Help With a Patchy Lawn

Fixing Underlining Problems

• Improper cultural practices such as excessive herbicide use, over fertilizing or inadequate watering cause patchy lawns. When using a herbicide, use one that is safe for your lawn type. For example, gardeners should not use an herbicide that contains MSMA on a St. Augustine lawn. Furthermore, avoid using more than 1 lb. of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn at one time to prevent grass burning. Check your irrigation system to ensure that it is functioning properly to prevent dried grass. Apply fungicides to treat fungal diseases or insecticides to kill pests like white grubs before planting new grass.

Preparing Patchy Areas

• Rake up the dead patchy areas. Both sod and grass seeds must contact the soil for root development. Work the bare areas with a tiller to break up compacted soil. Distribute a starter fertilizer over the bare areas. Starter fertilizers contribute enough phosphorous for healthy sod or grass seed root growth. Use a starter fertilizer with a NPK amount of 5-10-5 at a rate of 20 lbs. per 1,000 square feet.

Reseeding

• Reseed your patchy lawn areas as soon as you have prepared the soil. Leaving bare areas in the yard allows weed growth. Seed your lawn when temperatures favor your grass type. For example, plant cool season grass seeds in the early fall or when temperatures have dropped from the summer heat. Plant warm season grass seeds in the early spring before temperatures heat up for the summer. Distribute seeds over the bare areas according to your specific grass type. For instance, Bermudagrass is distributed at a rate of 1 lb. per 1,000 square feet. Cover the grass seed with 1/8 inch of compost, then water the areas of newly planted seeds.

Resodding

• Sod can be installed anytime during the growing season. Gardeners fixing patchy lawn areas in high-traffic areas may want to plant sod, because grass seedlings have difficulty surviving the stress of foot traffic. Water the soil before laying down the sod, and water the dirt side of the sod to prevent roots from drying out. Lay the sod over the bare area and cut the sod to fit with a trowel. Butt pieces of sod together to prevent cracks. Keep your sod watered for two weeks to aid in establishment.