Is your lawn showing nasty bald spots? Use these tips to bring your yard back to life!
Does your lawn suffer from unsightly bald spots? Patches of dead grass are frustrating for any homeowner. If you don’t take care of a bald spot initially, it can continue to grow, becoming an even bigger issue down the road. Luckily, if you fix it early enough, you might be able to repair these bald spots on your own. Here are some tips on how to stop bald spots from spreading, and how to fix the ones already plaguing your yard!
What's Causing Bald Spots?
First thing’s first: to solve the problem, you need to know what's causing brown spots. Bald spots can be the result of heavy foot traffic — which you can prevent in the future — but also disease, weed, or insect infestations. You have to get rid of the problem before you plant new grass. Even in hot Florida weather, if an area is not receiving sufficient water during irrigation, it may cause thinning of grass during extended periods of no rain. Here’s what to look for:
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Killer weeds love to march into your lawn and steal the nutrients that your grass needs to thrive. Weed preventatives will help kill weeds, and stop them from spreading through your lawn. You should also mow your lawn regularly to stop weeds from sprouting seeds, as well as fertilize your lawn to facilitate healthy growth.
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Lawn disease can be harder to identify, but here are some tips on what to look for. You should treat for all of these diseases right away, either with a fungicide or pulling the infected grass up by its roots. If you aren’t sure which measure to take, ask a professional!
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Dollar Spot is patches are round spots that are the size of a quarter or silver dollar.
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Brown Patch is a disease that often plagues cool-season grasses, specifically in the summer months, when it is hot and humid. These patches can be up to several feet across.
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Powdery Mildew is when your grass looks to be frosted. White powder grows on the grass, eventually killing it.
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- Bug infestations are easy to identify if you can find the culprit. Look for Tropical Sod Web Worms, Army Worms, or even Chinch Bugs in small bald spots that seem to grow a little bit each day. Removing the grass, fertilizing, and watering the area should solve the problem. But, when looking for bugs in bald spots of your yard, it’s important to remember that not all bugs are bad for your lawn, and some actually help it thrive. If you find earthworms, ladybugs, honey bees, or beetles in your grass, leave them be!
How to Fix Bald Spots
After you’ve taken care of what caused your bald spots, you can make them green again. Laying down seed so you have new, fresh growth is easy, but there are some things you should consider when you put new seeds on your lawn.
- Determine if the bald spot has room for pieces of sod or perhaps a tray or more of grass plugs will do. The trays come with 18 – 3” X 3” square cubes of grass plugs.
- No need to remove dead grass unless fitting in a whole piece of sod. Then you must dig down enough so that when the sod is put in place it will match the existing soil level. Plus, this will prep underlying soil where root contact and establishment will be better served.
- If there is enough viable grass with not enough room for a whole piece of sod, then grass plugs are the way to go. Plant them with 6” spacing from center to center. No need to remove all dead debris first – but the more soil on the surface that exposed only quickens time that plugs will grow in. Also, be sure to loosen soil between plugs so that grass runners may spread and root quickly.
- Finally, make sure you have good water support from irrigation in a uniform pattern over the repaired area(s). Full sun areas should receive 1” of water peruse. Just monitor new grass for wilting and water well until it becomes established enough to survive off of normal irrigation cycles.
How to Prevent Bald Spots On Your Lawn
The best way to prevent bald spots in your lawn is to continuously care for it throughout the year. There are a few preventative measures you can take to help reduce the risk of disease and weeds spreading through your lawn. Continuous care includes mowing regularly, applying fertilizer, and watering. These are the best ways to prevent lawn diseases and weeds from taking over and promote healthy, green grass. Other ways to prevent bald spots are to:
- Ensure adequate, uniform irrigation coverage with the proper amount.
- Pull weeds up by their roots whenever you find them.
- Avoid having heavy foot traffic in certain areas of your lawn.
- Don’t let pets urinate on your lawn.
- Fight off pests as soon as you think they’ve come to live in your grass.
Need Help? Let The Professionals Take Care of Your Bald Spots!
If you are a homeowner that cares about having a healthy, thick carpet of green grass all year round, Evergreen can help. We offer lawn services that will keep your lawn green, and let you spend more time with your family rather than working in your yard. With over 30 years in the lawn care industry, we know how to get the job done right, and we love seeing the results of our work. Don’t let bald spots take over your lawn! If you have any questions about fixing dead patches of grass or want a professional to take care of it for you, feel free to give us a call at [phone-number]!
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