Lawn repairs

When the lawn is worn in places or simply in need of some attention around the edges, it's not a difficult task to carry out repairs. Tackle each area depending on its position.

Worn lawn edges
There are two ways to tackle this problem, you can either re-cut the lawn edges by removing the offending edge completely, or if the damage is limited to a smaller area, simply cut out a 'turf' sized section including the damaged area. Lift the 'turf' and rotate it 180 degrees so that the freshly cut edge lines up with the existing lawn and a new clean edge is formed. The worn patch will now be within the main lawn, and can be reseeded. Firm down the newly positioned turf and water in.

Bare patches
When the damage is an area within the lawn you can easily reseed this using Lawn Repair Kit, which contains fertiliser and Multi Purpose Lawn Seed. Simply loosen the soil surface, removing any debris, weeds and moss. Apply some Lawn & Turf Dressing or Top Soil if needed and scatter the lawn seed lightly but evenly over the area. Add the fertiliser and water gently to avoid washing the seed away and keep moist until the seeds have germinated and the grass is growing well.

Alternatively sow the grass seed into Premium Garden Soil in a seed-tray. Water well and lightly trim the emerging grass until it is well established. Use this individual turf to repair damaged areas of the lawn.

Thinning lawns
In older lawns the finer grass species are gradually replaced by annual grasses and coarser species that can eventually make the lawn look thin and patchy. You can really improve the quality of your lawn by over-sowing with a specialist grass seed. The new grass seed utilises any bare areas of the lawn and increases the density of the grass. This technique is especially useful if you find the lawn thin and patchy after dealing with moss and weed problems.
It is easily achieved by applying Lawn & Turf Dressing and sowing the seed over the top. Either use the Lawn Repair Kit, which includes fertiliser, or the Fast Acting Lawn Seed handheld spreader to achieve a good overall spread of suitable grass species, for small areas. For large areas choose the appropriate lawn seed mixture and apply lawn feed with a lawn spreader. Remember that it is important to deal with any moss or weed problems before top dressing and over-seeding.

Uneven Surfaces
Bumpy lawns cause problems for the mower and also look unsightly. Tackle each area individually. Identify the central point of the problem and cut a cross in the turf with a spade. Peel back the turf to access the problem. For small bumps simply excavate the excess soil, carefully with a trowel. For small hollows, fill the depression with Lawn & Turf Dressing and firm down. When the area is level, replace the turf and water well.

Poor Drainage
A well-trodden lawn, or grass on heavy clay soil can quickly become compacted. In hot weather the surface bakes hard and can crack. Water does not drain freely and puddles form on the surface. This is called compaction and leads to water logging which is bad news for the health of the lawn. In most circumstances it is easy to rectify but does require some effort. The most effective solution is to use a hollow tined aerator to remove soil cores from the lawn or you could use a garden fork. Brush Lawn & Turf Dressing into the resulting holes and repeat annually until the problem improves. The best time to do this is when the ground is moist in early summer or autumn. Westland Lawn & Turf Dressing contains a mixture of 50% sand, 25% peat, and 25% soil and fertiliser mix, which together add the right ingredients to the soil and grass roots.