Spring is the ideal time to repair ugly bare patches in lawns and restore healthy grass that lasts. Grass seed germinates readily during this season, making it the perfect window to over-sow damaged areas and create a uniform, green lawn. While spring offers the best conditions for growth, bare spots often appear regardless of the season due to various environmental factors.
Identifying the cause of damage
Bare patches in the lawn can be caused by a number of reasons. Dog urine can burn grass and cause it to die back. If you leave a thick layer of lawn clippings on the surface of the lawn, they can smother the grass below and create a bare patch. Sometimes a hole is left behind after you’ve removed a particularly hefty weed. Moles can wreak havoc. Whatever the cause, bare patches of grass are easy to fix with some grass seed.
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If you’re filling in patches, be sure to choose lawn seed that will match your existing grass. For example, if your lawn is made of fine-bladed fescues, choose a fine or luxury lawn seed mix, but if it’s a hard-wearing lawn with thick-bladed ryegrass, a box of general-purpose lawn seed will suffice. In general, and in our experience, with lawn seed, the adage that you get what you pay for holds true. Good quality lawn seed will have high germination rates and shouldn’t contain rogue grass species, giving you a better lawn in the long run.
Fork over the soil at the base of the bare patch, and scatter additional topsoil over it if necessary, to create a crumbly seedbed for the lawn seed. Scatter the seed over the patch at the rate given on the packet (normally around 20 grams per square metre) and rake it in to cover the seed and prevent birds eating it. Many brands’ grass seed comes with a coloured protective coating that’s supposed to make the seeds less visible to hungry birds.
Product options for repairs
Several products are available to assist with lawn repairs. Johnsons Shady Place covers 20 square metres and uses grass species that are naturally tolerant of shade for a stronger chance of a lush green lawn in more challenging spots. Its ‘Seedbooster’ treatment covers seed with a coating that harmlessly deters birds from eating it. Empathy RHS supreme green lawn seed uses a blend of grasses chosen for natural toughness, and Empathy has added beneficial ‘Rootgrow’ mycorrhizal fungi to the mix.
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Richard Jackson flower power premium grass seed is formulated to be a good all-round grass seed with a high-performing mix of grasses, ideal for use as a patch filler. Patch Magic is specially formulated for repairing bald patches in the lawn. The grass seed is mixed with coir and fertiliser, so all you need to do is sprinkle it over any bare or worn parts of the lawn. Pronto Speedy Seed says their grass seed will deliver results within 7-14 days. Gro-Sure smart lawn seed from manufacturers Westland is “guaranteed to grow” thanks to its aqua gel coating, which can be used to overseed a patchy lawn and will usually germinate in under two weeks.
Grass seed without a protective coating might need additional protection from a taut piece of fine netting or chicken wire stretched over the area. Products that contain both ‘seed and feed’ and proprietary ‘repair kits’ such as Patch Magic from Amazon are also available, to quickly thicken up a worn-out lawn. If you think your lawn is looking a bit thin, you could use this time to overseed the whole area and create a thicker sward.
Establishing the new growth
Like all seeds, grass seed must have a regular supply of water to germinate. After sowing, water the area well, with a fine rose on the watering can, and continue to water if there’s no rain. Many of the repair kits come complete with extra ingredients to hold onto moisture and help the seed imbibe water. Once it has germinated, take care when mowing to avoid cutting the new grass too short. Just keep it lightly trimmed until it has had a chance to establish and thicken out.
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You can also fix a bare patch with turf – either bought new, or cut from another part of the garden. Lay the piece of new turf over the bare patch and cut around its outline through the grass below. Put the new turf aside and lift the square of old grass out, lightly forking over the soil surface. The new piece of grass will be the same size and shape as the hole, so you can simply put it in place, firm it down, and water it in.
If the bare patch is at the edge of the lawn, it can be trickier to fix, but there’s a simple solution. Take a sharp half-moon edger from Amazon and cut a rectangle out of the grass that includes the offending bare patch at the edge. Use the blade of the edger to slice below the rectangle and prise out the piece of turf. Then turn it around by 180° so the sharp edge of the rectangle forms the new edge of the lawn, and the bare patch is now inside the lawn, making it easier to fix. Add a little topsoil if you need to, then overseed as above.
