How to Fill in Patchy Grass

Remove the dying or dead grass from the bare patch with the garden spade and shovel. Loosen the turf with the tines of the spade and then insert the blade of the shovel beneath the turf to remove it. Transfer the grass to the bucket as you remove it.

Cultivate the soil in the patch with the garden spade to loosen it.

Add a 1/2-inch-deep layer of loose topsoil evenly over the area. Press the topsoil down lightly to compact it and then rake it gently to create a suitable surface for sowing the grass seeds.

Sprinkle the grass seeds evenly over the topsoil, spreading 1 oz. of seeds over every square yard of soil.

Cover the seeds with about 1/4 inch of topsoil. Cover the topsoil with a light layer of straw.

Repeat the same process for each bare patch in the lawn.

Water all of the newly seeded patches evenly to saturate the topsoil. Keep the topsoil evenly moist by watering in the morning and evening for about two weeks. At the end of this period, you should see grass seeds germinating through the straw. Continue watering once a day until the new grass grows as long as the surrounding grass.