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At some point in the life of any self-respecting lawns there will be a need for some form of repair and a little or a lot of new grass seed may need to be added.
There can be a number of reasons that dead patches, or bald spots have appeared on your lovely green carpet of joy, animals are a popular cause from digging it up to your pet’s waste products causing permanent discolouring.
It may be a case of a paddling pool that had be sat on the grass for 3 months during the summer, leaving behind a complete bald patch. It could be that your garden sits in shade and the grass has some discolouration.
Whatever has caused the grass to become bare and covered in patches there is an easy and cost-effective way to prevent your lawn from dying.
This is obviously a little bit more than a patch and will require some serious repair work to get it to flourish once again, therefore you will need to take on this project in a practical way.
Tools & Materials
A vital part of any job and for this particular project then we only need a few to get us to where we want:
- Lawnmower
- Fork
- Rake
- Grass seed
- Organic matter/compost
- Hose pipe/watering can
A pretty basic set of ingredients but knowing how and when to use them is the key to a successful re-growth of your lawn.
When Is The Best Time For Reseeding A Lawn
Most experts will advise that the best time of year to undertake the reseeding or cultivation of any lawns would be in the early Autumn.
Some of the factors behind this are the cooling temperatures, rainfall, and night-time dew that all go to establish a new and more cultivated appeal to your lawn.
Spring can also be an effective time to reseed, but summer temperatures will be too high and winter too low.
Can I Just Sprinkle Grass Seed Onto Existing Lawn
The short answer is yes. Grass seed can grow if you just throw it on the ground, but the success of the germination will be less likely compared to when you do the correct preparation and sowing technique.
How To Reseed A Damaged Lawn
Step 1: Mow the lawn
For me this is the mowing. You might think that this is the last task once the lovely seed has sprouted but I take this opportunity to cut the grass in and around any areas that are going to be patched up. The main reason for this is that this will be the last time you will be able to do this for a few weeks and depending on the time of year the existing grass could get very long.
Not taking on this phase first will not have any effect on the time or quality of the seed growth but will ultimately look better after the first cut of the new shoots.
Step 2: Prepare the Ground
Preparation of the ground. In all cases the ground, no matter how big or small should have some time and effort spent making the ground in which the seed will be sown to ensure an easier and therefore shorter germination period. Germination – Oxford Reference
In my case (as shown above) I have an area of approximately 9 square metres to cover and realistically anything over 10 square metres I would usually use rolls of turf but in this case, I have chosen seed.
Fork – I would recommend a good four-pronged tool for this, and it is simply pushing it into the damaged ground to s depth of at least 4 centimetres as we do not want to dig the soil up but just to aerate it. This not only loosens the soil but will make removing any weeds or dead matter as the area will need to be blemish free before we can lay any seed down.
Step 3: Level the ground
Once you are satisfied that the soil is loose and weed free it is then time to break out the rake. Raking will allow you to level the ground to match the existing heights or slope of your current lawn and will also go through the soil with a fine-tooth comb revealing any more offending weds etc.
Once you are happy that the soil level is where it should be then you are ready for the seeding.
Step 4: Reseed
Seeding the soil is, for me the exciting part of this process as it is the only part where you are not in full control of the outcome, however if you have put in the right preparation followed by the correct after care you will have the power to ensure the best results possible.
As for the actual seed then you will be given the choice of a multitude of varieties ranging from hard wearing, sports style, shady area and even which shade of green you would prefer but for my project I have chosen General Purpose (johnsonslawnseed.com) which is a good quality seed that I used before on my lawn.
The spreading of seeds is in some circles a strongly contested argument with some saying it can be done by hand and others insisting you need a mechanical spreader but in my opinion hand spreading is fine.
If you do purchase the same brand of seed as me then the box will have perforation for you to simply shake the seed over the designated area.
One final thing to do once the seed has been spread evenly and as per pack instructions is to add a little organic matter/compost on top. This can consist of shop bought or home-made compost or even straw but do not cover it as it only really needs a light dusting. Do not use topsoil as some have advised as this can caused the seed to rot before it has a chance to germinate.
Step 5
Each stage you have undertaken so far is important but none more so than the after care of the seed. You do not want to put in all of that time and effort for the last part to go wrong.
The seed will need water on a twice daily basis for anything up to 6 weeks dependant on the weather conditions. If we have a lot of rain, then no need for that much watering but if it is dry then definitely as much as recommended.
A hose or watering can will suffice as you do not want to drown it but a hot tip I have is if you have a water butt then use the water from there in preference to tap water as it will contain many of the nutrients needed for germination to happen.
Step 6
The first mow is in essence the final step and when you can finally relax and enjoy the quite literal fruits of your labour. Now do not rush into this and also do not leave too long as you will want the new grass to blend into the lawn you already have.
This is not a perfect science and recommendations vary from manufacturer to manufacturer with some advising up to eight weeks after germination, but they can and will once again be reliant on weather conditions and in some cases can only be 2 weeks after the first shoots break out from the ground.
Whenever you do take on that first cut it is extremely important not to cut too low so if you have a height setting on your lawn mower then set it to the highest possible cut.
Personally I then cut it on the second lowest setting around a week or so later when I will cut the entire lawn.
Facts about Grass
- Grasses make up around 26% of Earth’s plant life.
- There are 1400 species of grass in The United States.
- Giant bamboo are the largest grasses on Earth.
- Grass grows on all continents even in the Polar regions.
