How To Re Turf Bare Patches In A Lawn

With lots of turf groups on social media, we are seeing people get wonderful results bringing tired lawns back to life. Some patches just won’t come back no matter how much TLC you give them. However, we have seen some amazing resurrections from people repairing lawns with turf. This week’s turf tip breaks down repairing patches for those dead grass areas in your lawn that need more than just some love.

Love and Patience

The first option for the repair of bare spots and bald patches is a little love and patience. Our Sir Walter DNA Certified is such a wonderful turf when it comes to regrowing those thin patches of grass after excess wear and tear. With a little love, attention and lawn care, a bare patch will self-heal in a Sir Walter lawn. A light sprinkling of a plant tonic like Charlie Carp or Seasol will give the plant a little boost, powering the runners that will fill in the damaged patch.

To keep the lawn surface-level, first fill the existing soil hole in the lawn with washed sand and spread it evenly with a rake. You won’t need lawn seed or new grass. Give your lawn some love and wait for the runners to do their work over the bare patches. This process can take some time for the runners to fill the new space and create lush grass, so if you want instant results for your lawn try our next tip.

Repairing lawn with turf transplants

To get that instant result, you can patch in a fresh slab of turf to cover the bare spot. Just like laying a new lawn, the biggest key to repairing a lawn with turf is to take your time and prepare the topsoil properly.

First, you need to cut a nice square area around the bare patch with a tidy edge. Do not worry about cutting into some existing grass, as the new sod will replace it all. By cutting the area back to a square shape with straight edges, you get a much cleaner patch repair.

Make the square area nice and flat, dig away any debris and uneven ground areas giving a good base for the new patch repair. Carefully measure the now bare area and purchase new turf slabs from Jimboomba Turf Group to cover the area. We will help you with your turf selection so you choose the right new grass to match your lawn. You can buy small numbers of slabs from our sales office or your local Bunnings store.

Getting the patch in

When you fix bare spots, you will want to treat the patch just like a new lawn. First, apply a pre-turf fertiliser to the soil to promote healthy growth. Cut your slabs to fit snugly into the patch and then roll them down to get good contact with the soil.

Watering is important to ensure plenty of moisture reaches the roots. Water the new patch well for several weeks to ensure it establishes well. We see turf as slabs, but each slab that you lay is actually hundreds of individual plants that will take root in the soil to restore your lawn. This means your new patch will soon take and just become part of your lawn, making it blend over time.

How do you know if you’ve done enough watering for the soil or too much? The success of your grass patching, and in fact, your entire lawn and garden is linked to how much water they receive. This is where one of the best lawn care steps that you can take is to ensure you get the watering amount and regularity right. Take a look at our Watering Guide for more information.

Avoiding future patches

To avoid future bare patches in your lawn, ensure you move garden furniture and play equipment such as trampolines regularly. Not enough sun in one area is the most common cause of brown or bare patches. Also, be aware of high traffic areas, especially with pets. Give high traffic areas extra love year-round, and where possible give them a break by keeping people and pets off them for periods.

There is a wide range of dog-friendly lawn types to choose from, creating a yard that is both family and pet-friendly. To reduce maintenance costs and the need for topsoil or reseeding bare patches, we suggest using self-repairing Sir Walter DNA Certified buffalo or robust TifTuf bermuda.

Why not seed the patches?

There are some reasons why we recommend repairing a lawn with turf rather than using a thin layer of grass seeds to repair your lawn.

• Grass seed is an option for prepared soil if you’re in wet climes or cold regions. However, grass seed will usually fail in South East Queensland due to the hot, dry weather.
• You can grab the garden fork or garden rake and do your best to seed the topsoil. Seeds germinate over a lengthy period of time but they still might not give you the best results for your garden.

If you’ve invested in premium turfs such as Sir Grange, TifTuf and even Sir Walter DNA Certified, it is still not a fix. Unfortunately, these great varieties cannot be grown from seed.

To get more advice on repairing patches in your lawn; call our team on (07) 3114 8281. If you want to pop in and order in person, our office is located at Unit 1/243 Bradman Street, Acacia Ridge. Open Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm and Saturday 7am to 12pm.

For more great turf tips keep an eye on our website and all our social media channels.