Any well-loved lawn will fall victim to a patches or bare spots over time. Even with the most carefully curated lawncare regime, you may still suffer from damaged areas. Luckily, they are easy to fix, and it shouldn’t be too long before your lawn is back to its usual self – patch-free and thriving!
If you have started to notice patches appearing across your lawn, there are lots of reasons why this could be happening so knowing how to fix them properly starts with getting to the root of the problem (no pun intended). Wear and tear is one of the most common causes of a patchy lawn along with pests, diseases, shade, lack of fertiliser and pet urine. Take the time to investigate what is causing your lawn patches, so that you can take the necessary steps to fix those and have your lawn its best, once again.
How to overseed a patchy lawn
There are many easy fixes that will help to bring your lawn back to life and keep it looking its best. Follow our step-by-step guide on how to overseed your lawn -
● Remove any dead grass, weeds, or moss by scarifying/raking the area
● Rake the area enough so that the soil is loose and not compact
● Sow some seed at our recommended rate of 35g per m2, by using a seed spreader or you hand
● Rake the seed in after sowing so that the seed is in amongst the soil
● Firm down by foot or by using a roller to improve seed to soil contact
● Water the just-sown seed well
If you are new to overseeding and this is your first time doing it, you can follow our more detailed guide on how to overseed your lawn.
Looking further at the causes of a patchy lawn
Let’s take a minute to look at some of the core reasons why a lawn becomes damaged so that you can begin to repair those effectively.
Dog urine
Don’t let the puppy eyes fool you! Our much-loved pups might look cute, but they can certainly make their mark on our lawns. Dog urine is one of the most common causes of a patchy lawn. If your dog uses your garden as a bathroom, then you will probably notice a few patches appearing across your lawn. Dog urine is incredibly high in nitrogen and as a result, when it is applied directly to your lawn from close proximity, it can scorch your blades very easily. This can leave you with yellow, dry, and bare patches across your lawn. There are a few ways that you can protect your grass from dog urine and help to minimise the damage, but if it’s too late for that then make sure you follow our guide on how to repair dog urine patches.
Lack of nutrients
Patches across your lawn can be an indication that your grass is lacking in key nutrients. Grass that is well feed will maintain its health, thickness, and appearance. However, if you have neglected to feed your lawn, you will start to notice some patches, thinning of your grass and a lack in overall health and vibrance. Feeding your grass should be part of your regular lawn care regime, and it should be done a few times a year to make sure it never falls short of nutrients. Our fertiliser guide will help you to understand what fertiliser is best for you to use throughout the year but as a minimum, you should be feeding your lawn in spring and autumn. Try using our SLOW RELEASE: Spring / Summer fertiliser in spring and our SLOW RELEASE: Autumn / Winter fertiliser in autumn. Both of these will provide your grass with a slow-releasing feed that will last for 16 weeks. If you are new to fertilising your lawn, then our guide on how to fertilise your lawn will keep you on the right track.
Pests
Our grasses are living things and they are part of a much larger ecosystem, so it would be naïve of us to think that other living things wouldn’t make their way into our lawns every so often. When pests invade our grassy spaces, they can ravage the aesthetic look of our grass and turn our lawns into a sorry looking place. Leatherjackets and chafer grubs are the most common pests that you will find in UK gardens. Taking care of your lawn throughout the year by aerating, watering, mowing, feeding, and weeding will help to reduce the chances of these pests appearing on your lawn. For help and advice on managing these pests, make sure to read our guide on how to protect your lawn against pests.
Wear and tear
A patchy lawn might not look how you want it to, but that’s sometimes part of enjoying using your lawn, right? Gardens that are used frequently are quicker than others to show patches and thinning spots. There is not always an easy answer to fixing this issue but making sure you have the right grass seed mixture that is one of the most effective ways. Our FAMILY: Kids and Pets grass seed is a hardwearing, quick to recover seed mix that has been designed to withstand the day-to-day stresses from heavy use. To help reduce the wear and tear on your lawn you should also make sure to keep the area free from clutter/leaves etc, and finally make sure you keep pests away and regularly fertilise your lawn.
Make sure to check in with our help and advice pages regularly for advice on sowing, mowing, and maintaining your garden this summer.
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