Repairing a Damaged Lawn

Introduction

We all desire lush looking lawns adorning our compounds; however, this kind of lawn don’t appear through magic. It takes conscious effort to take care of a lawn, and this includes caring out repairs when the need arises.

However, some people make the mistake of not acting on minor issues in their lawn until it becomes a severe problem leaving them with a damaged lawn. It is essential to carry out repairs on your lawn when you notice signs of damage as soon as possible as some can destroy the whole lawn.

Different things can affect your garden, and having some important information at your domain can help prevent most of them. You should understand your environment, the weather as well as the best type of grass suitable for that area before starting your lawn. They can impact how fast you spot an issue on our lawn, and when it comes to lawn repairs, spotting damages on time is of utmost importance.

The affected area may be just a part of the lawn or the entire lawn; therefore, there is no specific solution to correcting the damage. Different issues of damaged lawns have their unique solutions. The extent of those distinct damages influences how you repair them. Let us start the repairs without further ado.

Worn-out grasses

Worn-out grass is arguably one of the most occurring problems that affect lawns. This usually occurs as a result of high human traffic on the grass. If people keep following that same spot over a long period, the grasses in that area will start wearing down and die out. It also increases soil compactness, and this is not favourable for grass growth.

This is how footpaths are formed in open fields as well as woods. If you don’t intend to carve a footpath on your lawn, then you should stop walking people from walking on top of it.

You don’t have to worry much if you already have worn out grasses on your lawn. The first thing to do is to mark the affected area and stop walking on the lawn, especially on the affected area. If you intend to carve a footpath through the lawn, you can build a path on the lawn. You may want to go artistic and introduce stepping stones to act as footpaths on your lawn.

The second step is to provide the affected area with adequate water. Then, patiently wait as it begins to grow back. Sometimes, the grasses in the affected areas are not worn out, but they are pushed down by the high traffic they encounter. The best thing to do in such areas is to leave them as they grow back. Avoid walking in that area as it recovers. It may take some time to reach full recovery, but it will happen.

Thinned Grass and Weed Issues

If the grasses at a particular spot on your lawn or the entire lawn show signs of thinning, it indicates that your lawn is getting damaged. It affects different types of grasses, and the results are sometimes exhibited differently. Also, the weather, as well as the climate of your location, affects the grass. When you notice that the grasses are shrinking in size or there is a bare spot surrounded by grass in your garden, your next line of action is to discover the cause.

Various reasons are responsible for this type of damage. It may be as a result of insect infestations, an increase in the growth of weeds, or disease. Any one of these things can cause patches to appear on your lawn, and if it isn’t attended to on time, it may spread through the whole lawn. Unlike the case of worn-out grasses, where you can leave the affected area to repair itself, thinned grasses may never recover if left alone; rather, it can get worse.

Weeds compete with grasses for the limited nutrients available to them. If the population of weed is left unchecked in your lawn, they will deprive your lawn of the right amount of nutrients they need to thrive, and one of the results is thinned grass or bare patches on the lawn. You can combat weeds with selective herbicides that will take out the weeds but leave the grass unaffected.

Insects can be the reasons for bare patches and thinned grasses, therefore, ensure that you use the right pesticide that will rid your lawn of those insects.

Another reason for thinned grasses may be a lack of nutrients and aeration. Ensure that your lawn is well aerated and that you apply fertilizers from time to time.

Compressed and Compact soil

There is a level of compactness the soil will get that will make it difficult for grasses to grow on it. Its symptoms are a bit similar to those of thinned grasses; however, the solution is not the same. Some damages that occur on your lawn may vanish after some time even if you don’t act on them; we cannot say the same for hard soil.

The soil may get harder instead of making it unsuitable for your lawn, and that is why most times they have to be replaced totally. You can avoid this issue if you test the soil for things like this before setting your lawn on it.

Walking on grass, over-tilling, too much rain, etc. are some of the main causes of hard soil in lawn apart from areas with naturally-occurring compact soil. If there is high traffic whether by vehicles or foot at a specific patch in your lawn, the soil in that area is prone to get hard, and the grasses will get worn out and finally die out.

It is best that you know the cause for the soil hardness and attend to the problem as soon as possible. Try to follow another path other than your lawn or avoid walking only at a specific spot all the time.

Other things you can do to solve this problem are aeration, breaking the soil into smaller crumbs. You can carry out the latter using a shovel to dig it up. Also, you can replace the soil in that area with less compact soil.

Too Much Shade

Shades such as trees are okay, and they beautify our lawns if well planned and planted. However, they can pose a problem if they become too much. This is the same for other types of shades. There is a limit to how long grasses will survive if they are constantly being deprived of sunlight. This problem is bound to occur if there is excessive shade on your lawn. The climate of that location, as well as the type of grass, also determines how grasses will respond to excessive shade issues.

The solution to this problem is not exactly straightforward and depends more on your personal preferences. If you discover that a shade is depriving your lawn of adequate sunlight, normal practice will be to remove it; however, some people may want the shade to remain. So, the best thing to do if you are in such a situation is to get the right type of grass seeds that don’t require too much sunlight to grow and plant them in the affected area.

Animal and Insect Invasion

Lawns can act as areas where some animals get their best meals, especially healthy lawns. Some of them like to set their homes on lawns. So, you may wake up to find a hole, nest, etc. on your lawn. Some of these creatures are not harmful to your lawn; however, as their population increases, they may pose a serious risk in the future.

There are two animals that you are likely to encounter their settlements on your lawn, and they are moles and ants.

There are various ways to get rid of them. Some of these methods may harm them fatally while others may pursue them temporarily. Moles, as well as some other animals, tend to bore holes into lawns. One of the remedies is to identify those holes and cover them up constantly. You can use mole repellants to prevent them from coming around or poisons if you want quick results and don’t mind harming the animals.

Ants can contribute to the growth of your lawn, but anthills can damage the aesthetic view of your lawn, and it can continue to grow if not checked. They can also affect the terrain of your lawn by making it bumpy. There are different ways to tackle anthills. You may decide to demolish them from time to time. You can use insecticides to take out the ants.

Thick Tree Roots

As trees grow so does their roots. It continues to stretch deep, far and wide, especially for larger trees. If your lawn happens to host such trees or it is close to that kind of trees, they may damage the terrain of your lawn. The larger the tree root, the more it shapes the area, especially if it is close to the surface.

There are quite a few things you can do about this type of damage. If a bumpy lawn does not bother you, then you may want to consider making the lawn grow over those roots. However, this process takes lots of effort and time. Although it will ensure that every part of the lawn is covered, it still doesn’t change the surface back to its original form.

If you want your lawn to return to its original form before the intrusion of tree roots, you will have to remove the roots, and this can kill the tree. This may be hard for you, especially if you want to keep the trees and still own a flat lawn. You can have the roots removed without affecting the tree adversely, although it may need the intervention of an expert in that area.

Conclusion

Before you can own a lawn that you are proud of, you have to put in a considerable amount of work. Even during winter‘, there are things you can do to boost the health of your lawn and make life easy for you. You can enjoy yourself‘ while taking care of your lawn. Ensure that you inspect every part of your lawn and take action when you notice any issues as soon as possible. Solving these issues fast will save you more cost and give you more time to focus on other things.