Dr. Tom Samples of the University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service offers tips on how to fill in unattractive bald spots on your lawn caused by pets, gasoline spills, root competition from trees, stones under the soil surface and wear and tear. If your lawn consists of a spreading grass such as zoysia or Bermuda, bare areas will eventually fill in--although you can repair them quickly with sod or plugs. But if your grass is a clumping type, such as fescue, you'll need to reseed. If your grass is the spreading type, you can encourage the grass to fill in bare spots quickly by fertilizing the area with blood meal or a starter-grade fertilizer (figure A). You can also mulch over the area with grass clippings to prevent the soil from drying out and to prevent weeds from growing while you wait for the lawn to fill in.
To repair a clumping-type lawn, put down some new soil over the damaged area, and spread fresh seed. Cover the seed with a shallow layer of compost or straw, and keep the area moist until you see germination. Large trouble spots need more comprehensive attention. You may need to rototill the bare spot and lay sod. Put a layer of compost over the entire area, and rototill it into the top 3" of the soil. Rake the area smooth, then lay the sod--or reseed or install grass plugs. If you like, you can buy sod and cut it into small pieces to create your own plugs. If you install homemade plugs, then seed over the top, the area will fill in rapidly. Whatever sort of repair you make, it's important to keep the area moist until the lawn fills in.
GUESTS :
Tom Samples
UT Agricultural Extension Service
PO Box 1971
Knoxville, TN 37901-1071
Phone: 865-974-2595
Fax: 865-974-1068
Email: aes.tsamples@utk.edu
Website: http://www.utextension.utk.edu
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