DIY How to Fix a Lawn

Removing Dead Grass

• 1

  Dig up areas of dead grass. Oftentimes, fungal diseases or pests will leave bare patches within a yard. Press your shovel 4 inches into the soil and push up the grass' root systems.

• 2

  Till bare areas to break up the first 4 to 6 inches of topsoil for grass seedlings to establish strong root systems. Apply a starter fertilizer to the bare areas. Use a starter fertilizer that has NPK amount of 5-10-5. Use 20 lbs. of starter fertilizer per 1,000 square feet of soil area. Till the fertilizer into the first 4 to 6 inches of top soil.

• 3

  Water the soil. Broadcast your preferred grass seed into the bare areas. Cover the grass seed with 1/8 inch of compost. Keep the soil moist to help your grass seed germinate.

Renovating the Lawn

• 4

  Spray your dying grass with herbicide that contains glyphosate. Pick a day that is free of rain so the herbicide can absorb into the blades. Reapply the herbicide in a few days to areas of living grass.

• 5

  Mow your lawn so that it is 1/2 inch in height if the vegetation is dead. Rake up and remove the dead grass.

• 6

  Till the soil and inspect for any pests such as white grubs, which may have caused your grass' demise. Grade the soil so it is slightly sloped to the street or driveway.

• 7

  Plant seeds or sod to re-establish your lawn. Broadcast seeds according to the distribution rate recommended by the seed producer; or lay sod starting from the perimeter of the lawn to the inside of the lawn.

• 8

  Fertilizer your lawn six weeks after planting with a slow-release fertilizer to provide nutrients. Spread 1 lb. of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet.