Small lawn patches
If you have a few small patches to repair, then the best way is to use a special lawn patch repair kit such as Miracle-Gro® Patch Magic® Grass Seed, Feed & Coir. This product is specially formulated to germinate quickly, filling in those bare patches rapidly and thickly.
Larger lawn patches
If you need to repair bigger patches in your lawn or have lots of patches over a large area, then choose a fast germinating, tough grass seed such as Miracle-Gro® EverGreen® Fast Grass Lawn Seed. It’s always recommended to overseed the areas around the patch at the same time, as this way the new grass will blend in with the established area.
Before you start to repair the patches, it’s always a good idea to find out why you have the patches. There can be several reasons for this:
- Traffic – are the patches caused by constant use such as a football goal, walking to the shed/washing line? If so, then choose a hard-wearing grass seed.
- Shade – is the area in constant shade? Does a tree or shrub block out the light? If so, then see if you can prune the plant back and use a grass seed specially formulated for shady areas. Miracle-Gro® EverGreen® Shady Lawn Seed.
- Dogs – Female dog urine can scorch the grass and if they constantly use the same area, then over time the grass will turn yellow and eventually die. Try using a product especially for dealing with this problem such as Miracle-Gro® Patch Magic® Dog Spot Repair.
Steps to repair lawn patches
Step 1
Remove any dead grass, stones, leaves, and any other debris from the patch you need to repair and loosen the soil with a rake.
Step 2
Wet the soil first if there has been no rain and allow the water to drain through.
Step 3
Apply/the grass seed as per the instructions, this is crucial as you need to make sure you add the right quantity of seed and spread evenly.
Step 4
Water the repaired patch thoroughly.
Step 5
Regularly check to make sure the grass seed does not dry out, but don't waterlog the patch!
Step 6
In just one week or so, depending on weather conditions and temperatures, you should start to see your first shoots from the grass seed, then in the next few weeks, your repaired patches will start to blend in with the rest of your lawn. Try to stay off the newly germinated area for as long as possible. You could even cover it with some fine netting to deter pets and birds.
Step 7
Leave your new grass to grow and get established and don’t apply any treatments until it is 6 months old. Check all product instructions before you apply to a newly repaired lawn patch.
Top tips
- Mow the lawn before patching or over seeding.
- Keep the area moist.
- Only start to mow once the new grass is at least 5cm.
- Mow your lawn regularly and on a high blade setting. Never scalp the lawn as that can encourage bare patches that will then be colonised by weeds and moss.