How to fix patchy grass in the backyard?

[NeeRav]

[EricL]

Hello @NeeRav 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about your lawn in the backyard.

Would it be possible for you to post a few photos of your patchy lawn? This will give our members a better idea of its condition. We can then make recommendations on the steps you can take to revive your lawn. I would also like to ask a little bit about its history. Have you applied any fertilizer to your lawn? How often do you water it? Do you have pets, and do they dig up the lawn? Any other extra information you can share with us about your lawn would be very much appreciated. 

In the meantime, I suggest having a look at this guide - How to detect lawn problems by @Adam_W. 

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[NeeRav]

Hi Eric, 

Thank you so much for your prompt response. We just moved to this property and we are not sure what we should we do as we are waiting for the Springtime so either we can get rid of the grass completely or grow the lawn from scratch.  

We haven't applied any fertilizer yet. The previous tenant had a dog so I guess could be the dog used to dig up the lawn hence it's gone patchy (not sure though if that could be the case). We haven't water the lawn yet as we dont get much sunlight in the corner area where it's either algae or moss. 

Once again thanks heaps. 

[JacobZ · Accepted solution]

Hi @NeeRav,

Whether you choose to lay new turf slabs or try to regrow from seed, the single most important thing that I can recommend is to aerate your soil.

It looks like the soil is extremely compacted, which is causing water to pool and drastically reducing the ability for grass to grow in certain areas. It is also a likely contributor to the moss growth.

I'd suggest hiring a Lawn Corer and aggressively aerating the soil. By turning and aerating the soil, you will soften the ground, which will improve drainage and allow far better root growth. There are other options for aeration that you can see in action in How To Aerate Your Lawn, but due to the compaction I am seeing, the lawn corer would be your best option.

This could be done in winter in preparation for further work in spring.

Closer to spring, I'd also suggest getting some top dressing and spreading it across your lawn to add nutrients and level the surface. Check out How To Topdress Your Lawn for some guidance on this process. Depending on your location, it can often be purchased in bulk through your local store's Special Orders desk.

Once the new soil has been added, you can either lay new turf or grow it from seed. Check out How To Lay Turf and How To Grow Grass From Lawn Seed for guidance on either option.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob