Grass

Top of my to-do list today?  My lawn looks sad.  Now that we have finally left winter behind, it’s time to get to work outside.  The winter – or the neighbor’s dog – wasn’t kind to a couple spots in my front yard and now I have bare patches.

I’ll be making a trip to the hardware store for some grass patch – and maybe I’ll throw in a bag of plain grass seed to overseed the rest of the yard as well.

Have you ever used grass patch?  There are several brands, but basically, it’s a blend of grass seed, fertilizer and mulch.  You loosen the soil in the bare spots down about an inch or so and then spread the patch over it.  When you water it, the patch turns into a sort of paste that keeps the seed in place and holds moisture in around it.  Water at least once daily for a week to 10 days and you should have grass filling in those bare spots.  It’s easy!

Overseeding is putting seed over a lawn that is thin or uneven.  To prep for my overseeding, I’ll rake the yard gently to loosen up any thatch so the seeds can get down to the soil.  If your seeds stay in the existing grass or in the thatch, they aren’t going to grow so this is an important step.  I have a handheld seed/fertilizer spreader so I’ll put the seed down with that and then follow up with a little more light raking to make sure the seed gets down to dirt.  Then it’s just a matter of watering regularly until my lawn fills in and isn’t so sad!

Want a guide for spring lawn care?  I like this one from Today’s Homewoner.