variants.

For larger areas, a spreader should be used. For smaller gaps, spread once wide and once lengthwise – that is, from two different directions with a difference of 90 degrees. In this way, a particularly dense and even distribution can be achieved.

Prevent bald spots

Although bald spots cannot always be prevented, the risk of them occurring can be significantly reduced with the right approach. However, it is necessary to consider the following factors:

Supply

Grass plants need adequate water and occasional fertilization for healthy and vigorous growth. If you want to make watering easy, use a lawn sprinkler. For fertilization, special lawn fertilizer that is spread with a spreader truck is a good choice. Iron fertilizer can also be used.

Aeration

When grass plants weaken, moss and weeds have an easy time. The more these grow and spread, the more they weaken the grass and, as a result, can really choke the lawn. The remedy for this is regular dethatching. The moss is removed and the soil is aerated.

Mowing

Regular lawn mowing not only benefits the well-groomed appearance. The maintenance measure also ensures that the plants branch out more and thus become denser. As a result, troublesome weeds and moss have less chance of spreading. However, care should be taken to ensure that mowing does not take place in full sun. Otherwise, the cut surfaces could burn.

Pressure points

Planters, garden furniture, and clippings can create pressure points and discolored patches as they persistently shade the grass. It is therefore advisable to change their location more frequently. This distributes pressure and shade more evenly and prevents bare patches.

Tip: Special lawn fertilizer is an easy way to provide the grass with nutrients. However, it is not the optimum. It is better to first analyze a soil sample and then adjust the fertilizer accordingly.