How to Reseed Damaged Lawns

Lawns are damaged by a wide variety of occurrences including winter cold, insect or grub damage and overfertilization. The result is bare spots that give the lawn a patchy appearance. Although proper lawn maintenance eventually fills in the lawn, this can take multiple growing seasons. Instead of waiting, you can reseed the damaged lawn to restore it sooner. The best time to reseed a damaged lawn is in the spring when temperatures are moderate. Wait until the soil dries out if you live in area that receives heavy rain or winter snowfall that melts.

Power rake
Seed spreader
Leaf rake

Instructions

- 1
  Rent a power rake from a garden supply store and place it at one edge of the damaged lawn. Turn the rake on as instructed by the user instructions and set the blade depth to between 1/4 and 1/2 inch deep. Push the power rake over the lawn in side-by-side rows to aerate it and prepare for seeding.
- 2
  Fill a seed spreader or fertilizer spreader with the same variety of grass seed that is already growing in the lawn. Set the dispenser rate to 1 to 2 lbs. for every 1,000 square feet of lawn. Push the spreader over the lawn in side-by-side rows to dispense the seeds, just as you did with the power rake.
- 3
  Rake the lawn gently with a standard leaf rake to push the grass seed down into the soil by about 1/4 inch. Some of the seeds should still be visible on top of the ground.
- 4
  Water the entire lawn with 1/2 inch of water immediately after spreading the seeds. Afterward, water daily to keep the soil moist for three to four weeks or until you see new grass blades sprout up.

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