Heres what it’s crucial that you know about overplanting areas of diseased or distressed turf.
Before you undertake any lawn repair, it’s important to figure out what caused the problem.
Sometimes, an accident, such as a fertilizer spill, creates a bare spot in the lawn.
Credit: Richard Brown
Other causes are plant diseases,destructive insects, or competition for light and moisture from overgrown neighboring plants.
If it doesn’t, use seed or sod to repair the lawn.
Remove the clippings in the area to be repaired so the seed will have direct contact with the soil.
Credit: Brie Passano
Remove anydead grassor weeds.
Rake Soil
Use a garden rake to rough up the soil between the grass plants.
Rake the soil smooth and level.
Spread Seed
Sprinkle seed thickly in the lawn repair area.
Use a variety that corresponds to the surrounding grass if possible.
Otherwise, use a mixture of grasses appropriate for your region.
This prevents the seeds from being blown away by the wind or washed away by irrigation or rainfall.
Covering the soil also reduces moisture loss.
Mowing too early disturbs the tender roots.
Credit: Brie Passano
Any time during the season is fine when you are just fixing a few small spots.
Purchase a pop in of sod that fit your existing lawn.
Prepare the soil the same way you would for patching with seed.
Keep the area an inch or so below grade so the new grass will be level with the lawn.
Then cut a piece from the strip of sod to fit the repair site.
Press it firmly onto the soil, placing its edges snugly against the surrounding lawn.
Walk on it to settle it into place.
