How to repair patches on your lawn

Bare patches can appear because the grass has been overused, undernourished or raked a little too thoroughly. Early spring is an ideal time of the year to start tending to your lawn if you want it looking its best by the summer months. 

Depending on how you want to mend patches in your lawn, you’ll need grass seed or turf, a garden rake, and a decent spade or hand trowel. When it comes to choosing turf, we recommend net-free turf to reduce plastic waste.

Even if the patches in your lawn are small, it’s important to tend to them as soon as you can. This will stop moss and perennial weeds like dandelions from taking over the soil – and will prevent the need for bigger jobs down the line.

Once you’ve removed any weeds and their roots from the bare patch, rake the soil lightly, then scatter your grass seed. Rake again and cover the patch with netting to provide extra protection from birds – this will also help the grass germinate.

It’s also easy to repair bare patches with turf. Cut out a rectangle or square around the bare patch. Using your trowel or spade, then dig out the remaining earth to the depth of the piece of turf. Lightly rake the remaining soil or add topsoil if needed. Lay the turf and press down so that it’s the same level as your lawn.