Aside from weeds, bare spots are typically the biggest lawn gripe that we know frustrate homeowners. Even if the rest of the lawn looks great, bare spots can stick out like a sore thumb.
The good news is that fixing bare spots in a lawn is definitely achievable! The first step will be to figure out what’s going on that you have bare spots occurring. Then, you can choose a solution to fill them in.
While bare spots are a major frustration, even healthy lawns end up with them from time to time. You might be doing all the right things but an unavoidable problem like a lawn disease or a pest might wreak havoc.
Still, you can take steps to be proactive and grow a more resilient lawn.
In this article, we will talk about:
What causes bare spots in lawns?
How to get grass to grow in bare spots?
Fixing bare spots in a lawn: Seed or sod?
How to encourage long-term grass growth
Understanding how to repair bare spots in your lawn, starts with understanding what caused them in the first place. That’s because different causes will have different solutions. It takes some lawn sleuthing to figure out what lawn problems you might be facing.
Here are some of the more common culprits of bare spots.
Various lawn pests can lead to bare spots in the lawn. Lawn grubs, for instance, feed on the roots of your turf and can leave behind brought spots and eventually bare patches. Surface-feeding insects can also cause lawn damage that leads to bare spots. Surface-feeding insects like chinch bugs feed on lawns by sucking out plant fluids. This can cause lawns to turn yellow and then brown, and ultimately die if not addressed soon enough.
Lawn diseases are a prevalent problem here in North Texas due to our climate. Extreme heat, limited rainfall, and rising humidity can create a recipe for fungus to start growing. There are a lot of different lawn diseases but three that we commonly see in our region include Brown Patch, Dollar Spot, and Summer Patch.
Sometimes the problem lies within the soil. If your lawn has poor soil health, you might have bare patches or thin areas. Before you repair bare spots in your lawn, you want to make sure that you correct soil health issues so that the problem doesn’t just keep repeating. Whether it’s an issue with soil pH, nutrient imbalances, or even an issue with soil structure (compacted soil is tough for grass to grow in), there are solutions out there. Some of our clients want a soil test so that they can know exactly what’s going on with their soil health. With a soil test, samples are sent to a laboratory and analyzed. We can then see the exact deficiencies in the soil and what will be needed to correct them.
The environment can also play a role in developing bare patches in the lawn. Drought, for instance, can take a serious toll on turf. Your lawn needs water to thrive and when it doesn’t receive enough, it can start to wilt and ultimately the grass will turn pale green or yellow. Mother Nature doesn’t always provide enough water and you need to get on a regular watering schedule or consider an irrigation system.
Sometimes an area of the lawn dying off is the result of an accident. A chemical spill or even a toy left lying in the yard could lead to an area of the lawn being killed. Kiddie pools are a common culprit of this problem. If you leave a kiddie pool (or a slip and slide) in the lawn for too long, it can kill the turf in that area. This is because you are blocking the lawn’s access to the sun.
If the bare spots are in a shaded area of your lawn, it might be an ongoing struggle to get grass to grow in this zone. Grass requires access to sunlight in order to grow and thrive. If you are repeatedly struggling to grow grass in shady areas, you might want to consider other landscape solutions.
Figuring out what is causing bare spots in your lawn will be critical information as you move forward. You’ll need to focus on fixing any issue that was responsible for causing the bare spots in the first place or you’re going to continue to struggle to grow grass in those locations.
We mentioned a bunch of different scenarios above and it could even be a combination of these. It’s not uncommon for a single lawn to deal with multiple issues at the same time.
Different lawn problems are going to require different approaches so a proper diagnosis is key. And as we mentioned, depending upon what’s happening on your lawn, you may require more than one solution.
We understand that figuring out what is wrong with your lawn is no simple feat. Often, many of these problems can mimic one another. You might have no idea where to even start when it comes to making a diagnosis.
This is where a lawn care professional can help. A lawn care pro should be able to help you determine exactly what issues your lawn might be facing and can put solutions in place to start making changes.
Whatever you do, you definitely want to get to the bottom of what’s going on before you spend money on replacing the lawn. The last thing that you want is to see your lawn go right back to where it was (particularly after spending money on a solution).
As far as filling in those bare spots, you have two options: Seeding or sodding. These can both be effective options to fill in bare spots but they are very different approaches.
Is sod better than seed? Many homeowners would say yes. After all, who doesn’t appreciate some instant gratification? That’s what you’ll get with sod, when pieces of grass (and roots) that were harvested from a sod farm are installed to create your new lawn. Sodding means an “instant fix” to your bare spots. But it comes at a much greater cost than seeding. You’ll also need to pay special care to ensure that the sod becomes established. It’s no small investment and you need to make sure those roots take hold.
The first two weeks, sod should be watered several times per day while roots “take” and the new grass stabilizes in your yard. After two weeks, you can taper off and start watering once daily. Then, after the third week, if roots are establishing as expected, you should irrigate the lawn three times per week (unless water restrictions are in place).
Seeding is a more cost effective option but it takes time (around six weeks or more) for the grass to start to grow and fill in.
Seeded lawns also need water—but the proper amount is key. Overwatering can be just as bad as not irrigating enough.
During the first week, water your lawn twice per day, ideally before 11 a.m. and after 7 p.m. for about 10 minutes. After that week, continue watering daily in the early morning. You can back off the third week by watering three days a week, maintaining that schedule with your mature lawn (unless water restrictions permit twice-weekly watering).
Once you’ve taken steps to repair bare spots in your lawn, you’ll obviously want your lawn to continue to grow strong and healthy. As those bare spots fill in, you want your grass to continue to thrive.
One key is to practice proactive lawn care by partnering with a professional.
It’s always best to take a proactive approach and prevent lawn problems in the first place. Even though there are often solutions to the problems we’ve been talking about, you still have to deal with damage and frustration.
To try and avoid bare spots, it’s best to get in the habit of practicing good lawn care habits. In addition to investing in a professional lawn care program that includes services like weed control and lawn fertilization, you also want to make sure that you’re mowing and watering your lawn correctly so that you aren’t putting added stress on it.
The good news is that you don’t have to do this all on your own. When you partner with a lawn care professional, you have their guidance and expertise.
At Grassperson, there is nothing we enjoy more than helping homeowners fix their lawns so that they can enjoy them more fully.
We understand the absolute frustration involved when there are unsightly bare patches that take away from that enjoyment. But we can help fix the problems and provide an instant solution that will get you back on track.
Once you have been successful fixing bare spots in a lawn, you’ll also want to ensure you keep up with a regular lawn care program that is providing your lawn with what it needs to continue to perform its best.
While it might seem hopeless now, we assure you, once you properly fix bare patches in your lawn, you’ll soon never even be able to tell where you had a problem. You’ll have a lawn that you’re proud of, making you the envy of the neighborhood.
Ready to solve your bare patches problems at your Flower Mound, Highland Village, or Lewisville, TX home? Get a free quote and then enjoy the best lawn on the block without the worries!
